I've recently been playing around with my layout on my blog, and today I'm publishing two new elements.
I've moved my "about" section to a tab on the top of the page, but that's not really that interesting.
I also added two other tabs to the top of the page, and these I am excited about. I think they'll prove helpful to you.
One is the "Support our Adoption" tab. It has links to all of our previous posts about our adoption process, as well as an edited version of the post I wrote a few weeks ago about fundraising. (Hint: this is a good place to start when gift shopping!)
The other is the "Recipes" tab. It contains all of the recipes I've published, both for food, housekeeping, and body care. Please put your feet up and have some fun perusing this section, especially if you are a new reader. I've been here since the beginning (obviously), but I re-found some old recipes I'd forgotten about!
I'm hoping to add some new updates soon. I hope you like the new tabs, and that it makes browsing this blog a little more enjoyable for you!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
Sugar Fasting Again!
You may remember the series I did on sugar fasting early in 2012. Researching for it was really an eye opener for me, and the fast itself was literally life changing. I honestly didn't know how bad sugar was making me feel because I didn't know what it was like to be without it. To put it another way, I didn't know how good I could feel. It takes two weeks to a month to get past the "detox" phase and start feeling the results.
Alas, it is hard to kick old habits, and this pregnancy has taken away all self-control when it comes to food. I've been so hungry and unnecessarily concerned about not gaining enough weight that I've eaten pretty much everything that's been put in front of me. This has not been great for my energy levels or mental clarity, which are already compromised by pregnancy brain. So, I've putting our house on another sugar fast for the month of May. I'm fasting from it completely, and the kids will be as far as I can help it - I don't want to be a nazi when we're out and everyone's sharing some birthday cake or something, but I do try to limit it. Dennis is a grown man, I let him do what he wants. ;)
Ok, to be honest. This has been an, ahem, partial fast. I've cheated a few times. Like I said, I have no self control when I'm pregnant. I have done much, much better, and I've only cheated 4 or 5 times. I'm feeling much better, too.
So, if you, like me, need a little inspiration to pass on the sugar, here's a recap on my sugar-free series from last year:
Why sugar fasting (part 1)
Why sugar fasting (part 2)
Easy and tasty sugar free sweet treats
The end of the sugar fast (I don't follow rules well...have you guys picked up on that yet?)
Alas, it is hard to kick old habits, and this pregnancy has taken away all self-control when it comes to food. I've been so hungry and unnecessarily concerned about not gaining enough weight that I've eaten pretty much everything that's been put in front of me. This has not been great for my energy levels or mental clarity, which are already compromised by pregnancy brain. So, I've putting our house on another sugar fast for the month of May. Ok, to be honest. This has been an, ahem, partial fast. I've cheated a few times. Like I said, I have no self control when I'm pregnant. I have done much, much better, and I've only cheated 4 or 5 times. I'm feeling much better, too.
So, if you, like me, need a little inspiration to pass on the sugar, here's a recap on my sugar-free series from last year:
Why sugar fasting (part 1)
Why sugar fasting (part 2)
Easy and tasty sugar free sweet treats
The end of the sugar fast (I don't follow rules well...have you guys picked up on that yet?)
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Saving money on baby - baby food
I'm completely outside the norm when it comes to feeding my babies. My friends are probably screaming "Don't listen to a thing she says!" I don't follow any of the rules when it comes to feeding babies.
So don't follow anything I'm about to say, 'kay?
Then again, my kids seem to have survived me. They are even pretty healthy.
So, really, this is not a "how to" as much as a "something to think about" article.
First of all, I do breastfeed as long as I can. That saves money. Lots of money. I'm going to write a post about that another day. But it's also kind of a no brainer. Not everyone is able to breastfeed, and not everyone wants to. That's ok. I'm just saying it's less expensive to breastfeed.
