Hey! Why Didn’t You Save Me A Spot?!?!?

It was [virtual] standing room only in Ann Marie’s whole grain webinar last night and, um, I couldn’t get in. Tried to bribe the bouncer and everything. Hmph!

No worries, though, because Ann Marie is giving us an exclusive peek today into her Healthy Whole Grains cooking class! Before I step aside and let her do her thing, I just want to mention that you have just two more days to use coupon SPROUT20 and save $70 off the regular enrollment price. (Sign up here!) Okay, moving to the side now . . . . .  heeeeeeeere’s Ann Marie!!!!

Ann Marie: These waffles are the BOMB! The great thing is you can use up your leftover sourdough starter if you have too much and don’t know what to do with it. It’s good if the sourdough starter is active when you make them, but I’ve made the waffles with not so active starter (starter that has been in the fridge for a few days) and they still come out great.

You can make a bunch of it ahead of time and freeze them. We eat them throughout the week like Eggo waffles — just pop them in the toaster.

If you want waffles for say Sunday morning, just start some starter going Sat morning, and feed it again in the afternoon and again when you go to bed, and you’ll have active starter Sunday morning. Then you can also do your bread baking on Sunday. So easy!

WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH WAFFLES

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sourdough starter made with whole wheat or spelt flour (where to buy sourdough starters)
• 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt (where to buy unprocessed sea and land salts)
• 2 tablespoons sucanat or coconut sap sugar (where find quality sweeteners)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (where to buy quality coconut oil)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Butter, grass-fed
• Real maple syrup  or honey sweetened jam

Method:

1. Mix everything together in a bowl.
2. Heat up your waffle iron. If using cast iron waffle iron, make sure you put enough butter or coconut oil on it — otherwise the waffles will stick.
3. Pour about 1/4-1/2 (depends on the size of your iron but I usually use 1/3 cup) of a cup of waffle batter on the waffle iron. Close and let it cook evenly on both sides until golden brown.
4. I like to set my oven at 200 degrees and put the waffles in there to keep warm while I finish making them.
5. Serve warm with butter and real maple syrup.

Ann Marie: I recommend this cast iron waffle maker on Amazon –It’s the only one I’ve been able to find that doesn’t have teflon. When it arrives put it in the oven for a few hours before using and let all the nasty cancer-causing paraffin wax drip of, then scrub it really well with hot soap and water. It’s then ready to season in the oven with coconut oil or lard or tallow. (Update: Read Dyno-Mom’s comment below for another method to clean your new waffle iron!)

Heather: Oh wow, I get asked all the time about teflon-free waffle irons but I thought they were mythical inventions like unicorns and children that sleep in after 7am. Putting on my wishlist in 3 . . . 2. . . 1 . . . check!

Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by today, Ann Marie. I had no idea sourdough waffles were so easy!Similar Posts:

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I Don’t Know How Many Times I’ve Said It

On Facebook. At the grocery store. Preschooler playdates. But oh, it’s been a few.

“We’ll never go back to grains.”

Did I think grains were evil? Nah. It’s just that I didn’t get why I should bother. There are no nutrients in grains that can’t be found elsewhere, right? Right! And they’re such a hassle to prepare too, huh?  I thought so.

It may surprise you, then, to know that I am eagerly awaiting Cheeseslave’s new e-course, Healthy Whole Grains (Soaking, Sprouting & Sourdough). Because honestly, I think I was wrong.

That’s Right, I’m A Flip-Flopper

But hey, it ain’t so bad. I’ve got good company! Abraham Lincoln promised to keep the Union together rather than end slavery. One epic flip-flop later and he’s one of the most famous presidents in history. And there’s the adorable actress Ginnifer Goodwin, who went on a crusade to save the turkeys and then ate one. Not that the magnitude of those two decisions are exactly equal, but you get the idea.

Grains have been getting a lot of flack lately for containing anti-nutrients. But you know what? The same can be said of cauliflower.

“The problem is that almost everything is somewhat toxic, including starchy tubers, vegetables, and even some fruit. Vegetables are full of assorted goitrogens, oxalates, salicylates, tannins, phytoestrogens, etc. You can’t avoid toxins and still eat a healthy diet, but that’s OK because you don’t have to. You just have to reduce the relevant ones to a level at which they aren’t problematic. I believe healthy traditional cultures have shown us that we can do that with grains if we prepare them well, as part of an overall healthy dietary pattern including nutrient-dense plant and animal foods.”

