holidaze...

I cannot believe that it is fall, let alone November and less than one week until Thanksgiving!  I was joking with another mama that cleaning the same piles of school papers {seriously, do they need to send home EVERY piece of work?!}, washing the same dishes, and sweeping {from the babe's mouth on occasion} endless dog hair bunnies each day, fools me into thinking time is standing still.  But, it isn't and I'm left frittering away my favorite season!  

Growing up, our big family holiday happenings were a favorite...always filled with good food, lots of noise, the warm woodstove.  Now that we are spread out in several states, it's hard to achieve that "big family" holiday.  Between making our own traditions, and keep old favorites going, we get pretty close!

Our holiday traditions, old and new...

• My mom hosted Thanksgiving at our house and my brother and I always watched the Macy's Parade while we tore bread for stuffing!  This one has proven to be a challenge since we don't have cable.  Last year we were at my inlaw's and the girls sort of watched the parade {they are not nearly as excited as me!} while helping with stuffing.  

• Kids making place cards...or some kind of craft that can keep them occupied once the Parade is over and the "eat whatever you want for breakfast" sugar rush is kicking in.

• The Post Turkey walk.  I'm sure this is a tradition for many families, and it sure helps make room for pie!  Sometimes, this turns into The Post Turkey Play Outside session.

• Pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.  If there's any leftover, that is.

• Handmade and home baked gifts.  We love to make ornaments, pumpkin bread, and cookies!

• "Elf" on the shelf.  Our elf is a Christmasy bear named Stan that I found in one of our boxes of holiday decorations.  Sometimes he falls asleep and forgets to move at night.

• The Advent calendar.  I've been dying to get a reusable one but for now, the girls love finding the days and eating the chocolate-ish squares.  

• Family movie night with the original claymation Rudolph.  We watch this at least three times between Thanksgiving and Christmas...it is my favorite!

• Making a yearly ornament with the three.  I try to make something that will help show their age & growth through the years!

• Christmas baking day!  Or days.  We set aside a day to make a mess of the kitchen and make our favorite treats...thumbprints, sugar cookies, PB cups, buttercrunch, and chex mix.

• Christmas lights drive with cocoa and cookies.  Really we just drive to a local home that does a super job decorating, and lets the kids run around to check out their display!

• New PJs on Christmas Eve.  My mom always let us open one present on Christmas Eve.  I swear she let us pick which one {I'm guessing she just convinced that we chose!}, and it was always new PJs!  We wrap ours with a new {or old, if I find one we haven't seen in a while} Christmas book from the "Elf" and maybe a candy cane or treat for the girls.

• Four-ish gifts for the children...one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they wear, one thing they read.  And we usually do a joint present or two for them, and stockings.

• Only stockings for mama & dad.  It is fun to get creative with the stockings for each other!  

• Post Christmas trip to Maine.  The week between Christmas and New Year's is awesome for visiting my family in Maine!  The kids love seeing everyone and vast amounts of SNOW.  

• Chinese food on New Year's Eve!  

Some traditions I tried to start and failed...

• "New" food on Thanksgiving...it did not go over well when I served potatoes au gratin in place of the much-anticipated mashed taters for Thanksgiving 2011.  

• Delivering a plate of cookies to the sender of the first holiday card we receive.

• Reading Bible verses to correspond with the advent calendar.  I would still like to do this, and hoping that the StoryBook Bible will be easier!

• Christmas alphabet...one activity for each letter on the 26 days leading up to Christmas.  It was a lot to plan/prep for this and I decided to do it last minute so we were constantly behind.

• Waffles for Christmas breakfast.  They stick, they burn, and honestly {after getting up at the crack of dawn}, a few cups of coffee and some toast/cereal/easy baked thing is perfect!

• Christmas PJs for the whole family...if you know my husband, you can guess why this failed.  Just the wee ones get cute new PJs!

I'm sure there are a few I'm forgetting!  What are your favorite holiday traditions?

one year later: birth story.

One year ago, we were up early + full of anticipation to meet our son.   We hadn't settled on a name...after much discussion we decided to wait until we met him to choose.  We'd chosen to induce labor, which made us a little uneasy.  I was certain that my third baby wouldn't come any later than the first or second, yet here we were three {or ten, depending on which due date} days past.  The bags packed and ready to go, Uncle Muffin and Aunt Becca here helping and waiting with us for almost a week already.  The Boy was not coming...no matter how many miles I walked or how many hundreds of squats I did.  So, at 7am on August 8th 2013, I called the hospital to make sure they could start my labor that day {tiny hospital, people}, and by 730 we were on our way, joking {but totally serious!} on the ride over that we'd be meeting our baby by dinner time at the latest.

