From My Kitchen to Yours

I shared this on Birth Without Fear's Facebook page on a post regarding cheap, easy dinners, and thought I'd share it with all of you as well :). This is my favorite dinner and is a cinch to cook. Oh, and it's vegan to boot, so you can know you're doing your best to help the environment, and your family's health! Enjoy!


Crock Pot Lentil Soup

1lb bag lentils (any variety is fine)
1qt veggie broth
4c water
4 stalks celery
4 carrots
1 onion
6-8 cloves garlic (we looove garlic ;)
1/2lb baby spinach
2-4 potatoes (any variety)
fresh (or dried) rosemary, thyme, sage - to taste
sea salt and pepper - to taste

Rinse lentils 2X. Chop all veggies and spices. Add all ingredients except for spices. Cook in a crock pot for 8hrs on low or 4-5hrs on high. Add spices, salt and pepper in last 15 minutes of cooking. Add spinach, cover until wilted.

There is sooo much versatility to this recipe, experiment with veggies, spices and lentils. I've made it with curry powder before, mmm :). I usually serve this with homemade rosemary or thyme rolls.

Photo Courtesy of: McCormic

Rosemary/Thyme Rolls

2c hot water
1/2c sugar
2TBSP vegan butter (or regular butter, or coconut oil, or olive oil)
1tsp salt
2 1/2c flour (I sometimes do a mix of 2c white, 1/2 c whole grain)
2 eggs (I generally use energy egg replacer since I'm vegan)
2-3TBSP fresh Rosemary or Thyme
3-4c flour
2pkg yeast
1/2c warm water

Mix together hot water, sugar, butter, salt and 2 1/2c flour. Disolve yeast in warm water in small bowl. Beat 2 eggs and add to dry ingredients. Add yeast and 3-4c flour until slightly sticky. Let raise once (45min-1hr). Make into rolls, let raise (30min).

Bake at 400 F until golden brown -about 13-15 min. Brush with butter, coconut oil, or olive oil. Cool on wire rack.

In Christ,
HipMama

Ps. Maybe, just maybe, this means I may be back in the swing of blogging ;)


    

A Life Full of Purpose

First and foremost, I want to apologize to my readers for my recent hiatus from the blogging world. The feisty one has delved into the tumultuous land of teething, leaving his mama working overtime to find ways to soothe his poor little gums.

Earlier this morning, while reading my favorite blog Minimalist Adventures, it struck me that for quite sometime now, I have been stagnated within a passionless rut. I have been so overwhelmed by my new role as a SAHM, that I have forgotten of the beauty behind living with purpose. Now don't get me wrong, motherhood is beauty and purpose in and of itself. Not a day goes by that I don't wake up elated to spend another day deep in the grips of motherly love. My son has illuminated in me many things in his 3 months here in my arms. He has shown me that life is as an empty void without passion, without love. That if we allow ourselves to sit around and let our lives pass us by, we will never find true meaning, or purpose in anything that we do.

Yes, motherhood has changed me. It has taken me by the hands and revitalized every breath that I take. I have always believed that passion, as life, is a journey that is meant to be meandered through, and not ran. With this affirmation at the forefront of my mind, I gently ask for you to join me in discovering all that passion can be.

For some of us, our passion begins with the sweet aroma of breakfast cooking on the stove, and ends with a partner and baby to snuggle at the end of a long and fruitful day. For others, our passion is embedded deep within our creativity. Ink flowing through our veins as a life force, carrying with it the raw and fragile mass of our struggles, and of our dreams. No matter where our passions lie, or where our lives may take us, it rings true that in order to accomplish anything, we must first discover what exactly it is that we wish to accomplish in the first place.

The first step we must take in order to turn our dreams into realities is to take the time to ascertain and consolidate our goals. We must always remember to be honest with who and where we are at a given time in our lives, as well as to listen to with regard as to where our natural talents and abilities lie. If we are not honest with where we are, how are we to determine where it is that we are to begin?