When I start feeding my babies solid foods, which has been at around 5 months for both, I do everything I can to avoid buying commercially produced baby food. It's overpriced and pointless, if you ask me. I have actually never bought a jar of babyfood, although I do confess that Korban ate quite a bit of it during the holiday season, when we also decided to move. It was a busy time, and the crisis pregnancy center I volunteer at tends to get overrun with donated babyfood, so I took a few jars home every time I volunteered there.
It was not great for his taste buds. I really think that it made him a more picky eater. When I stopped offering him the cooked to death, unseasoned stuff from a jar, he became a much more adventurous eater. Then again, maybe it was just that he got older. I don't know. It's hard to discuss these things with an 8 month old.
So, what do I feed my babies?
Well, with Izzy, I made a lot of homemade food for the first month or so. I would simply bake up some sweet potatoes or...something green. I don't remember what. I would cook a couple weeks worth, blend them up, and freeze them in ice cubes. Then, I would leave them on the counter to thaw for the morning. By lunch, she had homemade baby food. She also ate whatever she wanted from our plates. It's important to me that my kids eat at the table with us and that they eat what we're eating. I almost never make a separate meal for the kids. I can't remember the last time I did that. Izzy loved spaghetti, any kind of fruit, eggs, you name it. I let her have everything but peanuts, which I gave her sometime around 11 months. I didn't worry about salt, either.
Of course, this only works in families that regularly eat fresh, healthy meals. I would never expect my babies to thrive on canned soup, fast food and frozen pizza. But you can't really thrive on that, either.
Izzy did not always eat healthy, and still doesn't. For me, it is more important that my kids learn to try things and that they get to enjoy my meal with me than that they eat 100 percent healthy all the time. So, it's kind of the same standard I hold myself to. We eat healthy at home, and we eat what is put in front of us when we're out. If eating out at a restaurant, I sometimes make the right decision, sometimes I go for the fried chicken sandwich...
Yes, she ate french fries for dinner a time or two. It happens. She survived.
Anyways, back to saving money. I got sidetracked. I'm kinda fuzzy brained today.
Baby food is overpriced. Even more so if you are going for the organic. Homemade is relatively simple, and much cheaper and healthier. Even easier - and with no noticeable impact on your budget - is feeding baby what you eat.
I just remembered that has a name. It's called baby led weaning.
Korban didn't like the homemade food so much. He doesn't like eating the same thing 2 days in a row, and I wasn't going to the trouble to make something new for every meal, in addition to food for the rest of us. He made 1 year old a week and a half ago, and he's a good eater now. Not as good as his sister, but a good eater. He almost always finds something at dinner to fill up on. I definitely try to be conscious of my kids when I plan a meal. I don't expect Korban to eat a steak and salad, but he can do broccoli and potatoes.
Here's the big money saver, though - snacks and toddler food. It is a pet peeve of mine to see a tiny little can of nutritionless kid "puffs" or "melts" that cost the same as a box of cheerios, or chex, or crackers. I'm not sure why people spend so much on kids snacks. Many are loaded with sugar and have little nutritional value. What is their purpose? Then again, if I followed the rules about introducing foods to my kids, I might see a need to blow $10 a week on specially (tiny) packaged snacks specifically for children.
Here are some examples of snack foods we take when we are one the go:
These are not ideal foods, but they keep the kids full on the occasional day that we are out and about at snack time. I buy whatever's on sale that week.
So don't follow anything I'm about to say, 'kay?
Then again, my kids seem to have survived me. They are even pretty healthy.
So, really, this is not a "how to" as much as a "something to think about" article.
First of all, I do breastfeed as long as I can. That saves money. Lots of money. I'm going to write a post about that another day. But it's also kind of a no brainer. Not everyone is able to breastfeed, and not everyone wants to. That's ok. I'm just saying it's less expensive to breastfeed.
When I start feeding my babies solid foods, which has been at around 5 months for both, I do everything I can to avoid buying commercially produced baby food. It's overpriced and pointless, if you ask me. I have actually never bought a jar of babyfood, although I do confess that Korban ate quite a bit of it during the holiday season, when we also decided to move. It was a busy time, and the crisis pregnancy center I volunteer at tends to get overrun with donated babyfood, so I took a few jars home every time I volunteered there.