The process was slow.  So very slow.  We checked in, got the lovely corner room {yay!}, bloodwork, IVs.  It was decided to try to "ripen" my cervix before breaking my water or starting pitocin since The Boy was still pretty high.  And then we waited.  I was stuck in bed, attached to monitors for what seemed like forever {I think it was actually an hour or two}.  That medication sort of helped and around 1pm, they started the pitocin drip to get some real contractions going.  We walked and walked and walked the little L shaped hallway.  And bounced on an exercise ball.  And walked some more.  And cranked up the pitocin since I wasn't feeling the contractions.  The midwife joked and said she'd be off shift at midnight so baby needed to come before that.  We all laughed and figured he'd still be here around dinner time {my second delivery was 4.5hrs from first contraction to babe in arms}.

At 630pm, they broke my water.  Within the hour, the pitocin was off and I was in the tub, breathing through contractions.  

By 830pm, I had decided on the epidural.  I just had a feeling that I would need it to get through the delivery {boy am I glad I got it!}.  Though very nice, the nurse anesthetist took about 45 minutes to set the epidural and I almost said forget it!  Once it was in, I was totally numb and resting for a bit before I started feeling pressure.  Baby never really came down on his own so I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me.  

I started pushing at 1030pm, really exhausted and running on adrenaline and just knowing that I would get to see my sweet baby so soon.  We were still counting on him coming before midnight!  I really wanted my midwife there!

After 1.5 hours of pushing {man, it felt like slow motion especially since first baby was about 45mins and second was about 15mins}, our boy was born at 1201am on August 9th 2013.  I am so grateful for my delivery team for sticking with me and pulling us through those last {looooong} hours!

He was chunky, hairy, pink, and had the biggest baby cheeks.  Pooped on daddy, peed on mama and then weighed in at 8# 15 and 21" long.  A keeper in every way!  He nursed like a pro from the start.  I stayed up most of the night, cuddling him and studying his sweet features, trying to see which name he would choose.  

In the morning, the girls came with auntie & uncle.  They were mesmerized by their baby brother!  The sweetest moments were watching them meet him, checking out his tiny toes & fuzzy hair.

In between sister visits and the next batch of family arriving, we decided to name our boy Samuel James.  James for my paternal grandfather, who my children never had the gift of knowing but seem to have many "Grampa Denbow" traits from.  Samuel has the Denbow gleam in his eye, fun-loving & a little mischievous.

The details are foggy, but the feeling remains.  Blissful.  How they became my three.  I'm weepy as I write this with Samuel nursing in my lap, his chubby fingers touching the tears on my cheek and gray eyes curiously wondering what's wrong with mama.

And since we will be partying it up tomorrow...

Happy Birthday, my little love.  May you always share your goodness & light with everyone around you!  I am so lucky to be your mama.  XO

family favorite food: black beans & rice

Black beans & rice is a quick, filling, inexpensive favorite around here!  I usually throw in some veggies {broccoli, corn, tomatoes, cooked diced carrots} to make it healthier.  Even Samuel devours it!  

Black Beans & Rice

• 2-3c uncooked brown or white rice {depends on what bean-to-rice ratio you prefer}

• 15.5oz can of black beans {or about 2c home cooked black beans}

• 3T ketchup

• 1/4c salsa

• 1T spicy brown mustard

• 1/2T hot sauce {more/less to taste}

• 2T ground cumin {more/less to taste}

• 1T butter or olive oil

• 1tsp salt

• 1/2tsp black pepper

• 1/2tsp nutmeg

• 2c cooked veggies {broc, tomato, carrot, corn are our usual}

Cook rice according to package instructions.  Drain & rinse beans {if canned}.  When rice is cooked, add beans and stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, scallion, shredded lettuce/cabbage, tortilla chips.

summertime + Friday favorites

Gets a little busy around here starting in June!  

This girl had her kindy graduation and lost two teeth...

This girl will be FIVE on Monday {can't even believe it}...