~ Stephan Guyenet, Whole Health Source

You can’t avoid toxins and still eat a healthy diet?!?!? Kind of a brain-bender, huh?

There’s Been A Ton Of Interest In Grain-Free Diets Lately

And that’s a good thing! Protocols such as the GAPS diet take advantage of a grain-free lifestyle to heal all kinds of disorders like ADD, allergies, asthma and autism (plus ones that don’t begin with “A,” too!). Life after ketchup has been pretty awesome for us, so why not make it a permanent thing? After all, if going off grains can bring so much healing it must be because grains are bad, right? That’s pretty much what I’ve thought for the past 10 months.

For whatever reason I tend to want to categorize things as good or bad. Trips to the beach? Good. Micah puking into my hand at Whole Foods? Bad. Grains? As a bazillion Facebook relationship status’ proclaim, it’s complicated.

Our relationship with grains is oh-so-very-personal. For some, our ancestry and current health status indicate we should probably avoid them. For others the exact opposite is true. As much as it would simplify things there is no perfect diet for everyone.

For Example . . .

The vibrantly healthy people Dr. Price studies in the Swiss Alps ate about 50% of their diet as grains (mostly rye bread). When eaten with butter, the phosphorous-rich rye actually increased the bioavailability of the calcium from the butter. Good. (Note: They went to great lengths reduce anti-nutrients – germinating the rye, sifting, and finally souring the dough.)

On the other hand, wheat as we currently know it is a 42 chromosome plant. The wheat of our ancestors – also called emmer – had only 28 chromosomes. For people with good digestion (and who don’t have gluten/gliaden allergies) this doesn’t seem to be an issue, but for others the increased potency of gluten in our 42 chromosome version causes problems. Bad. 

Fortunately, there are a lot of grain varieties that are very similar to their ancient counterparts: buckwheat, quinoa and millet to name a few. Rye is one of the easiest to digest and makes a rockin’ sourdough. Good.

I could go on like this for quite awhile, but instead I’ll just tell you what convinced me.  As more people go grain-free a trend seems to be emerging: suppressed thyroid function resulting in hormone imbalances and metabolism dysfunction. Though Dr. Campbell-McBride says GAPS is not meant to be low carb (fruit, nuts, seeds, and winter squash are allowed), it’s easy to slip into a low carb lifestyle of mostly meat, veggies, and fats by default. I admit I have done that, and in the last couple months I’ve begun to feel more tired than usual. Excuses were easy to find (we’re planning a big move), so I ignored it.

Then I read this post from Ann Marie and it just clicked: What worked for me at one point (starting GAPS) has changed as my health profile has changed (improved gut flora thanks to GAPS). My body is telling me it’s time for more carbs. Can I eat more carbs and stay on GAPS? Yeppers. Daniel is doing just that. He’s got it easy, though. He’s not a nursing mama! According to Dr. Campbell-McBride:

We are all different; every one of us is a unique individual. So, ‘one size fits all’ never works. That is why we have such a bewildering number of various diets being proposed: high carbohydrate / low carbohydrate, high fat / low fat, high protein / low protein, all raw / all cooked, etc. etc.; and the interesting thing is that every diet suits some people and does not suit others. Why is that? Because ‘it takes two to tango’, which means that there is no such thing as a bad food per se or good food per se without taking into account a very important factor, who is eating it! Not only who is eating it, but what state that person is in.

One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison

Somewhere along the way I forgot that Dr. Campbell-McBride never intended GAPS to be a permanent diet. The goal is to heal so that we can enjoy a wider variety of foods AND maintain vibrant health, and the first foods she recommends for coming off the diet are new potatoes, buckwheat, millet and quinoa.

So Is “Healthy Whole Grain” An Oxymoron?

I don’t believe so. And since I have no digestive issues and no allergies, I’ve decided to transition to a traditional diet that includes some grains.

