Comments on Comments: VBAC

So.  I messed up.  Not the first time and it won't be the last.

After the first not so positive comment down to the latest almost brought tears to my eyes comment, I am fully aware that my VBAC post did not fly over so well.

I still stand by my facts.  As a natural childbirth advocate and a friend to many women who have experienced cesarean sections and a friend to many women who have fought for the support of a caring provider to stand by their side during a trial of labor after a cesarean, I have seen many sides of vaginal birth after a cesarean section.  I know the risk factors and I know the benefits.

But, having had two successful vaginal births, I am obviously not the best person to speak on the emotional side of a cesarean or a VBAC.

If you were offended, I am sorry.  I am a person of strong convictions and it oftentimes takes an equally strong opposing opinion to make me realize my way is not the only way.

The past two days of reflection on these comments reminds me of something Birth Without Fear posted on her Facebook page not too long ago about how she has come to realize that a mama's satisfaction with her birth experience has nothing to do with the way her child enters the world but everything to do with how she feels about her birth experience.  And, I realize now I should have made a similar disclaimer on my VBAC (now aptly title "10 Reasons to Avoid an Elective Cesarean thanks to an anonymous commenter) post.

And, because Mrs. BWF is much wiser about birth than me......


‎"There is no guarantee a VBAC will be successful." True. There is also no guarantee that a cesarean section or induction will be successful. There are no 100% guarantees in life. That is why birth 'is as safe as life gets'. This is why informed choice is important. Choose what you feel is best and find a supportive and competent care provider and have an empowering birth! ~Mrs. BWF

10 Reasons to Avoid an Elective Cesarean

1.  Your body is not a lemon.  Your creator is not a careless mechanic. ~ Ina May Gaskin  
2.  Failure to progress?  Um.  Most likely failure to wait.
3.  Previous cesareans increase chances of placenta previa, placenta accreta, placenta increta, placenta percreta. 
4.  Babies are designed for vaginal birth.  Wet lungs are more common for section babies because the fluid from their lungs is not squeezed out during labor.
5.  Doctor error.
6.  Cesareans are major abdominal surgeries.
7.  Your cesarean section's recovery time coincides with the very special time you are initiating breastfeeding and bonding with your newborn.
8.  Labor and delivery is good for women.  Our bodies are designed for birth.
9.  Hospital acquired infections.
10. VBAC is a safe and reasonable option for most women.

I often think about how it just took a friend's casual question of my interest in natural childbirth during Liza's early pregnancy to spark my path to a homebirth and full-fledge birth junky.  So, to all my previous c-section mamas, please know a VBAC is a very real option!  If your current provider does not agree with ACOG's recommendation that VBAC is a safe and reasonable option for most women, find a new provider!

Interested in learning more about VBAC?  Find a local ICAN chapter or join the forums.

Did you have a VBAC?  Are you planning a VBAC?

* Don't like this list?  You weren't the only one........read my followup post here.

Babies Wearing Babies.

My sweet babies are good little attached parents to their Baby Monkey and Little Girl Doll.

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of Henry tandem wearing  Baby Monkey and Lamb.

Imagine in your mind a very proud little daddy in the making.

If nothing else, imagine "cute".

I see a little bitty doll carrier in Liza's future.

She desperately wants to wear her Little Girl Doll but is too wiggly for me to get a good tie with the scarf.

Any readers make teeny little buckle carriers? 

 I've seen a few on Etsy but I would love to buy even more close to home :) 

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

I can't believe it's been a year since one of my favorite blog posts of all time!

I mean, really.  

How cute were my babies last year?

And, oh the days where that grocery cart wasn't the object of everyone's affection.......

Politics. Propositions. Puddles.

The kids and I walked up to campus last week for a rally against

 Proposition 26 aka The Personhood Amendment.

Even though I firmly believe life begins at conception,

I worry about the broad nature of the proposed amendment.  

AD: Section 33. Person defined. As used in this Article III of the state constitution, "The term 'person' or 'persons' shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof."

What about hormonal birth control?

If this amendment becomes a part of Mississippi's constitution, 

will hormonal birth control be outlawed?

I believe more women should take charge of their own fertility through the Fertility Awareness Method but I also believe hormonal birth control is a necessary component of society.

