From Jan Tritten - At Midwifery Today…

1. A good midwife is worth her weight in gold if you want a good birth experience. Shop carefully and pay her well.
2. Thou shalt eat a healthy diet: 80-100 grams of protein, salt food to taste and lots of fruits and veggies and eat seafood; and be happy.
3. Trust Birth, trust yourself. You can do it.
4. Prenatal care is what you do between your visits to your care provider. Eat well. Love lots. Reduce stress. Your baby will appreciate it!
5. Homebirth: the gold standard. If possible, stay home for your birth. Birth centers are a good option, too. When necessary, hospitals save lives.
6. Avoid unnecessary technology like the plague. It may be the plague - including ultrasound (Dopplers and scans) during pregnancy!
7. Just say no to drugs and intervention.
8. Your body is perfectly designed to carry, grow and birth your baby. If that isn’t enough, your body can feed your baby too!!
9. Birth Works; let it. Know that you can do it. It is an awesome and important step to motherhood -  a miracle you can achieve.
10. Thou shalt breastfeed your baby for as long as possible. The health benefit for motherbaby is unsurpassed by any other act. Breast is best.

Jan Tritten

Midwifery Today

The beginning of the end. This might possibly be the beginning of the longest time of pregnancy! While I try not to let every little baby hiccup and Braxton-Hicks contraction put me on alert for potential labor - sometimes it’s hard. I’m eager for the baby to come, and yet I don’t want to lose the joys of being pregnant (and despite some of the complaining you might have heard from me, there are many joys).

There are some great things about being pregnant. One of my favorites is being awoken in the morning by the stretching and kicking of the baby inside. And while it’s not always the most comfortable feeling, when the baby is born, I miss that feeling. I love to sit on the couch at night and watch the baby move around. As silly as it sounds, I always feel a little empty (literally!) after the baby is born - although I won’t miss swollen ankles and trying to turn over in bed.

Since I had my third child, everyone asks me if this is the last one. I often wonder myself. I go through bouts of “I’ve had it, I’m getting my tubes tied this time!” Usually this happens after a particularly disappointing day. Yesterday, Father’s Day, was such a day. We had a few very hot days in a row and everyone has been grouchy. We suffered a lot from the “gimmes” and “I wants.” And of course, I had an idea in my head of how Father’s Day was going to go! So, when it became a bickering free for all between the 11, 13 and 4 year olds - I almost lost my mind - and started to wonder what on earth I was thinking when I decided to have all of these kids!

Of course, everything looks better in the morning and with less swollen ankles and a little rest in my pocket, I’m once again happy to have so many - even though I still don’t know why I like having such a big family, or whether or not this is my last!

Bye Bye House!

So, I found a really beautiful house online one afternoon while preparing for our move from Vermont to Green Bay. It had everything I wanted in a house - beautiful new appliances, four bedrooms, a sunroom, a large backyard - you name it. I had never had a truly beautiful bathroom before - and this one, though small, fit the bill. After years of living in fixer-uppers and that time in the car…well, I thought I had really found my first “real” house.

Because we were moving so far and into a neighborhood I had never lived in before (we had lived in Green Bay before), we decided to take the rent with the option to buy rather than just buy it, sight unseen. Even though we had sent several friends through the house to check it out, I still didn’t want to commit a huge sum of money to a house I had never seen!

So we sent away a down payment, the deposit, the rent, and signed all kinds of papers for the option. We loaded up our trucks and headed down the road. The house was everything we hoped it would be. While it did have a few quirks, it was exactly what I wanted - and much bigger than I had thought. I was very happy with my choice…and knew that I would end up buying it. I made all sorts of plans, talked with mortgage brokers, got the kids established in school and went about being pregnant and living my life.