BUT -

I want to do it different this time. Ancient grains such as quinoa and millet are some of the first I’d like to tackle, plus of course a rye sourdough. BUT IT CAN’T TAKE ALL DAY! Life moves too fast to spend gobs of time soaking, sprouting and souring grains. Fortunately, Ann Marie over at Cheeseslave has promised to share her recipe for a no knead sourdough that takes less than five minutes a day to make. If you’ve ever worked with starter before you’ll also be happy to know that you can stick this one in the fridge and neglect it for months without a problem. Yay! And yes, the sourdough I’m talking about is that gorgeous crusty loaf pictured above. Double yay!

Would you like to know how to soak, sprout and sour whole grains the traditional way? Alrighty then, there’s still time to reserve your slot in tonight’s FREE WEBINAR right now! Even if you can’t make the webinar, you can still view a recording of it later.

Sign up for the course with coupon code SPROUT 20 before Feb. 14th and save $70!

What do YOU think of the whole grain debate?

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Hey Mommypotamus! I’d like you to write about your view on breastfeeding (including tandem) and how a lot of WAPF members have differing opinions on the subject. I know, for me, this is a hot topic. I do not agree that the homemade formula is better than human milk and I believe in full term breastfeeding.

~ Michelle M.

Hot topic indeed! Sandrine of Nourishing Our Children initiated a firestorm on Facebook by mentioning this topic and followed up with this post. Though I agree with her points on child spacing (mine are three years apart), I think there are some misconceptions about full-term breastfeeding and tandem nursing that are unnecessarily polarizing the traditional food community. Before I get into that, though, let me tell you how I came to be a tandem-nursing mama.

The Blowoff Class That Changed My Life

Of all the things I planned for my junior year, hashing out weird breastfeeding dreams in my campus coffee shop was NOT one. But there I was, head spinning from a Tuesday night blowoff class innocuously titled “Study of the Family,” which according to my conservative Baptist college would most likely include a “right” way to do things, some checklists, and some dire warnings, yada yada yada.

She looked the part, my beautiful professor with raven black locks and bright pink lipstick. Diminuitive but captivating, exuding graciousness and love. Perfectly Baptist. Perfectly almost perfect – except she was about to wreck my life.

Not That It Was Worth Saving

I was your typical marketing success story:

What are breasts for? To fill out a Victoria’s Secret bra, of course!

What is childbirth like? Horrific. Avoid if at all possible, but if you must have the experience, be as drugged as legally allowable.

That was me, folks. And then I read the book. Our Babies, Ourselves is like the National Geographic of parenting. It’s a grand tour of child-raising practices around the world – the !Kung of the Kalahari desert, the hunter-gatherer Ache of Paraguay, the Gusii of Kenya, the Japanese, and us.

I was pretty shocked by the contents: The average age of weaning in these cultures is between TWO and FOUR? Mothers supplementing their pregnancy diet with armadillo fat and insect larvae? Yowsers. Equally surprising, though, is how traditional cultures view our parenting styles.

When Gusii mothers in southwestern Kenya were shown a videotape of middle-class American mothers with their babies,” said Meredith Small, an associate professor of anthropology at Cornell, “the Gusii mothers were shocked.”

Why did that American mother on the tape ignore her baby’s cries? Gusii mothers asked. Why do American babies sleep alone in small beds with bars, in their own rooms?¹

Why DO we do that? The !Kung’s respond to a crying or whimpering baby in 10 seconds on average while we fight our instincts because “studies indicate” we should let them work it out? Is this a sign that we handed parenting over to the “experts” just like we handed food over to “nutritionists” and food manufacturers? I think so. Co-sleeping is not for everyone. And honestly, there are many times my son has cried because he wanted attention I couldn’t give at the moment, but there is wisdom in the insights of these cultures.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying traditional societies are little utopias that get EVERYTHING right while we do EVERYTHING wrong. Personally I don’t want to live in a polygamous society (which the Gusii are). And though it is not unethical to eat insect larvae either I’d rather not do that either. But those things aside there is a lot of to be learned here.

And That, Friends . . .