 What about ectopic pregnancy? 

What about terminal conditions that are not compatible with life?

I would continue a pregnancy with a diagnosis of Trisomy 18 or 13 or Anencephaly, 

but many families choose to end those pregnancies.

What about those women and families?

Rape victims deserve the "morning after pill".  

Women have chosen abortion for various reasons since the dawn of time.  

Women will continue to end pregnancies regardless of constitutional amendments. 

 Those women deserve safe and clean clinics, not 'underground' facilities and doctors.

So yeah.

We went on campus for a rally against Proposition 26.

The kids had a blast. 

Obviously.

I left feeling very unsettled.

Unsettled about this proposed constitutional amendment.

Unsettled about the future of women's healthcare in my state.

Unsettled about the many future implications I can't even fathom.

Unsettled that many passionate "YESers" are not seeing the big picture.

Unsettled how so many Mississippi citizens actually believe this a step forward.

Mississippians, have you done your research?

How are you voting?

Moms and Blogs.

So, I've been hardcore 'mommy blogging' for a calendar year now.  I began blogging when Henry was born with a 6 month hiatus after his 1st birthday but those posts, enjoyable as they are for me reread, were filled with nothing more than milestones and the occasional funny anecdote.  I viewed my blog as Henry's baby book because I surely never found a baby book that lived up to my high standards of "cute" and we all know I have plenty to say about my cute kids so why not share the details with family and friends?

Our Messy Messy Life came about when I re-entered the blogging world and I realized I needed to make sure I was keeping it real, i.e. dirty house, unbathed children and unshowered mamas.  So, I started back blogging when I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Liza and I was keeping it real but still just highlighting cute things about Henry and detailing milestones.

It wasn't until Liza was 2 months old and I was really into my groove of mothering two babies that I began compulsively blogging.  As crazy as it sounds, I had lots of time on my hands with a two-year-old and a newborn.  Henry took 3-4 hour naps each afternoon and Liza slept in the ring sling all day and I would swaddle her and put her in the swing during Henry's naptime.  The house was (fairly) clean, full-fledged meals were cooked and I felt on top of my game.

I really like sleeping babies.  I  like cooking.  I don't like cleaning but somebody has to do it.  Internetting is fun but gets old after a while.  I'm not crafty and I don't like making things.

I needed something more with my free afternoons.

So, I began my life as a 'mommy blogger'.  

Blog posts began forming in my mind as soon as I pulled out the camera.  I made sure I saved leftovers so I could take a picture with natural light if I planned on posting a recipe.  The Natural Parents Network became my blog community.  I found women who obsessed over the same things I obsessed over and it felt good.

I threw myself into blogging and I found it irresistibly fulfilling.

Through blogging, I discovered my love for self-reflective writing, which isn't too surprising  given my love of a good memoir.  And, through self-reflection on this whole mama thing, I find myself thinking about blogging and it's fulfilling factor.  About all the mamas blogging.  Blogging about their kids.  Blogging about their lives.  Blogging about being a mama.  Blogging about being a wife.  Blogging about the food they feed their family and the deals at the thrift store.  Lots and lots of blogging.

I wondered:  Why all the mama bloggers?

And, then I figured it out.

Husbands are needy.  Children are needy.  We have little time to ourselves and that time is usually spent cleaning up somebody else's mess.  Mamas don't have a space of their own.  Our space is filled with children and because we are mamas, we gladly give our space to our children.  

So, we blog.  

We make our own space where we are in charge.  We dictate the rules and the rules are actually followed.  We keep our blogs nice and neat and little people don't swoop in and make a mess of it all 5 seconds later.  

So yeah.  I like blogging and I like being a "mommy blogger".  

Here is to one very fulfilling year of full-fledged blogging with many more to come!

To quote Henry, "chee-uhs"!

Now, where is my mimosa to toast?

Favorite Food Documentaries.

I feel like I am forever picking up new soapboxes.  I feel too strongly about entirely too many topics but here I go again.....

Sustainable farming.

In the past, it seemed like such a vague term.  Sustainable farming.  It also seemed pretty BSy because why wouldn't farming be sustainable?  Plant a seed.  Pick your crop.  Plant a seed.  Pick your crop.  It seems pretty self-evident.