It was not great for his taste buds. I really think that it made him a more picky eater. When I stopped offering him the cooked to death, unseasoned stuff from a jar, he became a much more adventurous eater. Then again, maybe it was just that he got older. I don't know. It's hard to discuss these things with an 8 month old.
So, what do I feed my babies?
Well, with Izzy, I made a lot of homemade food for the first month or so. I would simply bake up some sweet potatoes or...something green. I don't remember what. I would cook a couple weeks worth, blend them up, and freeze them in ice cubes. Then, I would leave them on the counter to thaw for the morning. By lunch, she had homemade baby food. She also ate whatever she wanted from our plates. It's important to me that my kids eat at the table with us and that they eat what we're eating. I almost never make a separate meal for the kids. I can't remember the last time I did that. Izzy loved spaghetti, any kind of fruit, eggs, you name it. I let her have everything but peanuts, which I gave her sometime around 11 months. I didn't worry about salt, either.
Of course, this only works in families that regularly eat fresh, healthy meals. I would never expect my babies to thrive on canned soup, fast food and frozen pizza. But you can't really thrive on that, either.
Izzy did not always eat healthy, and still doesn't. For me, it is more important that my kids learn to try things and that they get to enjoy my meal with me than that they eat 100 percent healthy all the time. So, it's kind of the same standard I hold myself to. We eat healthy at home, and we eat what is put in front of us when we're out. If eating out at a restaurant, I sometimes make the right decision, sometimes I go for the fried chicken sandwich...
Yes, she ate french fries for dinner a time or two. It happens. She survived.
Anyways, back to saving money. I got sidetracked. I'm kinda fuzzy brained today.
Baby food is overpriced. Even more so if you are going for the organic. Homemade is relatively simple, and much cheaper and healthier. Even easier - and with no noticeable impact on your budget - is feeding baby what you eat.
I just remembered that has a name. It's called baby led weaning.
Korban didn't like the homemade food so much. He doesn't like eating the same thing 2 days in a row, and I wasn't going to the trouble to make something new for every meal, in addition to food for the rest of us. He made 1 year old a week and a half ago, and he's a good eater now. Not as good as his sister, but a good eater. He almost always finds something at dinner to fill up on. I definitely try to be conscious of my kids when I plan a meal. I don't expect Korban to eat a steak and salad, but he can do broccoli and potatoes.
Here's the big money saver, though - snacks and toddler food. It is a pet peeve of mine to see a tiny little can of nutritionless kid "puffs" or "melts" that cost the same as a box of cheerios, or chex, or crackers. I'm not sure why people spend so much on kids snacks. Many are loaded with sugar and have little nutritional value. What is their purpose? Then again, if I followed the rules about introducing foods to my kids, I might see a need to blow $10 a week on specially (tiny) packaged snacks specifically for children.
Here are some examples of snack foods we take when we are one the go:
These are not ideal foods, but they keep the kids full on the occasional day that we are out and about at snack time. I buy whatever's on sale that week.
- Cheerios
- Chex
- Honeycombs (once in a while, when they get better at eating solid foods)
- Cheese crackers
- Goldfish crackers
- Saltine crackers (whole wheat - the others have hydrogenated oils in them)
- Peanut butter bread or crackers
- Raisins
- A banana (great, easy first food!)
- An avocado (another great first food!)
- An apple I've eaten the peel off of (when they get enough teeth to handle it)
- Clementines or satsumas
- Pretzels
You get the idea. These are "real people foods" that cost much less that the stuff marketed to your babes. None of these foods contain the junk we try to avoid, and they are easy for baby to handle. Of course, use your own judgement when it comes to what you baby can handle.
Oh, and most name brand baby cereal has some scary ingredients in it. I think regular oatmeal is fine. You can even blend it up to make it smoother. It is much cheaper.
