providential good fortune

I went to a small Christian school for my high school years.  We had this really neat guy for our bible teacher.  He was very thought provoking, to the point where it was sometimes frustrating. (at the time, though, I always thought he was argumentative.  Now, I see he was trying to get us to explore our own belief system and not the belief system of our parents.)

Anyway, one of his big beefs was with the word "luck" and how often we use it.  He preferred  instead, to use the term "providential good fortune!"  Meaning the care of God in your life, resulting in something good. 

At the time, I sort of thought it was silly.   All caught up in semantics.  If what I intend doesn't change with the words I use, what difference does it make? 

This past week, I some how stumbled upon a website called doula match.  Its a website that matches up local doulas with clients.  Its free, though they ask for donations.  I usually am pretty skeptical of things like that.  But this time I thought "meh.  why not?  I doubt I'll get any calls from this, but I'll put it out there."

I had my information on for all of two days before I got my first response.  An email from some one looking for a doula for her hopeful VBAC in June (um, score!  This is totally one of my passions!) With in a few days, I also received a phone call from another woman interested in my services, who was referred to me by Glenni, who runs A Nurturing Moment (a baby/maternity boutique here in town.) and the blog where I posted on MSPI.   The same day, I was contacted by another woman who found me on Doula Match.

This weekend I met with two of the three women, and I felt like we really hit it off.  I'm hoping they thought so, too, and I can get this doula train a going. ;)

 I can see the hand of God guiding me where he wants me to be.  I don't know if I'll be a doula for years and years, but, right now, I am certain this is what I'm supposed to do now.  Its a pretty freeing feeling.  I'd say I was feeling lucky, but I am really feeling providential good fortune. 

I sit and stare at the blinking black line

Over the course of the last few weeks, I've thought a lot about topics to blog.  I feel like I have a lot going on and a lot of things to say.  However, when I actually sit down to type it all out, some one needs me to pick them up from school, another little person beats my keyboard with her fists while laughing gleefully, or, like today, I just can't come up with a descent topic specific post. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a good update post once in a while.  Emphasis on the once in a while.  But, it seems like my blog has regressed to a blog of updates.  (In a sense, my entire blog is an update of sorts.  But, I'd prefer to keep it to one or two updates per post and not a bullet of them because its been a month since I've hit the orange publish button.)

I have a post in the works.  Two, actually.  Its about my journey with Eliza and MSPI.  But, I'm too chicken to put them on my blog, yet.  I'm too chicken to even have E proof read them.  I was asked by a friend and local baby store owner who has her own blog to guest post.  I guess I'm afraid that people will think I'm stupid?  Or they won't like me? 

Its a fatal flaw I have.  I own it.  I'm not in denial.

Hello, my name is Tracy and I'm a people pleaser.

But, I have to get it out there.  I made a promise.  My other character flaw is that I follow the rules.  With the rule that you do what you said you'd do firmly in place.  So, I will post it.  I will have E read over it. 

I promise.

"Woo hoo"s and "Boohoo"s

Woo Hoo:
~I'm back on the couponing wagon, at least for the kids' foods.
~I went on a girl's night last night.  It was super fun! It was nice to catch up with friends.
~Isaac seems to be mostly potty trained!
~Eric took me out on Tuesday night and we got smart phones!!!!  (I know, I know, welcome to the 21st century.)
~I'm listening to ocean waves music on Pandora via my new phone.  Soothing music.
~I just drank a yummy dairy and soy free salted caramel latte, made by muah.
~Eliza is saying "mama"!
~Eliza is taking a few steps here and there. (It has happened more than once, so I guess I have to count it.)
~Eliza is waving, and saying "bye-bye".
~When Isaac spells his name aloud, he says "I-S-A-B-C" which cracks me up.  He insists its a "b" and not an "A".
~Now that I've been soy free for a while, Eliza is giving me 4 hour stretches of sleep at night.
~I got a doula client!  (This is a big woo hoo!)  I'd been praying/thinking about when, or even whether, I should get back into attending births.  Then, a lovely couple called me out of the blue- getting recommendations from two separate people. 
~The day after my meeting with my new doula client, my OBGYN asked for some of my business cards to pass out in her office for people asking for doulas.  Seriously! 
~The weather is cooler this weekend.
~School starts in a little over a week. (See below in 'boohoo's.)
~I ordered one of these in the blue for Eliza for "school" (if she's walking). I got it for $15!

Boohoo
~I've had to do coupon shopping with 4 kids.  Let me show you how it ended today. Its pretty self-explanatory.

~The reason for coupon shopping??  My kids are making us food poor.  Its a good thing, that they're eating and all, but it seems non.stop.
~I've had a headache all day.  I think from going out with my friends last night.  I don't drink much, and I had some wine and sangria.  I think I'm dehydrated today.  Also, I had trouble falling asleep from socializing.  I know.  I'm weird.
~Isaac has runny poo.  Fun for potty training.  Also, just an FYI, pull-ups do not keep diarrhea in.  at. all.
~My dairy and soy free salted Carmel latte had homemade caramel syrup.  Which didn't turn out the way it was supposed to.  Its not Carmel colored, and it turned into a candy type thing.  This is what the pan looked like after I scraped as much out of it as I could.

