tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83795830443097562852011-10-01T10:48:28.936-07:00Here I will write about my thoughts and experiences as a mother, wife, career woman. Come watch my self-exploration. I strive towards progress not perfection in my life and in my parenting.nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-89825964831838301262011-03-07T09:38:00.000-08:002011-03-07T10:03:13.041-08:00

My soon to be 5 year old is learning at light speed the last couple of weeks. I'm sure he probably learns that fast at other times but right now it's very evident to us.Saturday we were at a WAHM tradeshow in our city. It had some incredibly cool and creative stuff. One of the booths was a math tutor using all sorts of objects from around the house to teach kids math. M gravitated to this booth

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-36925996497017517932011-02-09T08:05:00.000-08:002011-02-09T10:08:49.296-08:00

So I thought I would take some time to put together a basics lists for those 'strange' items I have in my cupboard.FloursSorghum is the main one I use. It tastes the best in my families opinion.Millet - I usually use this in cakes or cupcakes as it makes a nice moist crumb and has a nice flavorBrown Rice - This is an easy basic flour but I only use it in half amounts since like any rice flour it

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-74952905163981622322011-01-03T08:22:00.000-08:002011-01-03T08:25:04.957-08:00

I just rearranged the house and we are making a playroom since we are all sleeping in the same room right now why not put the toys in one room. I have my living room back! So the next thing is to get the toys and the books down from M's old room. But..... I have nowhere to tidily store the books. So I want to win this BEAUTIFUL bookcase. It takes up hardly any space and they can organize their

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-3475893966043630202010-12-14T11:39:00.001-08:002010-12-14T11:40:19.114-08:00

Here's the link to gluten free easily where the giveaway is.

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-59850377956270788902010-12-07T11:33:00.000-08:002010-12-07T11:33:56.562-08:00

Ramblings: Rockin' Green GIVEAWAY!!!!I'm trying to win some funk rock and you should too.Funk rock takes away ammonia stinkies and burning diapers.

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-61032739771507843052010-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:002010-11-16T08:50:14.482-08:00

I made my first fondant cake the other day. It was a lot of fun and totally delicious. More and more I am making treats that taste delicious but are also healthier. I found this pumpkin seed flour cake at The Whole Life Nutrition. This blog has never ever let me down. Her recipes have fabulous helpful tips that made me the gluten free, casein free, soy free baker I am today. This cake looked

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-10211289430221673242010-10-13T19:34:00.000-07:002010-10-13T19:53:32.416-07:00

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-58380841707581491852010-10-13T08:37:00.000-07:002010-10-13T09:15:33.325-07:00

I love making healthy tasty treats for my kiddos. Things that I don't feel guilty giving them before dinner. Because we all know dessert tastes better before dinner. I am on a mission to learn to make treats and food that the whole family enjoys and can eat. D's food challenges make it the most difficult and M's add to it. There is a blog called the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen that has taught me

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-65202947770649846842010-08-12T12:53:00.000-07:002010-08-12T13:16:45.908-07:00

I have been experimenting with substitutions in my favorite recipes so that everyone in my family can eat and enjoy the same foods. With the amount of time I spend baking and cooking anything that saves me some time and effort (like not making 2 versions) is well worth it. These is my favorite recipe for zucchini and I just made these gluten free. Thought I would share my success with you all.

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-79434737044811256362010-07-16T08:21:00.000-07:002010-07-16T08:43:33.532-07:00

Right now this is what is churning me up inside. I work shift work fulltime. Which entails 4 twelve hour shifts in a row (thankfully not nights right now). Then I get 5 days off if I do not work any overtime. I see my kids for 10 minutes in the morning rush and for 30 minutes in the evening before bed on my early shifts. On my late shifts I see them for about an hour in the morning but not before

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-73008647913014534142010-05-23T09:12:00.000-07:002010-05-23T09:28:40.863-07:00

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-40608633132669837812010-05-23T08:15:00.000-07:002010-05-23T09:12:34.630-07:00

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-35555131779658548542010-03-11T10:03:00.000-08:002010-07-16T08:21:20.406-07:00

Newandgreenbaby.com has babykicks. A very cool one size organic pocket diaper system with snaps. We all know I am a snap fan. I would love to try some of these diapers.I would add the video but I don't have a youtube account so I'll just link back to newandgreen's blog and let you watch it there.