In order to kick start the goal writing process, I decided to use this handy little worksheet. From following the steps outlined before me, I realized that my passion lies in the opportunities that exist for mamas and families to create, conserve, and live a life full to the brim of purpose. I now know that I wish to share with the world my belief that birth is a natural, safe, and overwhelmingly beautiful process; that parenting is in fact a journey, and not a destination; and that above all else, this life is purposeful and full of beauty. I know that deep in my heart I believe that mothers and babies are essential to the vitality of the earth, and that we need support in order to thrive. I know that we must call for a basic standard of human rights in this world, and that the environment is ours to protect and conserve. This was the easy part. The hard part came with putting these core values into a cohesive call to action. My goals read as follows:

1) To strive to honor Christ in all that I do
2) To raise my son to be all that he desires to be
3) To love and treasure my life partner for all of my days
4) To keep family in the forefront of everything that I do
5) To become a professional birth and postpartum doula and PMHNP
6) To live minimally while striving to conserve and consume with responsibility
7) To educate and raise awareness in my community
8) To lessen my dependence on oil and bike commute with my son
9) To set an example of love and kindness to those around me
10) To be a conscious and involved citizen of the world

All of these things begin with my resolve to enroll back in school, and if I can help it, many of them will never end. As you know, life is a journey; a long, winding, and adventuresome journey with many a pit fall along the way. But with a little purpose and a lot of grace, we will emerge stronger, wiser, and with one hell of a story to tell.

I will leave you tonight with my own personal mission statement. Remember that our stories remain unwritten, and who can say where we will be in 5, 10, 20 years. But of the one or two things I know for sure, a purpose driven life is one that keeps on giving long after we are gone.

Your mission for this week, if you choose to accept it, is to immerse yourself in the depths of your dreams and aspirations. To discover what truly matters to you, and to turn around and do something about it. Who's with me?

Mission Statement:

My mission is to embrace, educate, and foster a world that is safe, nurturing and inclusive of mothers, babies, and families. I am going to complete my education to become a professional birth and postpartum doula. With this, I desire to give women a voice and a choice in how and where they give birth. I wish to move away from the over medicalization of the birthing process, and to advocate for mothers and babies in showing women that they can be in control of their bodies, in order to end the bullying that all too often occurs in the labor and delivery room. I want to invite dads and partners into the pregnancy and birthing process, to celebrate the beauty that is giving life. I also wish to offer professional mental health support to families as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), in order to better assist mothers and fathers suffering from Postpartum Depression (PPD), as well as to advocate breastfeeding and attachment parenting techniques.

In Christ,
HipMama

The 333 Project

 You are invited to Project 333
3 months with 33 items

When: October 1 – December 31 

What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes. 

What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring, boxers, sleep, in-home lounge wear,  workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout), and my one business suit that I was required to buy for my day job. 

How: over the next two months, outline your 33 items, by the 1st of October, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of site.

What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. If you purchase items for project 333, stick with the one in, two out approach. Consider the essentials and stick to 33. 

Since beginning my blogging adventure this September, I have stumbled upon a plethora of information pertaining to living a more minimalist lifestyle. For those of you who are new to the idea of minimalist living, Dusti over at Minimalist Adventures (check out her blog, she is one rockin minimalist mama!) defines it as "A sustainable lifestyle created through education and creative thinking in order to achieve personal freedom." Inspired by another outstanding minimalist blogger, Courtney Carver, Dusti introduced me to the 333 project.

The 333 project is a great initiation into the minimalist way of life. The goal is to live with 33 articles of clothing and accessories for 3 months, beginning on October 1st. Lounge wear, pajamas, workout gear, underwear, and wedding rings don't count. I have expanded this list to include my winter coat, jewelry received as either gifts from my husband, or family heirlooms, a black cocktail dress for special occasions, and an extra shirt to keep in Elliott's diaper bag just in case of any milky accidents (you mamas out there know what I mean). I realize that we are a little late, but I am a firm believer that it is never too late to begin revolutionizing your life.

As a self described clothing junkie, pairing down my colossal collection of clothing and shoes down to merely 33 items has been quite the challange. After plenty of dragging my feet, and having to practically pry my prized pair of pink pumps from my manicured fingers, I finally did it! And if I, the woman who had more than 33 pairs of shoes before begining this project, can do it, so can you. Let's get over our possession obsession and start living our lives for real!

