Crunchy Momma

Well friends. This has been a LONG time in coming. Three years of living in Florida have made me one crunchy Momma! It really shouldn't come as a surprise to me. I was RAISED by a crunchy momma, before it was cool. My Mom made home made bread, grind-ed (ground??) her own wheat. She and Jimmy had an INCREDIBLE organic garden. We had free range chickens. Horses. She was always trying to get us to take our daily vitamins. She was "amaze-zing" as Ben says. She was super Mom before that became a thing. So really, I owe most of my crunchy ways to Mimsey. By the way, all this talking about my incredible Momma has me watching this HILARIOUS video!! I'm not kidding, I die every time I watch it. It's so southern momma! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yg05svXp98 Okay, now that you've relived my early 20's with me while watching Miranda Lambert mess up her hair... Let's get into the REAL stuff. Trust me, you don't want to wait around to hear me start gushing about Eric Church. It gets a little ridiculous. So...People are always asking me about our crazy lifestyle. No, not the children who run down the street naked with me screaming behind them. The Real Food Lifestyle. Since this is a TON of info, I'm going to break this into four blog post: This first post is introducing you to the basics of WHAT we eat. 2. WHERE we get our fod. 3.HOW we afford it. and 4.How I make the time to make all this crazy stuff. and I'll be posting recipes as well. THIS book pretty much gives you every thing you need to know about REAL food. It is amazing. And it will also blow your mind. Fat is GOOD for you?! You betcha! Raw milk?! Not gross. Downright yummy. So go buy this book if you want healthy babies, a better immune system, and you want to look and feel..nicer? Nicer is good.Trust me. Also- it's got all the science-y stuff in there that I'm too hyper to sit down and type out as to WHY we eat like this. Just read the book. It's wonderful. So without further ado; Here are the basics of the Merrifield fam diet: Grass fed beef Pastured chickens We cook in grassfed butter, coconut oil, and beef tallow or pork lord. (are you jumping out of your chair right now because I said lard?! It's a scary word I know) We drink home made kombucha (flavored with some amazing fruit combos so far. Blackberry strawberry and blueberry cherry have been so yummy! My tummy is pretty happy) iced herb tea sweetend with local raw honey and raw milk. We actually go through THREE gallons of raw milk a week. Christopher Robin has a raw milk problem. Do they have meetings for that?? I think the first step is admitting that you have a problem... I make hot chocolate with the milk for Ben and he drinks a cup every morning. SO YUMMY! We eat about 2 dozen eggs a week. Free Range y'all. Free range eggs are actually preferred over organic. We boil em', scramble em', fry em'..you get the picture! Breakfast is our big meal around here since Chris isn't home for dinner because of work. I make home made chicken broth with left over chicken, and any veggie scraps lying around. It's SO good for you. It seriously heals you! I make home made yogurt in my crockpot with raw milk. And I'm super excited to be making kefir for smoothies soon. We buy our local and organic produce from an amazing place called Market Place Deliveries. they deliver produce to our doorstep every Saturday! If you DO live in our area, I highly recomend these guys, and if you join my virtual co-op we ALL get great discounts! http://marketplacedeliveries.com/user/virtualcoop/joinuser/8f062248-bd22-4cc7-96d1-a16800390bb5 But if you don't live in Orlando, check out your local farmers market OR even craigslist! You'd be surprised what you find. Instead of snack foods, we eat A LOT or organic popcorn. I buy it in bulk and pop it on the stove in butter, bacon fat, or butter with a little sea salt. DELISH. The boys love natural peanut butter. We buy it with two ingrediants. Peanuts. and Salt. Then I mix in local raw honey. We sweeten coffee, granola, oatmeal, yogurt, hot chocolate, home made chocolate bark and chocolate syrup with Grade B Maple syrup. We LOVE grass fed cheese! Cook with it, and I cut it into cheese sticks for snacks for the men. For baked goods, I sweeten with succant. I but it in bulk from amazon. And last but not least, I make home made bread, which is soaked before I bake it. MUCH better four little bellies! I think that sums up the basics! This type of eating is wonderful for our immune systems, it keeps mine and Chris's weight at a normal range, and it's so good for our sweet babies too. Plus, what's nice about eating this way, is you don't starve! You eat when you're hungry! No diets around here. They make me wild and mean. Also, speaking of wild, sometimes when I get hungry and mean Chris says I act like the wife in this vidoe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1CuhcDj8Y

An ode to Wilbur. And Dallas Cheerleaders...