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-5561886996361274932010-01-06T13:04:00.000-08:002010-07-15T13:21:17.954-07:00

This has to be one of my greatest parenting challenges.M is allergic to soy. He's been blood tested and came up negative. However there is a very visible reaction when he has something that contains soy. He gets a red rash on his face. His hands get puffy and turn blotchy and purple. He starts coughing and wheezing and producing mass amounts of saliva, dark circles appear under his eyes. Then

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-49056054129762892552009-12-04T14:22:00.000-08:002009-12-04T20:39:08.584-08:00

Today's topic is meditating about? on? our children. Our in the case of Waldorf on the students.I've written presentations and papers on meditation but I do not practice meditation on a daily basis. I do, do a form of reflection about my day... I guess. It never started purposefully but I've always had a habit of reviewing my day in my mind before I go to sleep at night. But I mostly focus on the

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-2596440161757613052009-12-03T13:09:00.000-08:002009-12-03T13:12:57.838-08:00

Just wanted to link to the giveaway to get myself another entry and maybe some followers? Sew Mama Sew has a list of blogs doing giveaways and a bit of this a bit of that has some kits that I would love to win.

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-18465987336495376962009-11-12T14:21:00.000-08:002009-12-03T19:36:54.513-08:00

Today's topic is warmth....So it's been almost a month since I've blogged about this journey. It seems I got stuck at the halfway point. With the holidays approaching I've felt called to return to this. Also a couple of really horrible days...So on to the topic of the day. Warmth in Waldorf education from what I've read refers to both physical and emotional warmth. In Waldorf, physical warmth is

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-22198366643453358182009-11-10T20:33:00.001-08:002009-11-10T21:07:26.713-08:00

I believe in child-led weaning and nursing until at least the age of 2. However, when M self-weaned at 17 months old I did not put up a fuss or encourage him to continue. Why was this? I really do not know other than I was young and working full-time. I knew there would be other babies and more nursing. Also M was never a comfort nurser. He was an efficient drain the boob, get off and get busy

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-36734795312700736122009-11-05T10:42:00.000-08:002009-11-09T19:28:44.293-08:00

I've been stuck on this topic for a couple days since life has been a little overwhelming. Not a lot of computer time.Today's topic: Making my home work for me...The first thing that comes to mind is comfortability. I want the people I love whether they live with me or not to feel comfortable in my home. I guess this boils down to a sense of warmth, welcoming and belonging. Being a homemaker

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-76776799530945674462009-11-03T09:52:00.000-08:002009-11-04T10:22:05.579-08:00

So it appears that I missed Day 8. It's about Nature! So I guess my posts will have to be renumbered lol.I have a very firm belief that seems to fit with Waldorf and Steiner. I believe we need time outside every day. We all need to connect with nature. It resets the equilibrium and clears the head. Nature chases the grumpies away or at least it does for me. Our society spends most of it's day '

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-91480901962247391082009-11-02T10:09:00.001-08:002009-11-02T10:14:48.352-08:00

10 Goals for November:1. Get 5 items for sale up on facebook2. Take all unworn and unwanted items out of my dresser3. Make a list of xmas gifts that can be made and get half done.4. Make a study plan for my nephrology certification exam5. Start a tickle trunk6. Clean out chest in living room of birth supplies and drop off at midwives for someone else to use. RETURN TENS MACHINE!7. Have basement

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-15343088554964479882009-11-02T09:17:00.001-08:002009-11-02T09:49:32.950-08:00

Sooooo I have been MIA for a few days. The weekend was busy with Halloween and the furnace issue is still not resolved so lots of contractors in and out of the house. My poor house looks like a tornado whirled through it. Ah well, all will get put right again.Day 10 is on realistic expectations. I have been reflecting on realistic expectations all weekend. I had read the post in advance. On

