Lula's Birthday

So I know her birthday was last month but her is a few of the pics of her birthday before the camera broke. Better late than never right?

She wanted a kids meal for her birthday dinner. So what is a parent to do?-- Load them all up and take them to Wendy's.

Well they all survived their first time in a fast food establishment. Okay not their first time but it was their first time with their parents! Their grandparents are convinced that Culver's is "real" food:)

Lula got her first kids meal! She didn't like the Sprite, and wanted to know where to get some water from.
Biggie was quite impressed, but the toy was not quite a cool as it looks on TV.
Lettie thought the Sprite was spicy and licked ketchup out of the little cups.

Here is what I allowed my children to ingest.

Jr. Hamburger (I'm guessing it wasn't a happy cow.)
Jr. Hamburger Patty
Ground Beef. Seasoned with Salt.

Ketchup
Tomato Concentrate (made from red ripe tomatoes), Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Natural Flavoring.

Mustard
Water, Distilled Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric (color), Paprika, Spice.

Dill Pickles (2)
Cucumbers, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Alum, Natural Flavors, Polysorbate 80, Yellow 5, Blue 1. (hello food coloring why are you here?)

Onion (2 rings)
Onions.

Tomatoes, 1 slice
Tomato.

Lettuce
Lettuce.

Sandwich Bun
Enriched Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: soybean, cottonseed, canola), Yeast, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Contains 2% or less of the following: Dough Conditioners (contains one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono and diglycerides, DATEM, enzymes), Yeast Nutrients (may contain one or more of the following: monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, ammonium sulfate), Turmeric, Paprika, Annatto, Natural Flavor, Calcium Silicate, Calcium Propionate (preservative). CONTAINS: WHEAT.

(GAG)

Small French Fries
Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: soy, canola, cottonseed, partially hydrogenated soy and/or cottonseed), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to protect color), Dextrose. Cooked in Soy, Corn, Cottonseed, & Hydrogenated Soy Oil. Note: may be cooked in the same oil as Fish Fillets (where available), Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Crispy Chicken Patty, Boneless Wings and Spicy Chicken Nuggets. Seasoned with Salt.

2 Ketchup packets
Tomato Concentrate (made from red ripe tomatoes), Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Natural Flavoring.

Medium Sprite®
High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate (flavor protector), Dimethylpolysiloxane (anti-foaming agent).

Would you like a few chemicals fries with that?

After this we went home and decorated an organic cake with fruit and frosting colored with jam! She loved every minute of it.

We're Completely Smitten!

Really Really Dumb Baby Ticker!!!

DUMB BABY TICKER!!!!

Natural Living? An Idol?

I stumbled on this blog post and it gave me a very good smack up side the head. It is very timely in my life so I thought I should share it.



Can natural living become an idol? You bet your bottom dollar it can.



The LORD has been pushing me and stretching me in this area as the pay is decreasing and the number of mouths to feed and nourish is increasing. I try to keep these verses in remembrance.



Luke 12: 23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fouls?



The LORD will provide. It may not be to my self made standards but HE will provide.



I need to have more balance in my life and more faith.

Do I reach for the Bible as quick as I reach for my new health book? Do I worry about sneaking more green veggies into my kids diet more than I worry about shaping their characters? Do I remember that the LORD is the great healer and not my latest detox diet? Do I judge others who don't adhere to my "guidelines" instead of loving one another as Christ has first loved me?



I still firmly believe real food is better for you. Sole (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) food is better for everyone involved. And real oats are cheaper than Fruit Loops any day. I still believe the food God made is far superior to man made food. So again BALANCE!



Everyone will have to answer for their time on this earth. The mother who dishes up hot dog casserole with true thanksgiving in her heart is better than the mother who cringes at the lack of omega 3's in her kids lunches.

Searching for balance.....

Hot Dog Men

Step 1) get yourself some hot dogs, try not to gag! Step 2) Make some legs

Step 3) Cut one arm

Step 4) Cut another arm

Step 5) notch out the neck and make a smiley face

Step 6) Boil per package directions, I do 6 to 8 minutes

Step 7) Serve to your kidlets who think you are the most awesome mom in the whole world because you made hot dog men.

Here is an attempt an hug and kisses hot dogs. The "hugs" didn't get sliced all the way through, oops. (Ignore the dirty stove will ya?)

Kind of funny hot dog story.

This summer at my uncles house my aunt and uncle were appalled that the kids had never eaten a hot dog. I said something like "there are millions of kids in this world who have never eaten a hot dog." Well that didn't sit well with them.

"YOUR KIDS LIVE IN AMERICA!" they both barked.

So I guess I was being unpatriotic by not pickling my children's livers serving them hot dogs.

(Don't worry, no livers were pickled in the making of this blog post. The hot dogs are nitrate free:))

Food! Food! Food! Food!

So you have four kids, you're knocked up with number five, and you're a food snob. What are you to do?

COOK and BAKE until the cows come home.

Here's the list of food we now have in the freezer for "after baby".

Beef
shipwreck
sloppy joes
sloppy joes
burger soup
shepherds pie

Chicken
Chicken enchilada
chicken enchilada
chicken pot pie
fried chicken
shredded chicken

Turkey
cooked ground
cooked ground
cooked ground
cooked ground
cooked ground
meatloaf

Pork
sweet potatoes
sweet potatoes
sweet potatoes
sweet potatoes
precooked ham
precooked ham
precooked ham

Baked goods
gallon bag FULL of granola
cinnamon rolls
cinnamon rolls
cinnamon rolls
cinnamon rolls
cinnamon rolls
morning glory muffins
morning glory muffins
morning glory muffins

I have this list taped to the fridge so I can just scratch off what I already used and know what is remaining.

Ground turkey will be used for taco salads, taco soup, goulash, and spaghetti. We use rice noodle which do NOT freeze and reheat well otherwise I would have made up the goulash and spaghetti but just having the meat prepped will ever so helpful.

On pork days if it falls during the week days we have salmon. So I just cooked the time consuming sweet potatoes so we don't end up eating plain salmon and bread.

I still hope to make a double batch of french bread pizza, bacon and potato soup, and maybe some cookies and more granola.

We also have lots of stock in the freezer but I hope to make at least one more batch of that too.

Thanks to Tina for all her help on baking day!!!