Is how a little class on ethnopediatrics changed the entire trajectory of my life. I was still **not** going to have kids, but if I did, I’d be a full-term breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing, traditional culture mama. Finding traditional foods a few years later was the proverbial icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks these two perspectives are as compatible as I do. When I asked Rami Nagel of Healing our Children, which teaches about indigenous child rearing methods, to comment on where this disconnect is coming from he replied that “Weston Price only made one small comment on traditional child raising practices related to the kindness of the parents:

I have been continually impressed with
the great infrequency with which we ever hear a
primitive child cry or express any discomfort
from the treatment it receives”

The peacefulness Dr. Price describes reminds me of an old Psalm, which says “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps. 131:2). Does this ancient Hebrew description surprise you? Doesn’t the word “wean” typically conjure visions of an angst-ridden power struggle? It shouldn’t.

“The Hebrew word for wean is gamal, meaning “to ripen.” In ancient times, when children were breastfed until two or three years of age, it was a joyous occasion when a child weaned.* It meant the child was filled with the basic tools of the earlier stages of development and secure and ready to enter the next stage of development. A child who is weaned before his time may show anger, aggression, habitual tantrum-like behavior, anxious attachment to caregivers, and an inability to form deep and intimate relationships. We call these traits diseases of premature weaning.”

Dr. Sears: “Weaning” (emphasis mine)

Okay, I am not claiming that children who don’t nurse into toddlerhood are maladjusted in any way. Nursing is one among MANY ways to nurture a growing child. Just as there is no single “sacred food” shared by traditional cultures, there is no one activity that can claim to be the “right” thing for every family. But what about families that intuitively feel this is the right path, yet feel concerned that they will be doing a disservice to their growing baby?

Here’s What I Think . . .

As evidenced in the recent documentary Babies, there ARE traditional cultures that practice full-term breastfeeding/tandem nursing and produce gorgeous, well-structured babies. A lovely example of this is the little Namibian beauty Ponijao, who is tandem nursing with her older brother.

No trace of second sibling syndrome in this face!

Below is an example of tandem nursing from one of the tribes greatly respected by the Weston A. Price Foundation, the Inuit Eskimos. According to tradition most Inuits did not tandem nurse, but they did breastfeed their daughters for six years and their sons for seven. Weaning at 6-12 months is not a traditional practice and should not be taken lightly in the traditional foods movement.

And this one, though it’s origins and specifics are unknown, speaks to the prevalence of this practice within traditional cultures.

Would the real food community benefit from inquiring more about breastfeeding practices from these cultures, learning of any “taboos” they have, and most importantly studying how they rebuild a mother’s nutritional stores within the context of a full-term breastfeeding/tandem nursing relationship? Should we consider the benefits of ecological breastfeeding to naturally space babies? I think so!

Like anything, I believe there are “best practices” for tandem nursing that include an INCREDIBLY nutrient-dense diet and optimal child spacing. But a huge part of the controversy surrounding this issue, I believe, is a misunderstanding about how much older babies nurse. In my own experience, nursing a toddler is far less involved than nourishing a newborn. Katie was two when I became pregnant with Micah. Due to fluctuating hormones and discomfort I limited our nursing sessions to about five minutes at naptime and bedtime. There were exceptions, of course, when she skinned her knee or nursed through an illness because she couldn’t keep solids down. (Side note: I have never found it possible to reason a sick toddler into drinking water or taking food, but have never had them refuse to nurse. Without this option I know of one illness in which we most definitely would have had to take her to the hospital for IV fluids to combat dehydration. And if you’re wondering why my healthy kids get sick, read this!)

Though it does continue to play a supportive role in nutrition and immune support, the primary benefit I personally experienced in nursing a 2-3 year old is the continued emotional bond. Katie was down to nursing just a few minutes a day when her brother was born, but I believe her sense that her “birthright” was still open to her did wonders for overcoming feelings of displacement and jealously.

How Did This Affect My Son’s Nutrition?

When Micah was finally born my midwives made a big hullabaloo over how well-nourished my placenta was. At 41.5 weeks it showed very little sign of calcification and it was HUGE. “Most placenta’s are about as thick as a pancake,” Christy told me, “yours is like a t-bone steak.” Boo-yah!

Also, due to the difficulty of my labor my midwives were expecting me to hemorrhage. I didn’t. They credited it to the optimal nutrition I’d received.