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-65948491642805132712009-10-29T10:31:00.000-07:002009-10-29T11:05:22.351-07:00

This topic is my life right now. I am learning that 3yr olds are boundary pushers. M pushes to the MAX! I have been losing my temper over his 'disobedience' lately. I'm currently reevaluating my perspective on the matter. As Parenting Passageway notes he is currently just like a giant eyeball and is absorbing and learning and definitely not filtering any of the information that comes his way.All

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-20331712336184114982009-10-28T10:09:00.000-07:002009-10-28T10:48:01.200-07:00

Today's topic is rhythm. This means the flow of the day. Parenting Passageway has a distinctly Waldorf view of the world. So this post did not really resonate with me at first. However thinking about for a little longer I realized that there is a flow to our day and if it gets disrupted we all feel out of sorts. The Waldorf perspective is that children under 7 do not need activities outside of

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-38644654365500566442009-10-27T14:06:00.000-07:002009-10-27T20:20:15.435-07:00

Getting to my post a little late today as we woke up with no heat this morning and most of the day has been dedicated to figuring out our furnace issue.Sooooo today's topic is sleep. Both my kiddos are napping at this time. Is this normal for our day? No Way! My son does not nap. He stopped napping way before the birth of my daughter. He is tired but he will not sleep. My daughter naps twice a

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-45484434333327002582009-10-26T10:06:00.000-07:002009-10-26T10:41:29.644-07:00

So far I think I have mentioned self-care in all the last 4 days posts. Today's topic is to TAKE TIME FOR OURSELVES. As an attachment parenting family sometimes it feels like the children syphon off all of the time and energy. There are really not very many moments in the day when I am truly alone except for preschool time because Dee has a precious nap at this point in the day. I share my time,

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-73222006292478413432009-10-26T09:23:00.000-07:002009-10-26T10:06:26.048-07:00

So these are just my thoughts and suggestions and in no way replace a medical professional's advice.I am pretty sure that my family has already had the swine flu. This is what we did to deal with it.1. Increase Vitamin D consumption: a recommended daily does is 2000-5000iu depending on the time of year but if you are sick you can increase that to 10,000iu per day. You can check out the Vitamin D

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-23395028984593075002009-10-25T10:20:00.000-07:002009-10-25T11:35:55.730-07:00

Today's subject matter is marriage or if you are not married the relationship with your partner or significant other. My husband has high expectations of my personal reflection today LOL. H and I have been together 9 years and married for 4. Our relationship started when we were both 19 and I believe we have undergone may transformations as a couple and as individuals.Parenting Passageway asks us

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-40865696089878483852009-10-24T10:02:00.001-07:002009-10-24T10:27:11.744-07:00

Day 3's focus is on being Positive. I woke up grouchy this morning, did not have a good night so today is the perfect day to practice being positive. I have noticed that if my son's day starts out in a positive light i.e. someone smiles at him the moment he opens his eyes he has a better day. There are less outbursts, less tears, more smiles and more giggles. This is true for all of us but

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-28726395667227992462009-10-23T09:01:00.000-07:002009-10-23T10:08:19.491-07:00

Day 2 has a focus on forgiveness and being at peace with one's self. For me this may prove to be the most difficult part of the journey. I often struggle with self-forgiveness. Some wounds that require self-forgiveness:1. I raise my voice at my son more than I would like knowing that this akin to blowing the horn of a car at a cow in the middle of the road. It's not going to change the situation

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-90415157058246391392009-10-22T10:09:00.000-07:002009-10-22T11:09:55.304-07:00

Parenting Passageway just finished a series of posts over the course of 20 days on her journey to becoming a more mindful mother. This series has inspired me to do the same so I am starting today. I feel by making it public via the internet I will stick to my commitment better than if I was just journalling for myself. I need to develop my mission statement as a parent. I usually just fly by the

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-71440769963112932522009-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:002009-04-15T15:29:06.018-07:00

We went in for a routine non stress test at 11am on Feb. 18th. I was 41wks pregnant and definitely not in labor. Baby's heart rate was a little high and there were some long decelerations of her heart on a fairly regular basis. My midwife had a "feeling" that something was wrong. She consulted the obstetrician who felt that we could try a pitocin drip to see if the baby could handle stress but it