That’s when we started getting weird phone calls. We started receiving phone calls about past debt and debt collections to the owner of the house. Then the owner of the house started to call my husband at work and demanded payments for arbitrary things that weren’t in the lease. Also, she started making up strange dates to have things paid by. We were skeptical and suspicious. She was acting like a person who needed money fast. While I wish I could say that I did a background check on her before we rented, I did not. I never thought I needed to do a background check on a landlord…but I did - and the results were revealing. A bankruptcy was in the works for her - and her mortgage on the house was through a sub-prime lender and it was interest-only. In fact, her asking price for the house was $50,000 more than the assessment on the house - and all of a sudden she was unwilling to negotiate lower - even though our contract said we could pay fair market value for the house.

In our neighborhood, fair market value, was quite a bit less than her asking price - and there were many homes for sale and rent in the area.

I just kept paying the rent - and hoping that things would sort themselves out. Then we got “the letter” telling us we had two weeks to vacate the premises. Why? Not because we had done anything wrong - but because our landlord was now in foreclosure.

What a slap in the face! I had heard stories of this happening to people, but I thought they were flukes. Really, there is very little a renter can do, unless a state legislature has mandated that banks assume the leases of people who are renting foreclosures. At the mercy of the powers that be, and unable to get back any of our security deposit or down payment, we scraped together another deposit and first month’s rent on a different house.

I cried for quite a while. I thought I had found the house I was going to live in for the rest of my life - or at least a lot of it - and I almost ended up with six kids out on the sidewalk again. I actually tried to picture how the logistics of living in my truck would go!

Fortunately, we did find a new place…in the neighboring college town, on the river, and in a school district that’s 100 percent better than the one we were in. Unfortunately, the house is UGLY and I have a lot of work to do! But, that’s OK, I was getting spoiled by all that luxury living - and there isn’t nearly as much pressure to keep a fixer-upper spotless with almost seven kids (oh yeah, and my teenage son’s best friend) as there was to keep the old “perfect” house clean. Just sweeping and mopping around here makes me look like Martha Stewart. It’s big though - with lots of bedrooms and a nice sunny deck. I am still very fortunate. I have beautiful, healthy children and a great husband who still has a job. Our ugly foreclosure story did not turn out as ugly as some.

I may not have the richest house on the block anymore - but I’m still the richest girl in town!

A couple of quick renting tips:

1. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Rent with option is fine - but don’t send any more money for “deposit” than what’s required (first month’s rent and security). You are not yet buying the house - you only have the first right of refusal when it goes up for sale.

2. Don’t give the landlord any more money each month than you’ve agreed to pay. Save the extra towards a down payment if you want to eventually buy the house.

3. Do a background check. Your potential landlord is going to do one on you, after all. Go to intellius.com and find out about who you are renting the house from. Also, go to your local county government website and make sure the taxes are up to date - and find out for sure whose name is on the deed!

Make your own pizza and make friends!

We are a pizza-eating family. We love it. If you can put it on a pizza - we will…in fact, we will put a lot of things on a pizza that some people have never heard of - like BBQ chicken and pork!

Pizza is the ultimate fast food in our culture. And while I will eat almost anything called a “pizza” - I won’t always like it. I also often have the feeling that I could have saved myself $20 if I had just put the extra effort into making pizza myself. The funny thing is, that making your own pizza doesn’t really take that much effort.

I make my own dough, because I like a thick doughy crust with bubbles in it. My husband, on the other hand, likes a thin crust pizza - rolled flat and loaded up. For me, pizza is about the dough. For him, it’s about the stuff. But we are big fans of each other’s pizza!

This dough recipe: http://organicallyinclined.org/2008/11/07/my-homemade-bread-recipe-also-pizza-dough-and-garlic-knots/ will make a great versatile dough for whichever style you like.

Of course, a “regular” pizza consists of tomato sauce, mozzerella cheese and whatever you like on top. But you can do a lot by mixing it up a bit. Have some leftover chicken? Use BBQ sauce as your base and cheddar mixed with mozzerella. Top it off with the leftover chicken, pulled into bite-size pieces.

Want a Greek-inspired pizza? Try feta, spinach, Kalamata olives and a little red onion.