I was wrong.  

Very wrong. 

But, what's new about that?

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

While my brain is still working out the details for an upcoming post comparing sustainable farming practices to everything else I love in life, i.e. natural childbirth, breastfeeding and babywearing, I present to you a list of food documentaries (some are more devoted to sustainable farming than others....) for your viewing pleasure:

Food, Inc.  

King Corn

Food Matters

Forks Over Knives

The Real Dirt on Farmer John 

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

FRESH

The  Future of Food

FRESH is only available via their website, The Future of Food is on Hulu and the remaining films are on Netflix Instant Viewing.

Let me know if I am missing a good movie!  

Boys and Guns.

I am not ashamed to be an over-protective mother.

I have been known to proudly state how I am just fine keeping my babies in a safe little bubble for several more years to come.

I mentally edit books I read out loud to vet out the negative, whiny, and mean characters and I always change words with negative connotations to words on my safe list.

Sometimes, I feel a little loony as I frantically race across the kitchen to turn off NPR as they describe a gun battle in Fallujah but I firmly believe words have power and sensitive little 3 year old ears have no need to hear a graphic description of war with bullets echoing in the background.

And, then there are the kids at the park.  Oh, the kids at the park.  

I'm not talking about my kids.  The kids I've known since infancy.  The kids whose mamas are my friends.  The kids whom I know and approve of.

I'm talking about the kids with guns.  Fake guns, yes.  But, a fake gun may as well be a real gun when you are 3 years old and have no concept of violence and death.  And, apparently, it only takes a few minutes of witnessing these fake guns in action for Henry to internalize the concept of shooting and "blowing away".

Long before my babies were born, I knew we would not be a "gun" house.  As a teacher, I chastised little boys who were forever turning every math manipulative and piece of playground mulch into a weapon.  Guns are not toys.  Duh.

At this point, I've come to accept that boys are naturally drawn to weapons.  Since this natural tendency to violence is completely foreign to me as a former little girl, I assume this hard wired trait is an evolutionary design hearkening back to the days of hunting for survival.

Or not.  Who knows.

But, at least the thought of evolutionary psychology makes me feel better when my precious, sweet, tender little 3 year old is running around the house armed with a plastic giraffe, shouting "shot shot shot".

Seriously.  My hearts breaks each time he "shot shot shot" at his sister.

I tell him, "Let's pretend that is a water hose and let's water your garden."  Sometimes that works for a bit but before long he is shooting again.

I say, "Let's pretend that this a giant mixing spoon and let's mix up a big bowl of cookie dough."  But, soon he is shooting.

I remind him that shooting is pretending to hurt and we don't want to hurt.

I attempt to ignore the shooting just like when we ignored his "oh, shit"s and "damn"s but the shooting pushes me over the edge and I can't seem to ignore it.  And, after an afternoon of shooting following a morning of a rough little boy playing too roughly with a sensitive little sister, I tend to lose it.  And, that's not good for anybody.

Advice?  Words of wisdom?  

Boy mamas, I need some guidance.

Hold her I will.

A repost from last fall in honor of International Babywearing Week.


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

I wear my baby when.....

I want to cherish every moment of her babyhood.

She needs to sleep.

She is awake and grumpy.

We are grocery shopping.

We take walks around town.

I am cooking supper.

Her brother is acting crazy and wants to lay on top of her.

I need two hands.

I wear my baby because...

You can never spoil a baby by holding her too much.

She likes to be reminded of her 40 weeks on the inside.

She is my best accesory-

we almost named her "diamond studs".

She is still small enough to be worn nonstop.

I know she is safe and content when she is tied to me.

My movement helps develop her vestibular system.

I have a million reasons for wearing my baby.

But, really, they aren't even important.

She wants to be held

and

hold her,

I will.

Call me Oprah - kitchen edition

Call me Oprah.

Here are some of my favorite (kitchen) things:

11 inch Cuisinart Pro Series food processor.

Love this thing and I have no idea how I lived with a dinky little food processor for so many years.  

My mother was right; I needed the big one.

Hummus.  Smoothies.  Veggie purees.  Bread and pizza dough.

The list goes on and on.

Le Creuset cast iron griddle.

My mother picked up this deeply discounted gem at a Le Creuset outlet store.