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-6146737830449452782009-04-15T14:22:00.000-07:002009-04-15T15:02:02.466-07:00

I'll start off by saying we do not vaccinate. My son had 2 rounds of infant vaccines before I realized there was another option.How did I arrive at my decision? I researched, researched, researched. This was a very difficult decision given that I am a nurse and was taught in school that vaccines were safe and effective and responsible for the decline of many terrible illnesses. Not once in school

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-68856121235754906242009-02-01T15:14:00.000-08:002009-02-01T15:17:37.357-08:00

When hearing the news that I had my last baby at home and am planning to have this one at home as well, the first response from most people is, "You're so brave."This has to be one of the most irritating

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-89016830575008143242008-10-06T13:47:00.000-07:002009-04-15T15:15:30.268-07:00

At first I did not feel like I had a traumatic birth. I did not think I was disappointed over having a planned homebirth turn into a c-section. However I have never taken the time to write down and analyze this experience. I am 5 months pregnant with my second child and I have been reading a vast array of natural childbirth books. Some may say that too much reading = too much thinking =

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-84336226305984395152008-05-12T09:28:00.001-07:002008-09-15T10:31:46.775-07:00

We are entering this mystifying stage of learning to use the potty. My son is now 2. He is learning to identify when he needs to eliminate. We did not use elimination communication so this is all new territory for us.I must say it has not been that difficult so far. He tells us when he has to pee and poop if he has no diaper on. The worst part I would say is knowing that he does not have to pee

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-42860879132592149012008-03-11T15:50:00.000-07:002008-09-15T10:22:33.885-07:00

I am just wondering if it possible to be a truly Green consumer and parent.There is so much out there to worry about these days as parents. Unfortunately the first child is the guinea pig and the subsequent ones get the benefits of what you learned with your first. With my first I used plastic bottles and food storage containers. With this next child we are switching to all glass because of the

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-5205946363216825102008-01-03T13:30:00.000-08:002008-01-03T13:34:22.097-08:00

I found this article genuinely interesting. I thought I would share it giving full kudos to the author. I just bought my son a set of hockey figurines one of which promptly broke when he dropped it. It got me thinking about the fragility of plastic and all the toys we throw out because they break. I think one of my New Year's Resolutions will be to try and eliminate as much plastic as possible

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-24291482346200357482007-11-09T12:32:00.001-08:002007-11-09T12:43:55.581-08:00

My Husband is the most awesome person I know. I am so fortunate that I decided to make him my life's partner. I don't tell him this enough though. I just hope he knows how much I appreciate him. These are the reasons I love my husband.He supports me in everything I do while always telling me truthfully what he thinks about it.He is a wonderful father who responds and listens to his son. He enjoys

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-38867330833438967082007-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:002008-09-15T09:50:05.605-07:00

I've been doing an internet scavenger hunt called the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt. It got me thinking about how I got into cloth diapers and why I continue to use and love them.I started using cloth diapers when my son was about 4 months old. We started with disposables because it seemed like that was what everyone did. My husband had an aunt that used Elimination communication and cloth and had sent

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-66277502202766000502007-09-03T09:01:00.000-07:002007-09-03T09:15:34.461-07:00

We are moving into our very first home. This move is eliciting more emotions than any other before. I am so excited to be in our home with our little family. Of course I am proud of us for achieving our goal. I am also terrified of all the things that could go wrong with my beautiful 93 yr old house. I never thought that I could love an inanimate object but I really do love our house. I am

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8379583044309756285.post-9353257865116443222007-08-29T09:45:00.000-07:002007-08-29T10:00:44.640-07:00

The word for toddler should begin with "F" because there are so many other descriptive words that start with this letter that can describe this stage in life: Fascinating, Frustrating, Fun, Fickle, Flirtatious etc....For background information my son is now 16 month's old. He is entering this fabulous stage. I am thrilled to watch him explore and learn all about the world around him. His

nessabeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11298704518890387530noreply@blogger.com0