The Oregon 150 Challenge

If you're in Oregon (or if you happen to visit before September 30, 2009), there's just no excuse for not completing The Oregon 150 Challenge. Part of the state's sesquicentennial celebration, the contest is simple--just go to five places in Oregon, document your travel, and you are then entered to win one of seven super sweet Oregon travel packages. The five places you visit have to be in two different regions and must fall into one of four categories: food/drink, events/activities, landmarks, and outdoors. The fifth task is a freebie in the category of your choice. If you live in The Valley (or Portland) and go to the coast for one of your adventures, you've already covered the two different regions requirement. 

I'm excited! The prize packages are all awesome and I love the idea of being rewarded for doing things we were going to do anyway. All we have to do now is log in and share our adventures. 

This link will take you to a pdf that explains the whole contest: click

And here is the contest's official site: click

Oh, and if you win the Central Oregon prize package, you have to take me with you. 

Seventh Generation Nation

"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." --from The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Time to save the world a little while you're keeping house. Go to seventhgeneration.com and you can print out coupons for all sorts of Seventh Generation products. We're big fans of their dishwasher powder and dish soap. If you absolutely have to do disposable diapers, their diapers are pretty awesome. They're a great khaki color and so much softer than mainstream diapers. They're also lacking a lot of the chemicals present in other disposables. 

While you're at the website, you can join the Seventh Generation Nation to get e-newsletters and even more coupons or visit the gift shop and send a gift kit to someone who can't find the products in their area.  

It's more exciting than it should be...

My perfect snack(s)

A balanced mix of salted peanuts, organic raisins and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Protein from the peanuts, fiber from the raisins, a little bit of fat from the chocolate chips--I love it. I keep a lidded glass bowl of the mix on the kitchen counter and just grab handfuls over the course of the day. One of the problems I've had this past year is simply finding the time/remembering to eat during the day. Even though I wouldn't call this a great meal substitute, I'm pretty sure it qualifies as a relatively healthy snack. Before we were certain Beatrice didn't have any peanut or chocolate allergies, I made sure I rinsed off my hands after snacking, just to be on the safe side. 

Crackers and Toby's Mild Jalapeno Tofu Pate is a close second in the snack category. While I could just make my own Tofu Pate, Toby's does such a great job. When we've scraped the container clean and munched down every last little bit of goodness, we take that container to our local Co-op where they sanitize it and set it out for other customers to use for their bulk items (one less plastic bag, yo). Tastes good and saves the world--can't beat that!

I'm sure there are other snacks I should mention, but I got all distracted on the Co-op page and ended up at the Wheatsville Food Co-op page. It's the only Co-op in Texas (located in Austin) and my fabulous friend Mariah is the Deli Manager. Their deli menu looks delicious! Now I'm totally off the snack track and I've got a fierce craving for an awesome sandwich.

I suppose I should finish this post and eat breakfast before I start plotting a dinner revolution.

Okay...we have a few runners-up. Solstice Bakery's Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Goji Bars are not only healthy and delicious, they are also a favorite of President Barak Obama (another Corvallis connection to the White House!). 

Nancy's Yogurt with whatever fruit I happen to have in the fridge (generally blueberries or strawberries) along with a Kashi Granola Bar--I actually get to use utensils for this one! I usually have this after we get home from our walks. We buy the yogurt in 32oz containers to cut down on waste and, again, when the container is empty, we wander back up to the Co-op to drop it off (or just use it ourselves--Beatrice finds they work great as drums). The Kashi cookies are fabulous, as well.

That's all I've got time for today. I guess I have more perfect snacks than I thought. The lesson here would be to find some easy, healthy snacks and keep them on hand. There's nothing worse than having a moment to scarf something down and finding there's nothing good to eat!

Push it real good...

We really didn't do a whole lot to prepare for the actual birth part of the whole parenting experience. We watched The Business of Being Born and read a bit about The Bradley Method and that seemed to be enough for us. While we didn't exactly follow The Bradley Method in the delivery room, we did steal some bits and pieces--mainly the ideas about relaxation--to help us through the process. Each person is going to approach the birthing process from an entirely unique angle, so you really just have to do what is best for both you and your baby.

Here's a bit from Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way that really inspired me:

"If you are motivated to really want an unmedicated childbirth that is dignified and manageable, you can have it simply by listening to your breathing to ensure it continues in a calm, quiet, relaxed rhythm. The woman who is breathing excitedly or holding her breath is one who is panicky and out of control...Women give many clues about how labor is going to be for them...the woman who as already decided before labor that it definitely will be painful is almost certain to find it so. Like water taking the shape of its container, experiences so often take the shape of expectations...Most women who do experience hard pain in labor tend to do so at the end of the first stage. But remember, there are no sudden, sharp, stabbing pains in labor. Rather, there is a strong building up of sensation with each contraction. In between contractions there is a chance to rest."

The woman who "will have a painless birth is the one who is quite comfortable with her body and with physical strain and sweat. She will really get into the relaxation techniques, rather than only going for the physical exercises. This woman listens to all the various birth stories and is prepared in a matter-of-fact way for the backache, the powerful sensations, and for hard, sweaty work. She is not looking for any authority figure to reassure her or guarantee her a painless birth. She simply has faith and confidence in the process of labor and birth. I am not talking about religious faith, but about a belief that birth is normal and an expectation that her body will function normally as millions of others have done before. She truly has the idea that labor is nothing more than muscles flexing."