This boy is walking, 5-6 steps at a time {don't even remind me that he will be ONE in two weeks & one day}...

 

We've enjoyed Fourth of July festivites, beach days, cooking out, and summer weather.  Somehow, the time seems to go faster from June to September!  

My favorites from the last few weeks {um, months!}...

dance recitals.

knit pants on baby.

new kitchen floors.

bookworms.

funny faces at the bus stop. 

practical jokes.

the flower garden.

babywearing.

baby curls.

baths.

happy face.

sisters.

beachin'.

brave boy.

buddha.

family photo.

peekaboo.

watermelon.

2am wake up calls with this boy, which are growing less frequent.

America's birthday.

more standing.

stern face.

mama love.

yummy food.

stripes.

more happiness.

so big.

these three...a blurry mess of a picture but so telling of their personalities.

Here's to another beautiful summer weekend!

How we buy groceries for less than $400 per month...

I grew up in a frugal family, although I didn't know it until I had a family of my own.  When we were cruising on our boat, my mom used to provision for an entire month {or more?} for the four of us and spend $75 {or $50? Care to weigh in, Mom?}.  Granted, nonperishable "boat food" is typically cheaper than "house food", we were in countries where most processed food is nonexistent, and it was almost twenty years ago {wow, I feel OLD!}.  We ate healthful, {mostly} delicious foods {let's take a moment to remember the mac n' cheese/tuna/peas/teriyaki sauce disaster of 1997...which my brother loved and ate all of}.  A lot of the meals I make now are favorites or variations of meals from cruising life.  

We have $300 per month allotted in our budget for groceries.  A bit more if I babysit or husband works overtime.  It's not a lot but it is totally doable even in a HCOL {high cost of living...aka Martha's Vineyard} area.  We don't really coupon since we avoid processed foods, although we occasionally buy cereal/granola bars/treats when they are on sale & we have a coupon.  We buy what's on sale, I shop every two weeks {I tried to do once a month, with fresh produce in between, but I just couldn't hang!}, and I TRY to meal plan.  We buy as much organic produce as possible but when conventional berries are on sale, that's what we get {who can afford approximately 10 organic raspberries for $7?!}.  And, I am totally dairy/soy protein free for Samuel so we have some special {read: EXPENSIVE!} foods on our "always" list.

Some things that we do not buy: 

•soda/juice

•chips

•individually packaged lunch fillers

•cookies {except Oreos!  One pack.  For me only!}

•frozen dinners

•heat & eat/boxed meals

•frozen desserts

•candy

•diapers

•paper plates/cups

Some things we {almost} always buy: 

•store brand natural peanut butter {two ingredients...peanuts & salt}

•5lbs organic apples

•Earth Balance Soy Free spread

•5lbs organic carrots

•Polaner All Fruit spread

•graham crackers 

•Nature's Promise wheat or white wraps {whichever our dinky market has in stock}

•Garelick whole milk

•sweet onions

•green peppers

•cucumber

•ground beef {only from Reliable Marlet, although the quality is not what it used to be.}

•pasta

•bananas

•almond milk

•half & half

•Arnold bread

•hamburger/hot dog rolls

•brown sugar

•organic broccoli

•Oreos {These are for me.  Judge away.  Oreos are dairy free & full of GMOs I'm sure.  Sometimes I splurge on one of the organic/natural brands.}

•Freihofer's bread {dairy free, I'm working on making my own bread for Sam & I.}

•chicken breast {when bogo, we buy 4-6 packs and freeze them}

•eggs

•oil

•flour

•sugar

•rice

•organic grape tomatoes 

•organic sweet potatoes

•beer

•canned coconut milk

•BBQ sauce

•canned fruit {pineapple, pears, peaches in 100% juice}

•frozen veggies {peas, corn, broccoli, spinach.  I like Birdseye "select" or "baby" versions}

•block cheese {Reliable Mkt has a good prices}

•Nature's Promise tomato soup {uht carton}

•black beans

•garbanzo beans

•garlic

•white popcorn

•paper towels {we try to use them sparingly}

•toilet paper

•vinegar

•baking soda

•salsa 

•ketchup

•pickles

•mayo

•coffee

•lettuce

Meals that we like to eat:

•black beans & rice

•sloppy joes

•breakfast for dinner...French toast, eggs, pancakes {with bacon or Jones sausage links depending on sales}