But here’s the rub: Micah’s palate is not as wide as Katie’s. Don’t get me wrong – he’s PERFECT to me, but in the interest of full disclosure I want to share something. During the first few weeks of my pregnancy with Micah I experienced something so emotionally devastating that I nearly lost him. Stress of this kind can temporarily impair the ability of the placenta to deliver nutrients. If that happened at a key stage of development – like when his overall structure was being formed – it could explain certain things. Or it could be that his tongue tie restricted normal muscle function that helps develop the jaw – or the fact that he got stuck in the birth canal for so long and we just started taking him to a cranio-sacral therapist because his jaw is out of place – or it could just be that he has a different growth trajectory – or, or, OR!

Honestly, I don’t have all the answers when it comes to this. But with Dr. Price’s research and the emerging field of ethnopediatrics I am confident we can get things sorted out.

Okay, You Convinced Me. But It Gives Me The Oogies!

That’s okay. Eating fish eyes and cow brains gives me the oogies but I know that’s because of my cultural bias. I’m working on it, though. Seven years ago I couldn’t order chicken wings because the bones grossed me out and now I make stock every week. Sometimes it’s worth it to embrace new things.

When I asked Rami his thoughts on the subject, he sent some very thoughtful comments that I’ll leave you with.

Breastfeeding while pregnant or nursing is the mother’s choice. The mother must listen to herself. She is the ultimate authority when it comes to her children.
Maybe women have two breasts for this reason?

Life doesn’t usually deal us ideal circumstances. Having twins is probably not ideal, but it happens. Likewise, if there was a large amount of child spacing, say 4-6 years, then the mother would not need to breastfeed while pregnant. Perhaps that is ideal. But one has to be very careful not to be judgmental or critical and say a mother is wrong to breastfeed while pregnant, or to tandem breastfeed just because it MIGHT
not be ideal. Because hardly anything in this world is completely perfect. I certainly don’t see the harm in it if the mother wants to and has enough milk. She will
simply produce more milk in the case of two children. Her nutrition will be adequate if she has good digestion. She will just be hungrier and eat more food.  If she does not have good digestion, and lacks enough breastmilk then tandem breastfeeding or breastfeeding while pregnant won’t work.

The mother must choose what is best for her children. And giving a baby more breastfeeding time, even if it comes at a minor nutritional expense, is going to be worthwhile. Theories about right and wrong are not a replacement for her own wisdom. Breastfeeding is the embodiment of a mother’s love. The child gets more than nutrition from breastmilk. He gets love. That is why women’s breasts are at their heart. Personally I support tandem breastfeeding and breastfeeding while pregnant, if the mother is healthy and is eating a nourishing diet. This is because the intimate contact of breastfeeding makes the world good, and pleasurable for the infant.

Just a side note: I am no longer a tandem nursing mama. Katie “ripened” according to Hebrew tradition in her third year of life. No angst. No power struggles. Just a celebratory cup of chamomile tea before bed.

Now, whether whether the homemade WAPF formula is better than human milk has everything to do with how well-nourished the mother is, but that’s a whole other discussion! Thanks for your question, Michelle!

What do you think?

* Rami Nagel says 2-3 years is probably a minimum. The Inuit Eskimo’s breastfed until 6 for girls and 7 for boys. In Mongolia, there’s an oft-quoted saying that the best wrestlers are breastfed for at least six years (source). And here are some more cultures that breastfed beyond for 3-7 years

Photo credit: Ebay and TulipGirl

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Congratulations Jessi With The Pink Purse

Now you’ve got a red and tan one, too! I’d say let’s be twinsies but I’m having a hard time prying mine away from this pint-sized fashonista

To claim your new bag just email me your addy!

Didn’t Win?

Don’t worry, I’ve got tons more giveaways in the works. Check back soon!Similar Posts:

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Betty the Friendly Neighborhood Crockpot . . .

Is one of my best friends, and she wants to be yours, too! She’s absolutely fabulous, ya’ll. Give her tough cuts of meat like top round, veggies that need to be used quickly and some spices and VOILA! You’ve got a hearty stew without even messing up your kitchen!!

But you know the best part? When your mom comes to visit and gets you all spoiled with a piping hot breakfast waiting in the kitchen she’ll be there to pick up the pieces when you’re on your own again.