So, as an additional disclaimer - I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or an expert on any kids except for my own. We've had a great experience doing things this way, but I really just wrote this post to help you start thinking about the difference between the kid-foods you buy versus the other things offered at your grocery store. I say the biggest difference for a lot of these foods is slick marketing and a higher price.
So, what is your baby feeding approach? Do you think I'm crazy?
I think I need a snack. All that writing about food made me hungry, and I think I'm going to sneak the last avocado. :)
I think I need a snack. All that writing about food made me hungry, and I think I'm going to sneak the last avocado. :)
Monday, May 6, 2013
Ways to improve the flavor of home brewed kombucha
When I wrote my fundraising post last week, I added a little note at the end offering to sell my starters to anyone interested. I didn't expect much interest, so I was surprised when I had so many orders for kefir, water kefir, and sourdough starters! This led me to believe that there may be more interest in my odd little hobby than I originally thought! So, today a post about my dear friend kombucha.
I love kombucha. I just do. It's really good for me, I love the taste, and it makes me feel great. I've written about what it is and how to make it before, and if you're new to the idea of kombucha, I suggest you start by reading those links. Today, I want to share some great secrets to getting a consistently tasty batch, one that's more similar to what you can buy at the store, should you ever be able to afford it. It's so pricey!
I liked my homemade kombucha, but I missed the bubbly, complex flavor of what I had back when I was buying it from the health food store where I worked. Over the course of the past few years, and with much trial and error, I have learned some tricks to getting my kombucha to taste more like that expensive bottled stuff. So, in no particular order, here you go.
Do a continuous brew system
My original recipe still applies, but I always use a gallon container and, instead of using all but the last bit of kombucha each time I brew, I simply pour off a quart at a time and add a new quart of sweet tea. This is how I get a good balance of flavors. It works something like this:
Day 1: make a gallon of kombucha
Day 5 (or so): pour out a quart of still semi-sweet kombucha and bottle it (see tip below). Add another quart of sweetened tea to the brew
Day 7(ish): bottle another quart of kombucha and replace it with sweet tea
Day 9(is): repeat what you did on days 5 and 7
you get the picture. The tea will slowly develop and you will have a balanced tea that is nice and kombuchaey(huh?), but not too strong. At some point, your tea may start to brew too quickly, and you'll want to remove a scoby or two before adding more tea. Also, it does get a residue on the bottom (of the beneficial yeasts), so you may want to start over at day 1 every couple of months.
Also, while I do suggest using at least a gallon sized container (bigger is fine, too), you don't have to be drinking a quart every two days. It's a flexible schedule. Otherwise, I'd never be able to keep up. It can sit for a week, or sometimes we end up drinking two quarts before I replace any at all. Kombucha is forgiving.
Use a grolsch style bottle
Odd name, I know. These are great for bottling kombucha. They allow carbonation to develop without risking explosion. The rubber stopper helps let out excess air pressure. They are pretty cheap and can be used indefinitely. (I heard once that one of the reasons people get addicted to soda is that our bodies inherently know their need for lactofermented drinks. I know I prefer a good kombucha or water kefir to a soda...most days.)
Make kombucha consistently
Kind of like kids and husbands, kombucha gets grumpy if you don't feed it regularly. The good news is, kombucha is happy to be fed roughly once a week. The kids, not so much.
Know that you are at the mercy of the season
My kombucha doesn't like winter. It tastes better to me when the temperature in our house is mid 70's. It does fine in winter, especially if I follow all of the other tips here, but I really like my spring and summer kombucha better.
Look at this great resource to learn more
Go play around on the Cultures For Health website. They have videos, tips, recipes, and an ebook all about kombucha as well as any other lacto fermentation starter you can imagine. You can also order supplies through this link. (I would like to remind you again that I have kombucha, water kefir, and sourdough starters that I'm offering to sell as part of our fundraising efforts for our adoption. Each starter is $10 plus shipping. Contact me if you're interested!)