How about a white pizza? Whip up some ricotta with some basil (OK, not truly white) and chopped garlic. Spread that on your pizza dough and then add your mozz and provolone mix. I actually really like this pizza with fresh mushrooms and big hunks of roasted garlic and Vidalia onions…but that’s just me.

My daughter loves Hawaiian pizza. This pizza is best made with peanut butter on the dough first (yes, peanut butter…just try it), then a little sauce. Place pineapple rings and thin slices of ham (your choice in style, I like Canadian bacon for this pizza) all around - layer it up nice! Add sweet onion to your taste…

Pizzas are fun and cheap to make. I love to make little rounds for the kids to pound out and decorate themselves. We also like to give pizza tossing classes to all the kids friends! The floor gets pretty messy - but it’s great fun!

The Prepared Pantry is offering their big book “How to Bake” for free - one chapter per week. It is a very thorough guide to baking.

I’m not a huge coupon fan - I often find that the generic version is cheaper, but this one seemed like a good deal. If you buy a 13.5 lb. or larger bag of Kingsford Charcoal plus one of the following brands: KC Masterpiece, Hidden Valley Ranch, Vlasic Pickles or Relish and Wet Ones - you get $6 off a pork item. My suggestion for the way to make the most of this coupon? Buy a nice pork roast or tenderloin (it will feed a many) and a packet of the dry HVR dressing to use in a marinade! The coupon doesn’t expire until the end of the year - so don’t worry about hurrying! Go to Gatherroundthegrill.com

Learn to Live Large - on very little! One of my favorite blogs is Wisebread.com. They are a blog compendium of frugal and finance writers. I have found some great deals there as well as helpful hints. They have written a new book and I have been pleased to receive a copy for review (which I will write and post soon). However, if you want to check it out before my review (it’s a good review, don’t worry), they will give you $15 in an Ebates account for buying it at Amazon.com. Pretty sweet! The book, then, is essentially free - and it’s a regular book - not an eBook or a “booklet.” Go here to learn more!

Free Quiznos sammie when you sign-up for their club! Why not? I like a decent sandwich!

If you like your kids to take part in summer reading programs, then Barnes and Noble might have a good one for you. They are offering all children who take part in their summer reading program, a free children’s book.

I might have my kids participate, but really, the best free books are at the library!

Because I have given birth so often and am getting ready to do it again, I am often asked about my birth “stories.” It surprises me that I haven’t written about them, but truthfully, my births have been fairly unremarkable. Of course, being pregnant with my seventh, I don’t want to jinx it, but I have only had one birth that was traumatic in any way.

And yes, I have given birth to all six of my children naturally - without any intervention of any kind. Was it painful? Oh my yes! I’ve read about women who have “orgasmic” childbirths…I am definitely not one of those women.

Further, I believe that it is possible in almost every situation to have a natural childbirth. Now, I know it’s controversial for me to say this - and I know that everyone has a story. Most people will say, “I wanted to have a natural childbirth, but I was different because…” And that’s fine. I’m not writing to this judge, just to give a perspective and a few resources.

Let me put it this way, I have heard the stories of women who have had epidurals and c-sections. I have heard about their lengthy recoveries and other issues. Do I enjoy the pain of labor - of course not! But let me say this, after going through labor and then finally having the baby, I feel better immediately. Right after the birth, while I’m still getting “cleaned up,” I feel 100 percent better. No more back pain. No more labor pain. No more nothing except a beautiful sweet baby. The endorphins kick in and I’m as happy as a clam…ready to take on the world, well, mostly.

While I appreciate the desire for pain relief, going down that road rarely leads to anything but more interventions. Women who have epidurals have longer pushing stages - which endangers the baby and gives the mother a higher risk of c-section or forcep or vacuum extracted birth.

It just seems like a lot to risk, just to save the pain. Now, I know, I’ll hear from many who will say, “yes, but you weren’t in labor as long as I was…” and that’s valid. But remember, this post is in response to those who ask how I could give birth without drugs six times. That’s how - and why. I simply think it’s odd that some women would choose a c-section, or choose an epidural, before even giving labor a try. I hate to see women set themselves up to “fail” - and that’s how a lot of women describe it to me - before giving themselves a chance.