Here is my list of 33 things (34 if you count the extra tee):

• Black heels
• Brown flower pumps
• Black flats
• Brown flats
• Skinny boot cut jeans
• Boyfriend jeans
• Black casual pants
• Black slacks
• Black pencil skirt
• Grey pencil skirt
• Vintage plaid mini skirt
• Vintage ankle length wool plaid skirt
• Magenta dress
• Green knit sweater
• Red polka dot crop sweater
• Brown floral knit sweater
• Brown sweater vest 
• Green blouse
• Teal lace blouse
• Purple blouse
• Blue v-neck blouse
• White floral blouse
• Long sleeved polka dot blouse
• Owl tee shirt
• Brown flower tee shirt
• Teal v-neck
• Brown tee
• Black long sleeved tee
• Black turtleneck
• Yellow and brown swirled tank top
• Black blazer
• Black crop jacket
• Plaid scarf
• Grey flower hat

What makes your 33 item cut?

In Christ,

HipMama

photo credit: InStyle (celebrity closets) 

The Loss of a Child

*Thank you for those of you who pointed out that there were no protests in front of the hospital. I should have done more fact checking, and I apologize for the misinformation. Also, please note that I am not blaming the entire intactivist community for the actions of a few. I myself am an intactivist, and all I am asking for is a little compassion for a grieving mama.

As those of you in the blogging community may know, this month we grieve the loss of Jill Haskins' son Joshua. I have been a follower of Jill's blog: The Real Life of a Red Head for quite some time now, and the news of her beautiful boy's passing weighs heavy on my heart as I write these words.

For those of you who do not know, Joshua was born in August with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. HLH is a single ventricle defect of the heart that represents itself as "an underdeveloped left side of the heart"(American Heart Association). From the day of his birth, this brave, strong mama has been fighting for her son's life, and for his dignity after passing. Her faith in God has remained steadfast throughout it all. Her beauty and her strength in Christ is an inspiration. I have never believed more in the words of Saint Matthew, chapter 5, verses 3-10.

After Joshua's death this month, certain members of the "intactivist" community took it upon themselves to attack this poor woman and her family in their time of grief. They left comments on her blog expressing their belief that she had caused the death of her son. They called local newspapers, and made this poor mother out to be a monster all in the name of their cause. If you have never heard of "intactivism" before, it pertains to a movement of parents, doctors, advocates, and past circimcision survivors who are against the act of routine infant circumcision from a human rights standpoint. I consider myself to be an intactivist, and my partner and I chose to leave our son intact after his birth. You should also know, that the actions of a few, do not represent our community as a whole. The majority of us are filled with compassion and love towards the Haskins family. My political/social viewpoints aside, it does not excuse the actions of a few towards a grieving mother. For these so-called "Peaceful Parents" to visit her site leaving nasty, hateful comments about how she "killed her son" is deplorable and utterly disgusting. The official reason for this young infant's death was, in fact, cardiac arrest. Whether or not this was a result of his circumcision, we do not know. We are not Joshua's doctors, we were not there to witness the events. In the case that circumcision was a factor in this tragedy, Jill is not the one we should be angry with.We should be angry with a medical system that fails us. A system that discourages natural birth and parenting. A system that is broken and in dire need of repair.

We are not ones to judge this woman and her decision. At the end of the day, a mother lost her child. This is what our concern should be. This is where our compassion should lie. Instead of attacking a grieving family, we should be lifting them up and praying for them through their loss. We should be moved by her story and reach out in love and grace, not in spite and anger. Not just towards Jill, but towards all parents who have suffered the loss of a child.

My family has decided to do something about this. I have contacted Jill personally, and have asked for her permission to share this story with all of you. I now ask for you to open you hearts and your prayers to the Haskins family. To offer this family a bit of peace as they learn to live again. My partner and I have decided to take our tithing money this month, and offer it to the Haskins.To join with us to relieve a small part of their financial burden, visit Jill's blog. I pray that you will find it in your heart to give what you can to the Haskins family.

In Christ,

HipMama

You Can Forget About your Worth When you Turn On your TV: Sexist Advertising, a Mama's Response

Another "sidetrack" blog during my "Count Down to 'Gorgeously Green'."

What kind of feminist mama would I be if I failed to bring attention to the appalling misogyny/misandrony of mass media advertising? Here is a link to Bitch Magazine's top sexist ad's on their: Mad World: The Most Sexist Ad in America blog post, as well as a few others I'd like to see featured. Watch 'em and weep, mamas. Or better yet, watch 'em and take action!