(I am a cultures for health affiliate and I will receive a commission on any orders made through the links above.)
Have you discovered the kombucha love?
This post was shared on motivation monday
I love kombucha. I just do. It's really good for me, I love the taste, and it makes me feel great. I've written about what it is and how to make it before, and if you're new to the idea of kombucha, I suggest you start by reading those links. Today, I want to share some great secrets to getting a consistently tasty batch, one that's more similar to what you can buy at the store, should you ever be able to afford it. It's so pricey!I liked my homemade kombucha, but I missed the bubbly, complex flavor of what I had back when I was buying it from the health food store where I worked. Over the course of the past few years, and with much trial and error, I have learned some tricks to getting my kombucha to taste more like that expensive bottled stuff. So, in no particular order, here you go.
Do a continuous brew system
My original recipe still applies, but I always use a gallon container and, instead of using all but the last bit of kombucha each time I brew, I simply pour off a quart at a time and add a new quart of sweet tea. This is how I get a good balance of flavors. It works something like this:
Day 1: make a gallon of kombucha
Day 5 (or so): pour out a quart of still semi-sweet kombucha and bottle it (see tip below). Add another quart of sweetened tea to the brew
Day 7(ish): bottle another quart of kombucha and replace it with sweet tea
Day 9(is): repeat what you did on days 5 and 7
you get the picture. The tea will slowly develop and you will have a balanced tea that is nice and kombuchaey(huh?), but not too strong. At some point, your tea may start to brew too quickly, and you'll want to remove a scoby or two before adding more tea. Also, it does get a residue on the bottom (of the beneficial yeasts), so you may want to start over at day 1 every couple of months.
Also, while I do suggest using at least a gallon sized container (bigger is fine, too), you don't have to be drinking a quart every two days. It's a flexible schedule. Otherwise, I'd never be able to keep up. It can sit for a week, or sometimes we end up drinking two quarts before I replace any at all. Kombucha is forgiving.
Use a grolsch style bottle
Odd name, I know. These are great for bottling kombucha. They allow carbonation to develop without risking explosion. The rubber stopper helps let out excess air pressure. They are pretty cheap and can be used indefinitely. (I heard once that one of the reasons people get addicted to soda is that our bodies inherently know their need for lactofermented drinks. I know I prefer a good kombucha or water kefir to a soda...most days.)
Make kombucha consistently
Kind of like kids and husbands, kombucha gets grumpy if you don't feed it regularly. The good news is, kombucha is happy to be fed roughly once a week. The kids, not so much.
Know that you are at the mercy of the season
My kombucha doesn't like winter. It tastes better to me when the temperature in our house is mid 70's. It does fine in winter, especially if I follow all of the other tips here, but I really like my spring and summer kombucha better.
Look at this great resource to learn more
Go play around on the Cultures For Health website. They have videos, tips, recipes, and an ebook all about kombucha as well as any other lacto fermentation starter you can imagine. You can also order supplies through this link. (I would like to remind you again that I have kombucha, water kefir, and sourdough starters that I'm offering to sell as part of our fundraising efforts for our adoption. Each starter is $10 plus shipping. Contact me if you're interested!)
(I am a cultures for health affiliate and I will receive a commission on any orders made through the links above.)
Have you discovered the kombucha love?
This post was shared on motivation monday
Friday, May 3, 2013
The homemaking ebundle and what I'm reading
Well, I probably should have shared this with you sooner, because if you're interested in it, you're going to have to order by tomorrow. But anyways, I'm excited about this pack of e-books and other resources I found last week.
I used to read a lot of blogs, back when I started writing here on Raising Isabella. Then I had another baby and became a stay at home mom, and got waaaay busier. There are 3 blogs that I still try to catch up on every couple of weeks or so, and last week, they were all talking about this great deal on books about homemaking. These come out every few months or so, but this is the most comprehensive and discounted one I've seen.