Eggs.  Pancakes.  Grilled cheese.  Duck in a Bucket.

Like the food processor, lots and lots of uses.

Mixing bowls!

I have the whole set but the other 3 are dirty and I was too lazy to wash them for the picture.

I bought these at my local charity thrift store for $10.

They make me feel like a chef and they make me sad for people who mix without the proper equipment.

My Tivoli radio resides in my kitchen so I can listen to NPR and Dave Ramsey.  

If I'm in the kitchen, it's on, so it's a kitchen tool in my book. 

 And, please notice how real I'm keeping it.

 Like my mess?

The spray bottle might say Simple Green but this is

my vingar, tea tree oil, Dr. Bronner's soap and water cleaning mix.

Thank goodness it's a favorite thing of mine because something always needs cleaning this house.  

Our house is a house of sticky messes and puddles of undetermined origins.  

What are your favorite kitchen accouterments?

What matters.

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how finances affect their parenting choices. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

I am a Dave Ramsey devotee.

I listen to at least a portion of his radio show while Liza naps and I, with Henry's "help", prep dinner in the kitchen. I really like Dave Ramsey and I automatically think, "What would Dave do?" when confronted with a financial issue.

I feel very blessed to have been raised in a family setting that taught me to buy only what I can afford and never to use credit cards for things I can't afford.  The frequency of deep debt callers to Dave's show have reinforced to me that my parents did a great job teaching financial responsibility.

Aside from his, ahem, recent political endorsements, I pretty much agree with everything Dave Ramsey says.  And, that's the problem.

I listen for my daily money motivation and I want to have gazelle-like intensity in saving money and eventually building wealth.  I want to move along, follow the baby steps and pay off our mortgage in record time.

Trust me.  I really do. 


But, the truth is......Dave is really stressing me out lately.


1 paycheck + 2 adults +  2 kids = Just enough money.


Just enough money + organic fresh whole foods = Impossible.


For years, I've preached to the choir that buying fresh whole foods is cheaper than buying processed boxed foods, i.e. a bunch of organic beets and basic pantry dry goods for homemade beet pancakes  is sooo much cheaper and healthier than buying a family's worth of frozen pancakes from the freezer aisle.

But, now, I'm realizing my error......I never accounted for coupons and sales.  If you wait a few weeks for the mystical time when coupons and sales collide, you can stock up on the next year's worth of pancakes for pennies on the dollar.

And, that will never happen with my organic beets, aluminum-free baking powder and unbleached flour.  Never.Going.To.Happen.

We have a garden.  We have chickens.  We take part in a local CSA.  We are even talking about buying a goat for fresh milk.  We do what we can do.  But, it's just not enough for me.

In order to feed my family a healthy, mostly organic diet, it costs a freaking fortune.

I blame the government.  I blame subsidized corn crops.  I blame the American people for falling into the belief that cheap and easy food is more important than healthy and sustainable food.

But, most of all, I blame Dave Ramsey for continually reminding me that in order to build wealth and eventually retire in dignity, sacrifices must be made.

When you already live a bare-bones little life, I refuse to sacrifice the quality of my family's diet in order to save a buck.

So, it looks like we will spending a bit longer than I initially anticipated in Baby Step #3.

But, I'm okay with that, as long as I have my beet pancakes and local honey to keep me company.