Don't even get me started on how disgusting this advertisement is. I am all for female athletes in advertising. Hell, I'm all for female athletes in general. But using them to sell sex as they clean men's "sports" balls and "ball sacks" while the men in the audience stand up one by one proclaiming "will you wash my balls?" is degrading, dehumanizing, and just down right abhorrent. Something needs to be done about this and quick. I for one will be boycotting all Unliever products, including Dove, in protest of their sexist advertising, not to mention the environmental damage they dole out with their products.


 

There are so many things wrong with this ad, I am at a loss as to where I should begin. First of all, a little disclaimer. I like beer. No, scratch that, I love beer. There isn't much I enjoy more than spending a nice evening in when Elliott is with a sitter and cracking open a cold Portland microbrew (like Hopworks Urban Brewery, or Rogue), and enjoying the heck out of it. With my love of beer aside, this advertisement makes me want to hurl. Or punch the guy who wrote it. Okay, maybe a little bit of both. 

Now, I know that beer advertising has never been particularly feminist, or even very woman friendly, but this one particularly gets my feminist panties in a bunch, and I'll tell you why. 

1) First of all, it is the idea that only men know how to drink "real beers",  and that women are just a bunch of fake beer drinking wusses. I, for one, am a clear debunker of this myth, and I'm sorry, drinking beer does not make you a "man".

2) Second, is the idea that there is nothing more degrading to a man than being called a woman, or even being compared to one for that matter. This perpetrates the idea that women are dirty, shameful, and above all else, second class to men in this world. It also says that in order to be a "man" you must do "manly" things, like drink beer, degrade women, and be an overall jerk. This to me is not only sexist towards women, but sexist towards men as well. I can tell you that my life partner is a "real man" without degrading women, or living up to unattainable masculine standards. My husband enjoys football, just as much as he enjoys the theater, and breaks gender norms everywhere he goes. All while being a "real man". A real man to me, is a man who lives his life not letting society tell him what that means, yet rather going out into the world and defining it for himself.

3) Lastly, if you want to drink a "real beer", please don't drink miller lite. It tastes awful, and it isn't a local or sustainable brew. And trust me, local, sustainable beers just taste better, all sans woman hating advertising. I for one, don't want, or need, the bitter aftertaste of oppression in my brews.


In Christ,
HipMama


Ps. I am sorry if this post turned a tad ranty, advertising has just really been getting to me lately. Thank goodness we ditched the TV!

Breastfeeding: why mamas need all the support they can get

I am still working on my next line of posts surrounding my family's journey in living simply and going green while reducing our ecofootprint through following  Sophie Uliano's 'Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life'. In the meantime, here is my response to The Feminist Breeder's post on lactivism and breastfeeding and why US mamas need more support. If you haven't checked out her blog, I highly encourage you to do so. She is such an intelligent and poignant blogger and advocate for women's and family rights! Check her out at: The Feminist Breeder

I have been lucky enough to have support in breastfeeding my 2 month old son, and it has truly made all the difference! Throughout my entire pregnancy, my midwives helped me to prepare for breastfeeding, and the moment my son was born, before my husband even cut the cord, he brought him to my breast and I began to nurse him. The hospital I gave birth in never gives out formula samples or pushes formula feeding on new parents. The hospital does not have a nursery, and has 100% rooming in with parents and babies, which truly helps to foster a quality feed-on-demand relationship, as well as giving families more opportunity for quality, skin-to-skin contact. Lactation consultants came to see me every day during my hospital stay, and all of my nurses were trained in breastfeeding support. Each of my postpartum appointments included a lactation consultant, and my son’s pediatrician has a degree in lactation science. What saddens me, is that my experience is rare, and it shouldn’t be. As a 19 year old, first time mother, I needed all the support I could get to establish breastfeeding (my wonderful life partner being my number 1 breastfeeding cheerleader!), and if I hadn’t received the support I did, I don’t know if I would still be breastfeeding today. I completely believe that having paid maternity leave for at least a year, as well as mandating that all workplaces provide private places to pump/breastfeed that are not bathrooms and not forcing women to clock out in order to do so, will help to promote breastfeeding and the strong mother-child bond it creates.