You see, I've been in kind of a slump lately when it comes to homemaking. My attitude has been kind of stinky, to be honest. Partly due to me being pregnant, tired, and hormonal, and partly because I was just suffering from some mommy burnout. I'm fairly certain this is a normal thing for parents to go through on occasion.
We keep a special part of our budget that we call the "education fund". This money is specifically set aside and saved for us to invest in learning as a family. Some of it goes towards Dennis' seminary, some of it goes towards educational tools for the kids, and some of it goes towards books and resources for me to pursue things I want to know more about. I decided that this deal on books about homemaking might be a source of inspiration for me, and since it's only $30 for 97 books plus some other neat things, too, I decided to invest in it. A lot of the books I'd heard of and really wanted to check out anyway.
I'm not going to describe it in detail because Stacy at Stacy makes sense has done a great job of that. I really think it would be worth your time to go check it out.
I've read one of the books and I'm working through another one right now, and I definitely feel a fresh wave of inspiration and encouragement.
The first book I read was called "Honoring the Rhythm of Rest", and it's not about homemaking in a strictest sense, but it focuses on one of the hardest and most important necessities of keeping a home - preventing ourselves from getting seriously burned out. It's so important to be in tune with our own needs so that we can be available to joyfully serve our families. I recommend this book to everyone. It's a really quick read and it's only $2.99.
The one I'm working through right now is called "4 moms of 35+ kids answer your questions". This one is about large family parenting. I have no idea how many kids our family is supposed to have when all is said and done, but at the rate we're going, it may be a lot! :) This book has great information for families of all sizes about everything from getting places on time to grocery shopping with kids to nap time. I feel more able to handle my brood when I hear how these women are able to parent 8-11 kids each and enjoy it! I am also encouraged to know that it's supposed to be chaotic when you have a house full of "littles"! They are really honest about their struggles, and it makes me feel better about my parenting to hear these "supermom confessions".
So, I'll be reading through my list of ebooks for a while. Next, I hope to read some of the books on time management and a few about blogging.
I'm not an affiliate for any of these books or for the ebook sale, I just wanted to share what I've found and let you know that I'll probably be telling you all about these books as I read them (which is probably going to take a while!)
Also, in case you were curious, here is a list of the 3 blogs I try to keep up with:
Stacy makes cents (Natural parenting with realistic expectations - and lots of recipes!)
Heavenly homemakers (She is like the mother of natural parenting bloggers. So. Many. Recipes.)
Keeper of the Home (This one is great, too. Lots of home cleaning and skin care recipes as well as food and budget tips. Just a lot of great information. Right now, they are on a one year tour of the world. Also, they have their 4 children in tow, one of them is less than a year old. Awesome family. I want to be like Stephanie when I grow up.)
What are your favorite blogs?
I used to read a lot of blogs, back when I started writing here on Raising Isabella. Then I had another baby and became a stay at home mom, and got waaaay busier. There are 3 blogs that I still try to catch up on every couple of weeks or so, and last week, they were all talking about this great deal on books about homemaking. These come out every few months or so, but this is the most comprehensive and discounted one I've seen.
You see, I've been in kind of a slump lately when it comes to homemaking. My attitude has been kind of stinky, to be honest. Partly due to me being pregnant, tired, and hormonal, and partly because I was just suffering from some mommy burnout. I'm fairly certain this is a normal thing for parents to go through on occasion.
We keep a special part of our budget that we call the "education fund". This money is specifically set aside and saved for us to invest in learning as a family. Some of it goes towards Dennis' seminary, some of it goes towards educational tools for the kids, and some of it goes towards books and resources for me to pursue things I want to know more about. I decided that this deal on books about homemaking might be a source of inspiration for me, and since it's only $30 for 97 books plus some other neat things, too, I decided to invest in it. A lot of the books I'd heard of and really wanted to check out anyway.
I'm not going to describe it in detail because Stacy at Stacy makes sense has done a great job of that. I really think it would be worth your time to go check it out.