Further, it surprises me that the same women who say they would throw themselves under a train for their child, will not endure pain to bring them into the world - risking both their own lives and their baby’s. I also find it odd that we, as mothers, will scold any woman who even looks at a glass of wine during her pregnancy, but will totally understand someone willing to put drugs in her (and her child’s) body just because she’s in labor.

Here are a number of the side effects of epidurals, listed at Childbirth.org

I have had a home birth - and a water birth - five pretty standard hospital births - and have been grateful for the assistance of wonderful nurses and midwives each time (except the first time). I am also not knocking doctors. I am glad they are around and willing to help out in a pinch! I am glad for medicines and oxygen masks and all the other accoutrements available to save mine and my baby’s life should need be (especially since I’m pregnant again and I don’t want to jinx anything!). I know that things can go wrong - and I am glad for knowledgeable midwives and doctors when they do. However, I also believe childbirth is a natural process - not a medical one most of the time - and I think natural birth is safe with proper preparation and education.

Trusting in our bodies is difficult, especially, when we, as a society, are taught that so much is wrong with them! But give your body a chance to work, it might surprise you.

My blog, Organically Inclined, is now available for download on Kindle! I’ll be honest, I love books. I like to tote them around. I like to put them on my bookshelf when I’m done with them. I like to stack them up and look at them.

But honestly, the Kindle is very nice. We received one from John’s work and I really like it. It’s not at all like reading on a laptop. We have the first one and I find it nice and light - very easy to throw in my bag for a few minutes of reading while waiting for a kid to come out of practice. I like that I can read a whole book - or just a few quick blog or newspaper articles.

While buying things on the Kindle is not the most frugal way to read books, papers or magazines - it is cheaper than buying them new. I also like that I can download the first chapter of a book and read it at my leisure - not under pressure at the bookstore.

So, what’s my advice about the Kindle? If you are prone to buying new books anyway - I’d get one. The new books are cheaper on the Kindle. Also, if you are like some of my friends and don’t like to keep your books around, and end up giving them away or unloading them at yard sales - get one. You won’t have that worry - just delete when done (and it still remains in your Amazon library).

As for buying a Kindle…I don’t know if I would have. I might have for a Christmas splurge present - but it’s certainly an investment…and one I wouldn’t make lightly. Maybe we could get Amazon to rent them out - so that we can try before we buy!

When I lived in rural Vermont, we had to take our trash to the dump every Saturday. So, if someone had an old sofa or something they were getting rid of, it went to the dump and into a large dumpster that was carefully monitored by an older gentleman who would never let you have anything out of it. The same was true of the scrap metal dumpster - I would often see old grills and all kinds of things in it, but due to its location, I could never get anything out of it.

So, not only was I thrilled to have curbside garbage and recycling pick-up when I moved to Green Bay, I was also thrilled to see the amount of stuff people put out on the curb. When I left Vermont, I lived in a smaller house than I do now - and I was unable to bring all of my furniture with me. We also found that this house “needed” certain items…a chair here or a lamp there.

As the queen of the yard sale, I waited patiently all winter to hit the sales and start furnishing our house. I have been fortunate. I found a great wingback blue chair for a corner of the living room for $10.  Our new, high-back bar stools for the kitchen were a great deal at $15 for the pair (I had looked at similar stools at a local store the weekend before and they were running about $55 a piece).  Of course, I’ve had great luck picking up little things here and there that we’ve needed - including six pairs of practically new shorts for my four-year-old that should last him the summer for 25 cents a pair.

What I was unfamiliar with was the practice of “junk” or “curb” picking. I belong to our local freecycle, but have had little luck responding fast enough to the offerings. I did, however, notice that a drive through our city will usually produce a variety of items waiting out on the curb for pick-up by the trash department. The offerings are particularly interesting at the end of the month, when renters vacate their homes.