***
Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Money Matter$ — Jenny at I'm a full-time mummy shares her experiences on several ways to save money as a parent.
• A different kind of life... — Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her utopian life and how it differs from her current one!
• Show Me The Money! — Arpita of Up, Down & Natural shares her experience of planning for parenting costs while also balancing the financial aspect of infertility treatments.
• Material v Spiritual Wealth - Living a Very Frugal Life with Kids — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares her family's realizations about the differences between material and spiritual wealth.
• If I Had a Money Tree — Sheila at A Gift Universe lists the things she would buy for her children if money were no object.
• Financial Sacrifices, Budgets, and the Single Income Family — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama looks at the importance of living within your means, the basics of crafting a budget, and the "real cost" of working outside of the home.
• Overcoming My Fear of All Things Financial — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares how she is currently overcoming her fear of money and trying to rectify her ignorance of all things financial.
• Confessions of a Cheapskate — Adrienne at Mommying My Way admits that her cheapskate tendencies that were present pre-motherhood only compounded post-baby.
• Money Matters — Witch Mom hates money; here's why.
• Money? What Money?! — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts describes how decisions she's made have resulted in little income, yet a green lifestyle for her and her family.
• What matters. — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life might worry about spending too much money on the grocery budget, but she will not sacrifice quality to save a dollar.
• Making Ends Meet — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares about being a working mom and natural parent.
• Poor People, Wealthy Ways — Sylvia at MaMammalia discusses how existing on very little money allows her to set an example of how to live conscientiously and with love.
• The Green Stuff — Amyables at Toddler In Tow shares how natural parenting has bettered her budget - and her perspective on creating and mothering.
• Jemma's Money — Take a sneak peek at That Mama Gretchen's monthly budget and how Jemma fits into it.
• 5 Tips for How to Save Time and Money by Eating Healthier — Family meal prep can be expensive and time-consuming without a plan! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips for how to make your cooking life (and budget) easier.
• Belonging in the Countryside — Lack of money led Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales towards natural parenting, but it also hinders her from realizing her dream.
• Total Disclosure and Total Reform — Claire at The Adventures of Lactating Girl gets down to the nitty gritty of her money problems with hopes that you all can help her get her budget under control.
• Save Money by Using What You Have — Gaby at Tmuffin is only good with money because she's lazy, has trouble throwing things away, and is indecisive. Here are some money-saving tips that helped her manage to quit her job and save enough money to become a WAHM.
• Two Hippos & Ten Euros: A Lesson in Budgeting — MudpieMama shares all about how her boys managed a tight budget at a recent zoo outing.
• ABBA said it — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen ponders where her family has come from, where they are now and her hopes for her children's financial future.

• Money vs. Time — Momma Jorje writes about cutting back on junk, bills, and then ultimately on income as well ~ to gain something of greater value: Time.
• An Unexpected Cost of Parenting — Moorea at MamaLady shares how medical crises changed how she feels about planning for parenthood.
• 5 Ways This Stay at Home Mom Saves Money — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares 5 self-imposed guidelines that help her spend as little money as possible.
• Frugal Parenting — Lisa at My World Edenwild shares 8 ways she saves money and enriches her family's lives at the same time.
• Conscious Cash Conscious — Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares her 5 money-conscious considerations that balance her family’s joy with their eco-friendly ideals.
• Money, Sex and Having it All — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains how she's willing to give up one thing to get another. (And just for fun, she pretends to give advice on how to build capital in the bedroom.)
• Money could buy me ... a clone? — With no local family to help out, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama wants childcare so she can take care of her health.
• Spending Intentionally — CatholicMommy loves to budget! Join her to learn what to buy, what not to buy, and, most importantly, where to buy.
• New lessons from an allowance — Lauren at Hobo Mama welcomes a follow-up guest post from Sam about the latest lessons their four-year-old's learned from having his own spending money.
• How to Homeschool without Spending a Fortune — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares tips and links to many resources for saving money while homeschooling from preschool through high school.
• It's Not a Baby Crisis. It's Not Even a Professional Crisis. — Why paid maternity leave, you may ask? Rachael at The Variegated Life has some answers.
• "Making" Money — Do you like to do-it-yourself? Amy at Anktangle uses her crafty skills to save her family money and live a little greener.
• Money On My Mind — Luschka at Diary of a First Child has been thinking about money and her relationship with it, specifically how it impacts on her parenting, her parenting choices, and ultimately her lifestyle.
• Spending, Saving, and Finding a Balance — Melissa at The New Mommy Files discusses the various choices she and her family have made that affect their finances, and finds it all to be worth it in the end.
• Accounting for Taste — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares their budget and talks about how they decided food is the most important item to budget for.
• Money Matters... But Not Too Much — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting shares how her family approaches money without putting too much of a focus onto it.
• Parenting While Owning a Home Business — In a guest post at Natural Parents Network, Lauren at Hobo Mama lays out the pros and cons of balancing parenting with working from home.
• Crunchy Living is SO Expensive...Or Is It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy talks about her biggest objection to natural living - and her surprise at what she learned.
• Mo' Money, Mo' Problems — Sarah at Parenting God's Children shares how a financial accountability partner changed her family's finances.
• The Importance of Food Planning — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro discusses how food budgeting and planning has helped her, even if she doesn't always do it.
• Kids & Money: Starting an Allowance for Preschoolers — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings discusses her family's approach and experiences with starting an allowance for preschoolers.