I've read one of the books and I'm working through another one right now, and I definitely feel a fresh wave of inspiration and encouragement.
The first book I read was called "Honoring the Rhythm of Rest", and it's not about homemaking in a strictest sense, but it focuses on one of the hardest and most important necessities of keeping a home - preventing ourselves from getting seriously burned out. It's so important to be in tune with our own needs so that we can be available to joyfully serve our families. I recommend this book to everyone. It's a really quick read and it's only $2.99.
The one I'm working through right now is called "4 moms of 35+ kids answer your questions". This one is about large family parenting. I have no idea how many kids our family is supposed to have when all is said and done, but at the rate we're going, it may be a lot! :) This book has great information for families of all sizes about everything from getting places on time to grocery shopping with kids to nap time. I feel more able to handle my brood when I hear how these women are able to parent 8-11 kids each and enjoy it! I am also encouraged to know that it's supposed to be chaotic when you have a house full of "littles"! They are really honest about their struggles, and it makes me feel better about my parenting to hear these "supermom confessions".
So, I'll be reading through my list of ebooks for a while. Next, I hope to read some of the books on time management and a few about blogging.
I'm not an affiliate for any of these books or for the ebook sale, I just wanted to share what I've found and let you know that I'll probably be telling you all about these books as I read them (which is probably going to take a while!)
Also, in case you were curious, here is a list of the 3 blogs I try to keep up with:
Stacy makes cents (Natural parenting with realistic expectations - and lots of recipes!)
Heavenly homemakers (She is like the mother of natural parenting bloggers. So. Many. Recipes.)
Keeper of the Home (This one is great, too. Lots of home cleaning and skin care recipes as well as food and budget tips. Just a lot of great information. Right now, they are on a one year tour of the world. Also, they have their 4 children in tow, one of them is less than a year old. Awesome family. I want to be like Stephanie when I grow up.)
What are your favorite blogs?
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Fundraising!
Now that we are finished with the mega-paperwork phase of our adoption, we're starting to think about fundraising. I am trying to think of ways to fundraise that are mutually beneficial for us and those who choose to support us. So, here are a few things we are working on right now as a family.
Just Love Coffee
Diaper Sales
I took about a year off from my cloth diaper business, but I'm working hard to kick things back up again. One great new development is my new consultant web page. Simply click on the link below and then click "shop" to look around! I should mention that Zukababy sells way more than just cloth diapers. If you are from Louisiana you should check out our "shop Louisiana" section. We also have great feeding and nursing gear for kids of all ages and natural toys of all kinds. I could go on. It's just a great shopping resource, and I get a 20% commission if you shop through my web page!
Another note
All of my earnings from this blog are also going into our "Adoption" account. Simply by reading this blog and clicking on ads you find interesting, you're helping us get a tiny bit closer to bringing our son home. Same goes for shopping Amazon through the link on the sidebar!
Just Love Coffee
 |
This one is a really popular and easy fundraiser for families in the adoption process. This company handles all of the work for us, and we get a check each month! Nice, huh? They have everything from mugs and travel mugs to coffee grinders and clothing. They also have great coffee, I tried some last week! The cost for the coffee is really reasonable, too. Just click on the link below and then click the "shop" tab to see what they have to offer and place an order! The commission we receive depends on the item, but we receive $5 for each 13oz bag. You can click on the "fundraising" tab to see the commission amounts for other items. |
Diaper Sales
I took about a year off from my cloth diaper business, but I'm working hard to kick things back up again. One great new development is my new consultant web page. Simply click on the link below and then click "shop" to look around! I should mention that Zukababy sells way more than just cloth diapers. If you are from Louisiana you should check out our "shop Louisiana" section. We also have great feeding and nursing gear for kids of all ages and natural toys of all kinds. I could go on. It's just a great shopping resource, and I get a 20% commission if you shop through my web page!