I had GRAND plans for my first blog post after a very long hiatus. I was going to write about our Real Food lifestyle, Ben's behavioral issues and the drastic changes we've made as a family, but honestly, I have to first blog about what happened today. At the grocery story.. No I'm not kidding. I'm a stay at home Momma people! All my exciting life stuff happens at the grocery store. Or at the park y'all. I'm not 21 anymore. 25 is a whole different level of wild. Today, Chris was sick, and it was starting to rain as soon as naps were over. So I thought I'd be a nice wife, let C get a little nap in and I'd take the kids to buy uncurred bacon at Publix. I'm not even kidding. Publix is the most exciting thing. EVER. We get free cookies. We get to get out of the house. And Ben and I get to watch Christopher Robin almost hyperventilate from excitement over getting a balloon. Oh sweet, sweet Christopher Robin. Anyway, we made a little pit stop at 7-11 first to get gas. Mimsey (Momma Missy) called and we got to discuss buying a cow with her. Her one question was "Well. How much beef do y'all actually eat?!" And all I could say was "A lot. We are actually on our way to buy bacon" which lead to her asking "Well, are you buying a cow..or Wilbur?" Oh Mimsey. She's so wise. And she seems to be able to keep her edible animals straight, unlike Momma Mk over here! As soon as we got gas, got off the phone with Mimsey, and got out of the van at Publix, the heavens opened up. It started to POUR down rain. We forgot Ben's shoes (Waiting on my Mother of the Year award) so as we walked into Publix, Ben was on my back and Christopher Robin found himself clinging for dear life to my hip. Moments like that, I bet he wishes Momma was a big girl. There's not a lot to cling to these days! We found our "car" cart as Ben calls it, and made our way straight to the bacon aisle. We ain't playin' y'all. We LOVE our apple gate bacon. Right as I was searching the bacon display, a Publix employee walked up. Some young guy. I say young guy, but I think he was like 27. I just felt old at that point..because let's face it, I picked the wrong day to wear a maxi dress. It was so wet from the rain, it probably weighed more than I did at that point. The poor guy took one look at me and stammered "Um. Do you need, like a towel? Or something to dry off with?" Now before I could politely decline, Ben decided now would be a good idea to do his best impression of me on drugs. (I don't do drugs, but this is how I picture myself high on pot) and he started to laughed louder than I've eve heard him (kid's got lungs!) and point. He specifically was pointing at the poor Publix employee and laughing. Louder and louder. Oh Ben.... I guess he made the Publix guy so nervous, the guy ran away pretty quickly. Bless his heart. We walked around the rest of the store, just trying to kill some time. And I kept wondering how I could keep my maxi dress from dragging me down (these are the super serious thoughts of a Momma of two toddlers) and I kept making myself laugh, imaging tying up my dress to try and look something like a Dallas Texas Cheerleader top. The funny thing is, I feel like I walk through life with her exact expression. Maybe I need to really re-think my wardrobe. hahahaha! Just kidding... But since I was looking a like more like a drowned rat, I ended up just tying the ends up in two knots so I could walk, and hoped we didn't see anymore we knew. We walked outside just as the rain seemed to be letting up- and it happened AGAIN! The rain poured down. At this point Ben was yelling so loud about the "RAIN!!!" I couldn't hear myself think. I finally thought to look over at my second born, and he wasn't making a sound. Just hanging out. Watching his romper get more and more soaked. Sweet little guy...Love him. We got in the car, I put the key in the ignition, and wouldn't you know it, Sammy Kershaw's song (I like classic country guys! No judgement please) came on "Don't go near the water" Lemme just regale you with a few lines so you can appreciate the irony of it all: Your mama used to worry about that big muddy river She should've worried about me Cause we were sure enough gettin' our feet wet mama But we didn't go near the water Oh Sammy.. Good thing I didn't learn this lesson! My two wet babies in the back seat are proof. But, one lesson was learned: No more publix outings when it looks like potential downpour. We don't want to scare the employees anymore than usual. Or get our feet wet for that matter. That's all folks! Hopefully, we can discuss drier, and more serious topics at a later date.