Ahem.

Seriously though, Betty is more chipper in the morning that that nest of robins outside Snow White’s window. So when she says “sleep a little longer, hon, I’ve got this” — DO IT. Then roll out of bed and stumble into the kitchen for warm, breakfasty goodness on-the-spot.I’ve you’ve never met Betty please consider this your formal introduction. To get to know her better, check out the recipes below!

Photo courtesy Health Home & Happiness

 Slow Cooker Baked Apples

Make any morning extra special with this hot cooked, cinnamon-sweet breakfast from Cara at Health, Home & Happiness. The aroma alone will have you smiling before you get to the kitchen, promise! We like ours with a quick side of scrambled eggs and/or sausage. Yum!

For kids who don’t eat super sweet sweets, this will be a real treat.

For a variation on this theme, check out this slow cooker applesauce from The Well Fed Homestead

Bacon “Omelette” Crock Pot Breakfast

Alyssa over at Sweet Cheeks says that “The delicious smell fills up the house as you sleep, causing visions of bacon to dance in your head!” Uh, yeah! This looks so delish AND easy – can’t wait to try it! Since we’re one of those families Betty will substitute butternut squash for sweet potato* and add some cheese as well. Since coconut oil maintains it’s benefits better than olive oil when heated Betty will make that switcharoo for us, too. You can find the recipe here.

* If your Betty substitutes with butternut squash you might recommend she use 1/3 less since it is usually higher in water content.

Southwest Crockpot Crustless Quiche

Oh yeah, this one looks UH-mazing! Betty is making this for us next week except she’s going to sub these pickled peppers for the canned green chilis (we can’t find any that don’t have BPA) and bacon for sausage. (Pssst! Want bacon without all the additives? Try making your own with this recipe!) Or to make this casserole more budget-friendly you can substitute this easy homemade spicy sausage recipe.

You can find the southwest breakfast casserole recipe here.

Do you know a mama who could you a few extra minutes of sleep and a hot breakfast? Why not share this recipe with her?!?!? And if you have a fave crockpot breakfast recipe, please share it!

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Daddypotamus Bought Me A Cactus For My 21st Birthday

I named him Frank. Now, if you’re not immediately thinking what a total keeper he is, it’s only because you don’t know the story.

See, eight months earlier I’d fallen in love over the sneeze guard of a salad bar. Oh yes! An unfamiliar voice called my name, so I looked up and there – just past the iceberg lettuce  - stood a smiling stranger with gorgeous blue eyes. And then I saw stars. Seriously, stars. Like the ones in cartoons when someone gets whacked with a frying pan.

Okay, he wasn’t a stranger, he was my fifth grade crush all grown up. The two foot height difference is what threw me for a loop (and of course those stars!).  I’ll tell you this, though: All my agnosticism about “the one” evaporated that day. He was real, and he was standing 5 feet away in the Crowley Hall Cafeteria.

But, Uh, There Was A Glitch

My college nickname was Femi-Nazi. It’s not pretty – university kids are not known for their tact – but it was basically accurate.  After my dad died I determined not to be “that girl” who looks for love in all the wrong places. Unfortunately, my poker face got so good it became hard to express things even when I wanted to. So what did I do when I met the love of my life? I bluffed, of course! It went like this:

“Okay, Imagine A Cactus”

Daniel continued this odd request with an equally strange follow up: “Now split the screen and imagine the best looking guy you’ve ever seen. Which do you prefer? If it’s the guy, the single life is not for you.”

I leaned back, cradling the phone while staring out my second story dorm room window.”I don’t know. I really like cactus.”

Ugh, can you BELIEVE ME? Fortunately Daddypotamus is not easily provoked to jealousy when it comes to, uh, succulents, so he gave me Fred and insisted I could have both.

The Thing Is . . .

By the end of my 21st year of life I would have slept on a dirt floor if it meant being with this man. But now that I’m, um, NOT 21, I’m kind of used to being pampered. Oh sure, the purse I’ve been carrying around for three years was a $3 Goodwill purchase, but in exchange I have a fresh oysters every week, real butter and pastured eggs. I just might choke if I have  to eat MSG-laden Ramen Noodles ever again and – let’s be real – I cannot imagine life without raw cheese.