~Eliza's still getting up twice a night.  I'm still tired.  Less tired than before.  But, still tired.

~I'm so pumped about my doula stuff, but incredibly nervous at the same time.  I ordered some things online (lavender massage oil and peppermint roll on stick) but I'm not sure what is best to bring. I've got a birth ball, music, those two oils, a messager, but I know I need more.  Not sure what, though.

~ A is having his repeat sleep study tomorrow night. 

~I'm still iffy on whether or not to send Eliza to "school" one day a week with Isaac. I can't decide.  I hate decisions like this.

~Our state recently set a law that schools couldn't start back until after the 20th.  We were supposed to start school Monday.  My kids are suddenly extremely bored and naughty.  I think parents should've been consulted before changing schools schedules to benefit "tourism".  Either that, or they come save my sanity.

~Eliza is growing up.  Too fast.  I can hardly stand it. *sniff*  I'm really boohooing.

So, when is it a new recipe?

I have a bad habit of changing recipes.  (Mostly due to lack of original ingredients.  aka PLANNING!)  To the point, sometimes, that they are barely recognizable as the original thing.  I contemplate whether or not to keep the recipe and realize that I have to make a ton of edits in order for it to be the same the next time I make it.

I made this amazing pork dish the other day.  Its original name was Barbacoa Beef.  Already I'm sure you can see a major difference in the basic ingredients.  I don't want to take credit away from some one who created the original recipe, but, at the same time, I would like to recommend it the way *I* made it. 

So, here it is:

My recipe for Barbacoa Pork, based loosely off this Barbacoa Beef recipe.

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork loin roast  (really, any hunk of pork)
5-7 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1/2 lemon and its juice
2 Jalapenos
3 tbsp of chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves


Directions:


~Place garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, jalapenos, and cilantro in a blender or food processor.  Blend into a paste (or liquid).


~Place your hunk-a-hunk of burning pork into a sprayed crock pot (I use olive oil in a fancy spritzer thing instead of Pam.) 

~Rub your meat down with your paste.

~Throw in the bay leaves and lemon half (after being juiced, of course)

~Add a dash of S&P.

~Turn that bad boy on high and walk away.  My frozen** hunk of meat took 6 hours on high and 2 on low. It was cooked to perfection. 

~Shred the meat and serve in a nice, warm tortilla with all of your favorite toppings- Chipotle or Moe's style.  Olives, cheese, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, guac, black beans, etc.  OR, do what we did, and serve it up as a salad.  (I did add some more cumin to the top of mine and E's.  I didn't want it to be too spicy for the kids.)

There you have it.  My version of a chipotle beef, but with pork and jalapenos.


**If you know me well, you will understand why my meat was frozen.  I suck at organization and pre-planning that the laying out of the meat necessitates.

short catch up

Eliza = no sleep training baby

Isaac = no potty training toddler

A = possibly sleeping with a CPAP

O = still 36 lbs

Me = dairy and soy free and cranky

E = more excited about A's lego party than A

Dear, (the water park eddition)

Dear mother of the 4 week old baby,
Your baby is precious, but please tell me that he's adopted or that your husband carried him in HIS womb for 9 months.  Please!  Otherwise, other mothers will be loathing themselves as they look at you and your flat abs in your itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, bright pink bikini. 
Sincerely,
Other mother

Dear very pale and very big man,
I will help you put sunscreen on your back.  But, only because I can spray it on.  If it was a rub on kind, well, you know... You'd probably be burnt.
You're welcome,
A little weirded out


Dear Eliza,
I appreciate the fact that you were pretty tired at the water park.  I don't usually mind holding you, either.  But, the fact that you took your longest nap in an entire week, in my arms, so I could not move or enjoy the said water park was a little inconsiderate. 
Love,
Your I-sat-for-over-an-hour-holding-you Mommy

Dear big kids,
I love that you are both tall enough to go on the slides!  What a fun time we had!
Love,
Some parts of growing up are fun

Dear E,
I know she's "your daughter, too" but I clearly have an irrational fear of children drowning.  So, lets not push my trigger as far as it will go before I snap.  I don't really want you to take our 8 month old daughter into the wave pool in the deep end.  She's tiny.  What if she slips?  How would you find her with all of those people?  What if she gets water in her lungs and then "dry drowns" later?  What if...
Always,
I'll stop now

Dear water park,
you and your awesome smelling fries sort of suck.
With regrets,
Soy and dairy free

Dear multiple women in the bikinis that have a stomach like mine,
I wish I had your moxie.  You, clearly, must have some amazing self esteem that I lack.  Rock it girl, rock it.
Regards,
too many stretch marks

Dear lady in a too-small bikini,
Please stop glaring at me while I feed my infant under this nursing cover.  I am showing amazingly less skin than you at this moment. 
Farewell,
Not showing any boobage