I will cut you!

I've been batting a thousand lately when it comes to parenting out in public. I took Ben to the Goodwill store (They have amazing wrapping paper, for .25 a roll. I like to stock up for Christmas!) and while we were there he ate a crayon...30 seconds later he threw up said crayon. My super fast mommy like reflexes helped me catch it all in my hands (I know..I know..gross). So there I was, standing in Goodwill, holding throw-up considering wiping it all on my shirt, Ben was HOLLERIN' "Momma!!!" at the top of his lungs. I mean, it really doesn't get any classier than that...Well maybe if I had, had sponge rollers in my hair. The girl at the check-out clerk sauntered over with a roll of paper towels and handed them to me with a glare. I smiled politely at her and cleaned up all the throw up. I finally made my way to the check-out, and while paying, thanked the lady for the paper towels. "So sorry! He's just 110% boy, and he thinks everything either belongs in his mouth or should be covered in mud." I said to her with my best southern drawl I could muster. She glared at me and informed me all FOUR of her children at that age weren't little monsters. So I punched her lights out....... Hahahaha!! Just kidding. I'd have lost that fight. She was (as my momma says) a BIG girl, and although I'm scrappy, I was worried while I was throwin' down with Miss. Judgmental Ben was going to somehow find another crayon to swallow. So I smiled again, took my receipt, and my "little monster" and walked out. And on the way home Ben and I worked on our best impressions of Bon Qui Qui. "I will cut you!!!!"

Teething Pains

Back when we lived in MS and Ben had just started his rampage of teething, I can remember a Mom at our church who smiled at me and said "Oh, well I NEVER even knew so-and-so was teething. She is such an angel! I just looked in her mouth one day and there was a tooth". I remember sitting there with a screaming 5 month old thinking "I want to slap you...But we are in church..So... never mind" To say that teething has been insane for both our sweet boys, is an understatement. They both have struggled in different ways, but it's all been nuts, and lead to my current three pots of coffee a day addiction. So recently a much kinder Mom at our church here in Florida recommended I try clove oil for Christopher Robin's gums. And that has truly helped with sweet baby! Coincidentally while I was researching online, I also found out it's great for any kind of mouth pain. So give it a try the next time you have a toothache! I'd recommend organic clove essential oil. I got mine from amazon. If you're using it for a baby, I'd dilute it with an edible oil. Coconut oil is what I used. I mixed one drop of clove oil with about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil and rubbed it all over Baby's gums. His face was hilarious! But it works! And seems to last for about 2 hours. So go get you some clove oil if you're little guy or little girl is making you want to slap people in church :)

Home made bath salts

Ever since I became a Momma, my brain has been going ninety miles a minute. Okay, so full disclosure, my brain has ALWAYS gone that fast, but it's harder to turn off when your a mom, and contrary to what non-moms think-there is SO much responsibility involved in raising this little stinkers, and so many to-do list. You spend so many sleep-less nights with your little babies, that your body becomes used to waking up multiple times during the night, even when your kids are finally sleeping through the night! Talk about a real downer. I have been known to hear a phantom cry, run at full speed out of bed (This little Mommy doesn't waste time!) straight into the bedroom door frame...Not even kidding. Which then leaves my husband unsure as to whether he should laugh hysterically, because his wife has brain damage now, even tho there was no baby crying to begin with, or to go get me ice for my noggin and tell me to come back to sleep. It's basically a lose-lose situation guys. So, I've tried many solutions to help me sleep through the night. Sleepy time tea, melatonin, ambien, a bottle of red wine (which was fun!), etc. Nothing seems to help all that much. Except a hot bath in home-made bath salts! I owe this original recipe to my sweet friend Debra Morgan, the original DIY Momma. No kidding. She's truly a super Mom, and someone very dear to my heart! Here is what you will need: a container with a lid 1 cup Epson salt 1 cup Baking Soda 10-15 drops organic lavender essential oil 2 drops peppermint organic essential oil (Just two! Or you'll feel like you slathered your whole body with icy-hot. Which is just plain awkward) 2 drops tea tree oil Mix all together, put in container, and give it a good shake before use. Add 1/2 cup to a hot bath, and tell your husband to come check on you in 5 minutes, because there's a good chance you will fall asleep in the tub. Lavender is soothing, peppermint helps with your circulation, sore muscles, and tea tree will help draw out the toxins from your body. It's truly amazing! Give it a try.