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Dear Daniel,

We spent the morning of our wedding day roaming a foreign city in search of stamps. Not to mail postcards, of course, but to appease the crazy tax laws in Vieques. Do you remember us? “Colecturía? Colecturía?” I’ve never been so happy to be a clueless tourista. It was the beginning of so many adventures.

However, my FAVORITE memory from that morning was our trip to the doctors office to get our health certificate. With a serious smile and a Puerto Rican accent, our physician spoke fifteen words I’ll never forget.

I have to make sure you’re not drunk, not crazy  . . . . and you don’t have syphillis.”

Check. Check. And . . . oh wait, about that crazy part.

Just kidding. But truthfully on paper it doesn’t look good for us. It’s not just that  I spent my last night as a single woman sleeping behind a bar or that we didn’t have a wedding cake. Forget that you’ve had your brain zapped and I’ve had my forehead needled. The fact that we we’ve never used birth control or that our children most often play in the exact place I pushed them out of my body . . . not even worth mentioning.

It’s not even that I sometimes eat eggshells.

As I dug through photos to put this slideshow together I realized some very important pictures were missing. Not just the ones of us rolling on the sand like beached whales . . . the real bummer is that neither of us thought to make our huge fights a Kodak moment. There are no pictures of our “enthusiastic disagreements,” but there have certainly been plenty of them along the way. And honestly they deserve their place here because they are as much a part of our story as anything.

That’s where the crazy part comes in: If I had known what was coming on that bright morning in Vieques I probably would have thought we were nothing less than certifiable for going forward. Love takes more work than my “Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast” upbringing prepared me for. Remember me trying to stow away in your bags as you headed to The University of Copenhagen for a semester abroad?

Nothing but smiles there, but what was supposed to be a simple four month adventure turned into an excruciatingly painful test of our relationship that lasted much, much longer. As I held that picture I thought to myself, what if it had ended there?

There would have been no dance under a hundred-thousand blazing stars on our first night as husband and wife.

And remember how hard our first year was? What if it had ended THERE?

We would have missed not one but TWO of the sweetest blessings on earth.

Think of all we would have missed. Saturday morning pancake breakfasts, naptime snuggles, chasing seagulls on the beach. Are we flawed? YES! YES! YES! But really and truly we are getting better at this everyday. I love you more than you will ever know and I can’t imagine anything better than spending the rest of my life with you.

So, Daddypotamus, without further hullabaloo I present to you a few other moments I’m glad you stuck around for.

*Look closely and you might capture a glimpse of Food Renegade during our college days. Yes we’re cool like that.
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Lotions. Potions. Elixirs. Oh my!

Do you love the idea of homemade spa goodies but think they are “too much trouble” to make? Or maybe it worries you that the exact form of sodium laurel sulphate in your bottle of suds is used to degrease car engines. (Don’t see it listed? It has about 150 aliases and is often used in “natural” and “herbal” shampoos! ) Well then, I have just the thing for you!

This video/photo tutorial – adapted from and inspired by Andrea at Frugally Sustainable – is your guide to hassle-free soapmaking. Chocked full of natural humectants and softening butters, this recipe takes just 30 minutes of active time.* Oh yes! Half an hour and you’ll have  a revitalizing, moisturizing rosemary mint bar – or eight – curing on your countertop. I am by no means an expert at soapmaking (this was my first time!), but this was really simple and fun to do. I am LOVING the results and want to share it with you!

New To Shampoo Bars? Here’s What You Need To Know

The easiest way to use your shampoo bar is to lather in your hands and then work from root to tip. For a conditioning rinse Andrea recommends spritzing with a solution of 1/3 apple cider vinegar and 2/3 water in a spray bottle. Leave it on or rinse – either way the vinegary smell will fade away as your hair dries. Here are some more tips for making the transition from Dress Green.