And, the winner is....

Robyn at The Path We Travel!               
I follow you in my google reader.  I switched to baking soda from shampoo two weeks ago. I keep hearing that I will go through a gross adjustment stage, but so far, so good. :)


Robyn, I hope your hair is still looking good!  I've been bragging on my no'poo a lot lately because I can actually go to sleep with wet hair now and wake up in the morning without a crazy frizzy mess of a head.  It's  pretty amazing.


Send me an email with your address to lmd328 (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll get your 4oz of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap in the mail to you! 

Thanks to everybody for commenting!  THANK YOU for reading!

Positively Itchy.

If I were a perfect parent, I would always:

1.  Talk "to" my kids, rather than talk "at" them.

2.  Say what I mean and mean what I say.

3.  Get off my butt and get on my kids' level when I correct misbehavior.

4.  Remember they are so little and the babies I love so much.

I'm certainly not a perfect parent.

Daily, I struggle with the most basic tenants of positive parenting ....um.... especially a few days ago when I was bound and determined for Liza's fall and winter clothes to be nice and organized, come hell or highwater, screaming kids or tantrums on the floor.

So yeah.

 If you know me in real life or if you are a casual reader of OMML, you are perfectly aware of my struggle with balance just like every other mama out there.

But, I was seriously itching to dispense some basic parenting advice today at the pumpkin patch.

Thankfully, we managed a quick getaway from the corn box and the mama calling out her empty threats from the bench with the lure of a lunch packed in a dinosaur lunchbox and a picnic table with friends.

Now, the only itch that remains is our itchy ankles from our day at the farm.

Seriously.

This latest itch is quite concerning...

Friends. Food. Fail.

     

 

These kids surely enjoyed my impromptu pasta salad dinner:

whole wheat rotini

package of pink salmon

shredded carrots

kalamata olives

red bell pepper

feta cheese

red onion

olive oil

red wine vinegar 

And, just for good measure.....

Liza literally has no idea where her bellybutton is.

She points to a different spot every time you ask her and last night, s

he fell over looking for her bellybutton between her legs.

Hopefully, I can get a better and non-blurry picture tomorrow because it's things like this that remind me these babies grow up too quickly.

Beet Pancakes My Way

If you are a OMML devotee, you know I really like my carbs.

In fact, I only half-jokingly refer to myself as a carbotarian.

So, it's no surprise I offer you yet another variation of the wonderful pancake.

And, I am hanging my head in shame for not taking a pretty picture of these bright pink pancakes......

Beet Pancakes My Way

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cups beet puree*

1 3/4 cups almond milk 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix dry ingredients.

2. Mix wet ingredients.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Lumps are okay.

4. Ladle batter onto hot griddle and flip when bubbles appear around the edge.

5. Serve with local honey.

*How to puree beets:

Wash, peel and quarter beets.  Bake on 400 until fork tender.  Pulse in food processor until lumps are gone.

I pureed a large bunch of organic beets from my local grocery store and had enough puree for 3 batches of pancakes.  Leftover puree can be frozen for future use.

Chicks and Contest Deadline!

My plan was to take a picture of each of our 8 chickens.

Apparently, I forgot chickens are even more active than small children.

This not-very-well-thought-plan ended 50 blurry shots later, 

with only one clear photo.

Thank you, Flopsie, for cooperating.

Is it as obvious to you as it is to me why her name is Flopsie?

We are now the proud owners of 8 hen:

Flopsie and Mopsie, Buff Orpingtons

Jessie the Jersey Giant

Lil Chick, Henrietta and Susie, Rhode Island Reds

Ramona and Corinna, Bantams

Anybody know why the Bantams are named Ramona and Corinna?

Every guess will count as an extra entry in my "Loving My Readers Giveaway" of a 4 ounce bottle of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap.

Feel free to leave a comment on the original contest post if you haven't yet!

Contest winner will be announced Friday, October 7.