I’ll admit, I was shy at first. I thought it was kind of weird to look at a pile of “trash” and pick out something I wanted. Let me say that I don’t actually dive through dumpsters or look in garbage cans! But recently, I have found a couple of items that made me pull the car over and take a look. The first item we saw on the curb was a stack of about 15 buckets - completely clean. Now, any homesteader - rural, urban or otherwise - can always use a bucket or two, and we are no exception. Feeling a bit like thieves, we popped those buckets into the back of the truck and made off like two giddy teenagers who just shoplifted a pack of gum and a Mountain Dew.

Our next find was a reading lamp. A beautiful old heavy reading lamp, just sitting out on the curb a block from our house. What was funny about this particular find was that I was just telling my husband that we should look for a stand-style tall reading lamp for the corner where we put the new wingback chair I got at the yard sale. We were driving back from some thing or another - and there was my lamp! It was almost as if that Law of Attraction thing worked for me - I put an order out into the universe and got what I wanted!

Just Saturday, we were returning a lawn mower to a friend that we had fixed for her. Sitting on her neighbor’s curb was a cute plaid loveseat - something like what I wanted for our new front reading room. It looked so nice and clean. My husband pulled over. I made him smell the seat cushions before he put it in the truck. I thought there might be a “reason” it was being thrown away. No smell. Turns out that one of the feet snapped off. A quick repair and the loveseat - a La-Z-Boy - is just like new. It’s also way more comfortable than our current couch - too bad it isn’t a bit longer! No worries, I’ll just keep thinking about a new couch and with any luck the magical curb will send me one!

I’ve always wanted to decorate cakes. I’ve gotten pretty good at the standard piping and the like, but I’ve never worked with fondant or anything like it.

But, when Liam - who turned 11 today - wanted a computer cake, frugal me was reluctant to pay someone to make it. So, I decided to undertake the task myself and went about designing and making a laptop cake. It’s far from being the Ace of Cakes, but I thought it wasn’t terrible for a first try! And the kids sure did like it…

This is the result:

Get the first two chapters of Michelle’s new book, A Fine Mess: Living Simply With Children, for free! Michelle is the homeschooling mother of (almost ) 7 children and has lots of humor, tips and hints for living with so many for much less. Want to try it out for nothing? Just email Michelle and put “free chapters” in the subject line.

Otherwise entitled: Why don’t you just kill my kid?

During the month of September of 2008, I noticed that my 12 year old son, Alex, was looking a little thinner than usual. He’s always been very thin, so I chalked up the obvious weight loss to a new soccer season and his recent six inch height spike in less than three months.
After a week or so of soccer practices, Alex started taking a gallon milk just full of water to practice – and it was gone by the time I picked him up two hours later. It seemed odd to me, but not so off-the-wall odd that I thought he might be sick.

It wasn’t until one night when we were all sitting around the dining room table after dinner and I watched as Alex drank five full pint-size glasses of water while standing at the sink that I became really concerned. In the few days following, I noticed that Alex was exhausted after soccer, not just tired, but fall asleep in the car exhausted – even though our house was only a two minute drive from the field.

One day, Alex had to urinate so urgently that he made me pull the car over on our way up the hill to our house – he couldn’t wait another minute until we got home (luckily, we lived in a rural area then). I was very concerned and made an appointment to see the pediatrician. But then, that evening, it dawned on me – I’ll be he has diabetes. I just knew it. I’m not sure how. Something I had heard, or read just popped in my head.

I asked my husband to call his friend who has Type 1 diabetes and ask if we could use his meter to test Alex’s blood sugar the next morning. I knew from being pregnant so often – and from being a nursing assistant at one point in my life – that a normal blood sugar shouldn’t be higher than 140 or so. I made Alex fast all night. It was painful for him because he was starving. But he did it, and the next morning, after a 12 hour fast, his blood sugar was 276. Shockingly high for not having eaten at all.

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