That's what worked for me. I related it to being on the treadmill and coaxing yourself to go a couple more minutes, finish the lap, finish the mile...before you know it, you've gone much further than you'd planned. Your legs are weak, you're drenched in sweat, your ears are ringing and you are so proud of yourself that you can't stop smiling. My experience with childbirth was much the same. More than just a great workout, though, it was the single most confidence-boosting experience I've ever had. I gave birth without any drugs. All natural. Any time I'm feeling down, I remind myself of how awesome I am, strike a body builder pose, growl at the world a little, and then go on with my day feeling like a Certified Badass.

Hooray for Boobies, Part One

My goal was to sit down and write a detailed post about the year my boobs have had, but the time it would take to compose such a post has not yet become available and I doubt it ever will, so I'm just going to break this all up into bite-size parts over the next however long it takes to tell this fabulous and woe-filled tale because this is good stuff and I'd hate for you to miss it.

So...breastfeeding, mastitis, thrush, sore nipples, leakage (of the milk variety), nursing bras, fond remembrances of days past...there's a lot to talk about.

Today, I have time to say cotton nursing pads are the way to go. They are available at most smaller, boutique-y baby shops and they will save you hundreds of dollars, as well as keep frivilous waste out of the landfill. They are also nicer to your nipples and that will become very, very important. Washing them is as simple as tossing them in with the baby clothes, though I would suggest giving them a little tug to straighten them out when they come out of the dryer to help straighten them out.

I should have a link to the nursing pads I have, but I have no clue who makes them. I got them at The Kid's Shop in downtown Corvallis. If you're in a town that has any cute, often independently-owned baby stores, they're bound to have cotton nursing pads of some sort. Lingerie boutiques that sell nursing bras will also carry reusable nursing pads.

I can't think of a single argument in favor of disposable nursing pads. They make little purse cases to carry any cotton pads that get wet, so there's your convenience. I had less than one box of disposable pads when I started--my sister sent me the remainder of the box she barely used--and there are still some floating around somewhere. Oh! I thought of a reason to have some on hand! Just like keeping tampons around for any surprises your non-pregnant friends might encounter, disposable nursing pads could come in handy if you have a lactating friend who springs a leak at your place.

I made it just fine with about 30 pads. It should cost less than fifty bucks to get all the pads you need for the life of your breastfeeding versus about ten dollars a week for disposables. Plus, you can stash them away after you're done using them and save them for your next baby, thereby saving even more money. If you forget to put the baby clothes in the dryer and, when you're getting ready to go to bed at night, find you have no clean nursing pads, a clean pair of socks or a folded handkerchief will work just fine.

There is, of course, the chance you will soak a pad and end up with wet spots on your shirt. This is not uncommon when your milk first comes in, regardless of which type of pads you choose. The easiest way to combat this is to wear a shirt that has some sort of print on it--the print will serve as camoflauge.

...and that's all we have time for tonight. Do a little research of your own and use your research as an excuse to visit your favorite little baby store. Make sure you ask questions at the store--most boutiques are staffed by extremely knowledgeable ladies (and men) who have been through all this before.

Next time: oh, the things that can go wrong...

Strawberry-Lemon Shortcake Cookies

Adapted from the recipe found June 2009 Martha Stewart Living (original is here: click)

aka "What to do with the strawberries that are on the verge of being mush"

Makes 2-3 dozen 

Oven to 375 degrees.

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes

Juice of one small lemon (for cookies and Lemon Drizzle to go on top)

Zest from one small lemon (not a big lemon, a small lemon)

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

6 Tablespoons cold butter, rough cut into 6-8 pieces

2/3 cup heavy cream

1. In a medium bowl, mix the strawberries, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 Tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

2. In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, 7 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. 

3. Using your hands, cut in the butter into the flour blend, working it until the mixture resembles slightly larger than normal bread crumbs. 

4. Begin stirring in the cream into the flour/butter blend. When the dough begins to look like it's almost done being mixed, gently work in the strawberries (I used my hands for this whole process because that's just how I roll). 

5. Drop the dough by the rounded tablespoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until they are precisely golden brown--about 24 minutes. When you are checking to see if they are done, pull the whole pan out of the oven and look at them in good light. What appears to be undercooked in the oven is quite often perfect once you get them into natural light. If you do them a dozen at a time, use new parchment paper each time. I did, anyway. I don't know what would happen if you used the same paper for multiple batches and I'm too scared to try. 

6. Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Let them cool for a minute or two and then drizzle them with the aptly named Lemon Drizzle (recipe follows). 

7. Gaze upon these darling little bits of awesomeness and do your very best not to eat the entire batch of them before your family and friends have a chance to revel in the greatness that is the Strawberry-Lemon Shortcake Cookie. I am failing miserably with this step. 

Lemon Drizzle

In a small mixing bowl, vigorously stir together about 1 cup powdered sugar, a tiny dribble of vanilla, and just enough lemon juice to make a runny paste. Don't add the lemon juice all at once, as not much is needed to accomplish the task. When the drizzle is smooth, do like it says and just drizzle that drizzle over the tops of the warm (not hot) cookies in a delicately decorative fashion. Let the drizzle set for about ten minutes (or not) and then start munching. 

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

These cookies are best served warm, so make sure someone else is around when they're coming out of the oven. Leave off the icing and you've got the perfect mid-morning snack for any baby girls (or boys) who may have worked up a tiny hunger while playing ever-so patiently on the floor of the kitchen while you danced around to Lyle Lovett and created delight with your own two hands. 

delicious.