•fried chicken

•fish cakes

•hamburgers/hot dogs

•pasta salad 

•peanut noodles {I posted about those here}

•Hawaiian chicken in the crockpot

•chicken salad wraps

•pasta & meatballs

•meatloaf

• cheesy chicken & rice casserole {Samuel & I have eggs or sandwiches}

•fried/grilled striped bass

•tomato soup & grilled cheese {I really really miss this one!}

•BBQ pork tenderloin

We eat fish when Paul catches it.  Scallops & venison {Paul & Grace only...Caroline & I usually eat eggs or something} when they are gifted to us.  We rarely eat out, usually the inlaws take us out for birthdays.  If we have wiggle room in our budget, we might get pizza {Flatbread makes a delicious dairy free pizza!} or buy a steak.  We have fruit, graham crackers with PB, popcorn, or veggies with dip for snacks.  Or I'll make mini muffins or granola bars.  I plan meals based on sales and we stock up on staples {like bogo bread/chicken/pork, condiments, oatmeal, baking needs}.  We are not brand specific...I buy whatever is cheaper or on sale {or has no hydrogenated oil or HFCS if it's an option}.  I bulk up meals with beans/veggies/fruits to maybe have leftovers for lunch.  We do PBJ, tuna, eggs, salad, cheese/crackers or leftovers for lunches.  This year we have spinach, green beans, tomatoes, cukes, basil, carrots, and summer squash in the garden to add to our meals!  We don't eat meat at every dinner.  And I shop at Stop & Shop, Reliable Mkt, and Cronig's {occasionally, potatoes are often cheaper/better here and they have the dairy free treat foods!}.  We always make room in the budget for birthdays and holidays {special meals, cakes, etc}.  Basically, we skip prepared/convenience and snack foods, fill up on fruit/veggies, and eat based on sales/season!  Feel free to email or comment any questions.  I'm happy to share more about how we keep our costs down!

Mama eats

I need quick meals for lunch, and it has been a bit of a struggle with the whole dairy free thing (cheese + crackers or yogurt were go-to lunch grabs for me).  I've been making these peanut noodles lately.  Super easy and they are sooooo good, and even better cold (which is great since that's how I eat 90% of my meals).

Don't they look yummy?

 Here's what you need for the sauce (plus what I forgot in the photo...a little sugar, peanut butter, and olive oil).  That cute little penguin is our pepper shaker...sort of a family joke!  I like to use regular spaghetti noodles, but I've also used rice in a pinch.  And I add broccoli, sweet onion, and carrots to the mix.  A few fresh scallions snipped over the top, and you're done!

 See these beauties?  I was tired of finding wilted brown scallion carcasses buried under giant bags of carrots or green peppers, so I decided to try this idea with the latest bunch of organic scallions.  It worked so well! 

 

 Mmmm, so good!  

And nope, I'm not fancy with cookware...just a good old Revere copper bottom pot works great!

I'll do my best with a recipe although I'm not really a measure-out-everything kind of cook...more of a dump-dash-sprinkle-scoop cook.  A lot of this is to taste...

Peanut Noodles

about 2 lunch servings for me + a lunch for Grace

6oz spaghetti noodles (a grab about the size of a half dollar)

3c broccoli (fresh or frozen)

1 large carrot

1/4 of a medium sized sweet onion

 

For the sauce:

1/3c all natural peanut butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 Tbsp sugar (I like brown sugar, but often forget to add)

1/2-1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)

1/2-1 Tbsp hot sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

Dash of garlic powder, ginger (2-3 dashes), nutmeg

Salt, optional (I usually at add a little)

Scallions

Cook your noodles...I like 'em al dente.  While those are cooking, peel and dice your carrot & onion.  Chop your broccoli if you are using the fresh stuff.  I prefer to saute the veggies but I'm usually hurrying so I just steam them all in the microwave for four minutes.  Whisk together the sauce ingredients.  When the pasta is done, drain almost all of the water out.  Dump the veg & sauce in the pot and mix it up...tongs work well or a fork.  The bit of pasta water will help your sauce spread nicely.  Snip a few scallions over the top and enjoy!  Fast & delicious!

The Kitchen is still counterless, and soon to be floorless, which is challenging.  It will be beautiful when it is done!  All in good time.  For now, I will stick to cooking simple meals that can be prepped on the 1sq ft "counter" that we have!