It deeply saddens me that the majority of mothers turn to formula feeding because of the media images that are so prevalent in today's culture. We need to provide adequate support and scientifically sound information for mothers during pregnancy and beyond to show women that breastfeeding is not impossible, dirty, shameful, or wrong in any way. Our bodies were designed to feed our children, and don't you let anyone make you believe anything less! Every woman deserves the right to breastfeed her child. And in the circumstance that she cannot, or chooses not to breastfeed, deserves the right to access safe and properly regulated human milk donations.

The only way we are going to see any change is if we as mothers stand up and DEMAND it! Let’s start supporting our fellow sisters and get breastfeeding rights back on the agenda!


 

Baby Steps

"Believing in God is as much like falling in love as it is making a decision. Love is both something that happens to you and something you decide upon." -Donald Miller

I have read Donald Miller's 'Blue Like Jazz' a multitude of times over the years. I have underlined, highlighted, and scribbled notes so tiny and cramped that they are all but undecipherable to anyone but me. I have felt his words wash over me and ease my soul from both my highest of highs, and those times when I have fallen so far, all hope seems lost. Yet throughout every reading, these two lines stand out the most. It is as if Donald Miller had cracked open the book of my life and penned within the words I most needed to read. You see, I used to believe in God like I believe in  religion. As something, cold and impersonal, formulaic, and out of sync with humanity as a whole. This was before I gave birth to my beautiful son, and the world as I knew it was turned upon its head.

If you would have asked me three years ago where I would be now, I would have told you, "anywhere, but here". More specifically, I would have seen myself far away, at some east coast university, living a life that was empty, and void of the joy that encompasses my current condition. You see, it is easy to hide behind a veneer of false fulfillment when you find yourself to be unloved and unlovable. This is where the beauty of Christ steps in. Christ loves me because of the very nuances that I define as my imperfections, my shortcomings in this world. He does not love me despite of them, he loves me because of them, and to me, that is the most perfect love of all. A love worth emulating in all that we do.

Flash back to three years ago, and you would have met a girl who was terrified of living for something greater than her self. Who hid behind an image of perfection, to hide the truth to anyone who cared to venture in. This girl had an eating disorder, but cannot stand to this day to define herself as an anorexic. Eating disorders, like most things in life, are something that we as human beings have, they are not, they should not, become something that we are. This girl was terrified, was lonely, was trying so desperately to become someone she wasn't that she forgot entirely to see the beauty within herself. This was before I met my life partner, before I met my beautiful son, before I met myself, and most importantly, before I came to know who Jesus is, and not merely who society, who The Church, paints him to be.

The Christ I know is a loving Christ. A Christ who came to earth to be a shepherd to his sheep, to give his life for the imperfections of humanity, and to love us, despite all the facts. This is a version of Christ that many of us forgets exists, if we knew he existed at all. A Christ that if he were here today, would more than just love us as children of God. But would like us, as a friend, as a person, as a whole. This is not a Christ who would make us to feel guilty and ashamed of who we are, but offer us a way through the hopelessness of this world. For what does it say about God's design if we as humans see fit to tear it down and judge it according to our standards? Does it not say that His design falls short, that our opinions and judgments of his work hold more credence than His own? "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. For we are all equal, for God loves us just for who we are. This is the beauty of redemption, this is the beauty of grace, this is the beauty I choose as a focus for my life, for my family, for whatever the future may hold.

Flash forward to three years later. I am holding a giggling little boy in my arms, and waiting for my love to wake up from his sleep so we, as a family can start the day together. I am reveling in the beauty of silence. Of walking alone with God and with my thoughts. I cannot tell you that I am better now, no matter how desperately I want it to be so. I still struggle each and everyday with coming to terms with myself and my inequities. To see myself as God sees me, as perfect and whole, just the way I am. Perhaps this is one of life's lessons to be learned: that life is not easy, that it is dirty, difficult, and raw. That no matter how hard we may try, we will never live up to the standards of the earth. Maybe the lesson is that it is time for a new standard. The standard of Christ, and the standard of self acceptance, of self love. Maybe it is when we begin to believe that we are lovable, that we can step out into the world and love others with all that we've got.

This is what I wish my blog to be about. About one mama's journey through life, love, motherhood, and faith. About finding perfection in the imperfect, and learning to love ourselves more, one babystep at a time.