• “There is a big difference between natural and commercial shampoos: natural bars don’t contain the preservatives, or the sulfates that cleanse by stripping everything – not just the daily dirt buildup but also the good natural oils on your hair. This means that natural shampoos leave hair generally more moisturized and with much more texture (as opposed to the sleek and squeaky feel).
• You may also find that your hair will need to adapt to the shampoo bars over time (don’t give up if after 2 or 3 days your hair is acting ‘differently’!). Many people’s hair tends to take a while to get accustomed to a natural shampoo when switching away from commercial shampoos – it is part of a ‘detoxifying’ process as the synthetics that have built up on your hair are slowly removed. To help your hair through this detox process, you may find that doing a daily or every-other-day vinegar rinse will help to remove excess buildup (we provide instructions with your new shampoo bar:).
• Once your hair has adjusted to your new shampoo bar, you may want to continue with weekly vinegar rinses to keep your hair’s pH balanced, help prevent tangles, and remove soap and product buildup.
• Shampoo bars can be a little challenging if you live in an area that has hard water. Hard water means that you will need to use more soap to get a good lather, and that soap is more difficult to rinse away. The minerals in hard water can react with soap, causing excess residue and tangling of the hair. If you have hard water, you may want to try using a vinegar rinse more frequently or using a water softener in your home.”

Giveaway TODAY!

Aside from sharing this tutorial, I am also giving away a couple bars from the batch I just whipped up. If you’d like to be entered to win one just share this post on FB or Twitter and leave a comment below letting me know! Contest ends tonight (1/25/12) at midnight. Winners will be selected via www.random.org and prizes will be mailed tomorrow!

And the winners are . . . Amber Stetler & Jenni Schuessler! Please email me your mailing address and get these shampoo bars in the mail!

*Note: The process takes about 1 1/2 hours total (including non-active time), but you’ll need to wait 24 hours before using!

Video Tutorial

Ingredients

All amounts are per weight. You will need to use a scale for these measurements.

• 10 ounces coconut oil
• 10 ounces olive oil
• 3 ounces castor oil (cold-pressed)
• 3 ounces jojoba oil
• 2 ounces shea butter
• 2 ounces cocoa butter
• 1 ounce beeswax (available at craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Joann’s or Michaels)

• 4 ounces water
• 6 ounces coconut milk
•  4 ounces lye (Usually available at your local hardware store. Make sure to get 100% lye!)

• 1/2 ounce rosemary essential oil
• 1/2 ounce peppermint oil

- OR-

• 1 ounce essential oil of your choice

Equipment:

• crock pot
• stick blender
• digital scale
• glass measuring cups
• small glass bowls
• plastic spoon with long handle
• rubber spatula
• sink or bowl filled with vinegar and soap mixture (for cleaning anything that comes in contact with lye)
• protective equipment: long-sleeved shirt, plastic/rubber gloves, safety glasses or protective eye gear
• soap mold – I used a cardboard box lined with parchment paper. A lined bread pan is the perfect size for this batch, though. I’ll be using that next time!

Photo Tutorial:

Step 1: Place solid oils (coconut, shea butter, cocoa butter) and Beeswax in a saucepan and gently warm over low heat

Step 2: Place melted oils and liquid oils (olive, castor, jojoba) in a crockpot and set to low

Step 3: In a well-ventilated area and while wearing protective gear slowly add lye to water/coconut milk and stir. Do not touch the bowl – it will be hot! Let lye cool for 5-10 minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Step 4: Add lye to crockpot (being careful not to splash) and stir a few times.

Step 5: Using the stick blender begin mixing toward “trace.” You’ll know trace is achieved when the mixture has the texture and thickness of pudding. Mine took about 3 minutes.

Step 6: Cover and let cook on low for 1 hour. During this process the oils should rise up the sides like a wave and then fold back into the mixture.

Step 7: At the end of one hour the mixture should look a little like semi-translucent vaseline. According to this post, “once the whole mix has this look, you can test it to see if it is done. Take a small sample of the soap and rub it between your fingers. It should have a waxy feel. Test the soap by touching it to your tongue. Keep cooking….if it ‘zaps’ like a nine volt battery, it’s not done.”

Step 8: Once the mixture is ready, add the essential oils and stir.

Step 9: Then spoon it into your mold and let firm up for 24 hours.

Step 10: Once the soap has had 24 hours to harden, remove from the mold and cut into bars.

Step 11: In an area with good air flow, place bars on a rack/tray to dry out and harden for another week or so. But by all means, go ahead and enjoy your first bar now!!!Similar Posts:

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