Blueberries (for the locals)
Throughout blueberry season, we will have access to a blueberry farm. We've been given permission to pick all that we can at no charge. and sell them as a fundraiser for our adoption! Sales will be on a first-come first-serve basis, and we will give you a call to come pick them up at our house the day we harvest them. Let me know if you want us to put your name on the list! (Prices are pending. We will be offering them by the pint and by the gallon.)
Direct Donation
We have been asked what the best way is for a person to make a monetary donation to our adoption. There is an option through our agency, but I haven't really looked into that yet. The best way right now is to simply mail us a check. We have a separate adoption fund that all donations and fundraiser money are going into.
Side note/hobby
This one is more of an offer than a fundraiser, but I will be selling my starters (kombucha, water kefir, and sourdough) to anyone interested in ordering them. This will be as I have them available. I'll be charging $10 plus shipping. Message me if you'd like to place an order!
Another note
All of my earnings from this blog are also going into our "Adoption" account. Simply by reading this blog and clicking on ads you find interesting, you're helping us get a tiny bit closer to bringing our son home. Same goes for shopping Amazon through the link on the sidebar!
Friday, April 26, 2013
Haiti - It's a game changer
I'm still waiting on the words to describe Haiti. To make up for my lack, here are some photos from our trip. Just know that there is no way these pictures, or anything I could come up with to say, can ever do it justice. You have to go. You just have to experience this country and its resilient, hope-filled people who are in the midst of a rapidly spreading revival.
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| A hillside |
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| Children singing to welcome us to their orphanage |
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| A church that's been meeting in a tent since the 2010 earthquake. |
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| More shots of the orphanage |
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| These kids were all precious and hungry for affection. |
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| It's so hard to know that I'm nice and comfy at home, and they're still there. |
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| This is the backyard of the orphanage |
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| This is one of the bedrooms. I'm pretty certain they don't have enough beds. |
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| You see that boy in the orange shirt? He's forever in my heart. I wish he could have come home with me. Unfortunately, we don't meet Haiti's standards for adoption, or he might have! |
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| Busy, busy city |
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| Top view of the tent/church. Service was beautiful. (Sorry these got out of order.) |
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| They are working on a new building, but funds are short and so are hands that have time to work. |
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| Here is another church. The pastor is hoping to bring a well to this village, so the families do not have to walk so far for water. |
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| This is a different orphanage, it has recently expanded. |
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| Outside view of the building |
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| These kids are fortunate to have a playground. |
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| There are some beautiful views in Haiti. |
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| Here is one of the largest churches in Haiti. |
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| Another scenic shot. |
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| This is the school we stayed at while we were in Haiti. |
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| This is a bedroom in a house we were welcomed into by a local woman. This house was built with help from an American church partnered with the mission agency we traveled with, as well as the church being built above. They hope to fund the well for the village I mentioned before, as well. So much need... |
So, Haiti is such a difficult place to describe. It's dirty. There's trash everywhere. That's what I noticed first. After a few days, though, I didn't notice these things so much anymore. Instead, all I saw was the people. Haiti has a lot of people, and I can't speak for everyone, but those we worked with were just remarkable. They did not match their surroundings. They made so much from so little. They worked so hard and were so grateful. They have a faith I don't think we'll ever know from our over-privileged vantage point. They sang a hymn in their beautiful creole language that made me want to have a faith like theirs. They sang, right next to the rubble of their former church building. They sang, most of them having lost someone dear to them in the earthquake. They sang, with barely a place to call home and clothes to wear and food to eat. They sang:
"Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."
I am still humbled by that memory. I, who balance my checkbook and grumble that the numbers aren't high enough. I, who whine at the grocery store because I can't have everything I want and stay in budget. I, who have a pantry full of food and a closet full of clothes and 2 cars to drive.
I want to know what it's like to have little more than my daily bread and still call God's faithfulness great.
Then again, I guess that's easy for me to say from my place of abundance. I just hope that if I ever find myself in a situation of having little, I will prove myself to have the beautiful, bountiful faith of the Haitians I was blessed to meet.
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