I get it. I really do Mom!

When you're a girl, you're most likely always going to be close to your Momma. Sure you might have some icky times during high-school/college (Oh come on, we've all got these stories that begin with "But that's when Mom and So-and-so weren't talking remember??".) but for the most part, every little girl loves her Mom dearly. Now once you become a Mom, the bond you feel only gets better. I can't tell how many times I want to pick up the phone and say to my Mom "Thank you SO much for loving me even when I was teething...No really. How did you not kill me? I'm losing my mind over here! Give me some tips!!!!" Maybe I'm just getting more wise in my old age (ahahahaha. I'm only 25 you crazy peple!) but ever since I had Christopher Robin I've felt even more of a connection to Momma Mimsey. I think it's because Christopher Robin is the second born, like me. Second born babies come with a tiny bit more guilt than the first one. If you've been to our house in the past 8 months, you understand what I mean. Poor baby gets the brunt of all of his big brother's, big brother issues. He's been bitten, pinched, had toys thrown at him, and that was just today.... I found myself sitting in the laundry room crying yesterday- thinking two things- First, that I wish I could give Christopher Robin more one on one time, in between chasing Ben down the street, and Second, I was really glad we were renting this house, because the laundry room was very spacious and a really great place to have my Mommy break downs. But aside from crying in the laundry room a lot, I'm starting to understand my mother SO much more. I understand her never ending compassion towards me, her concern for my life choices, and her loyalty. Now I'm not saying that I was my mother's favorite child (That prize goes to my little brother's dog Troy...just kidding :) but what I am saying, is that the more babies I have, the more I understand, and appreciate my mother. To sum it up, I get it Momma. I really do.

Laundry and me

When I was in high school living in DC, in college at the W,and back in DC again to intern when I was 20, I HATED laundry. It made zero sense to me, and it never failed I ended up re-washing all my clothes because I didn't fold them, or left them too long in the washer and they started to get funky. One time I think there was even an incident in DC where I had a pretty good buzz going, and instead of actually doing my laundry I ended up on the roof with it in the pouring rain. ..........Well. It made since at the time! Don't even get me started on when Chris and I got married. Let's just say, it's a good thing my Momma lived 5 minutes away the first 5 months of our marriage! OR Chris would have had nothing to wear....hehehe. Once Ben came along, the laundry got crazier, and I pretty much pulled a Scarlett O'hara. "I'll think about that tomorrow!" It got so bad, I can remember sitting on the couch feeding Ben a bottle, surrounded by laundry and crying. Well, let's face it, you cry over everything after having a baby. But laundry was pretty bad back then. Skip forward two years- Now we have TWO babies! So that makes three boys, one girl, and tons of laundry. I thought it was bad with just me, but you don't know laundry until you have three boys in the house. After much prayer and thought on the matter, I decided I just had to take the bull by the horns, specially since I was jumping on the cloth diaper train. I was already making my own detergent (which I LOVE!!!) but I did some research on fabric softeners (not for cloth diapers!) and found out vinegar does an amazing job and baking soda is a great wash aid (I'm also doing some research on natural stain removers. I'll get back to you on that). I started religiously reading the tags on all the clothing we own, sorting better(I used to wash towels and silk together. Not even kidding) and I somehow convinced my precious husband and sweet father-in-law to build me a clothes line. The clothes line pretty much sealed the deal on reversing my hatred of laundry. Every morning I take my load of clothes out to the line to hang up, and I get 5 whole minutes of being alone (plus I feel kinda like I'm saving the planet by not using my dryer) outside, without the kids pulling on me. It's GLORIOUS. And I am loving how much better my clothes feel and wear. Also, because I do mostly medium loads of clothes (and only two loads a day) I have the time to take the clothes down at lunch time when they're dry, and immediately put them away. This means the clothes sitting in the laundry basket for days doesn't happen anymore. I highly recommend getting your sweet husband, tall friend, or Daddy to help you set up a clothes line. It saves on energy/money, (I cut our electricity cost by $25 a month) keeps your laundry fresh, and gives you a couples minutes alone without your babies. It'd pretty much win-win in my book :)