This Morning

I just had to report on a productive morning. Here's what I've accomplished as of 1:30 pm:

• baked a batch of whole wheat bread (scroll over for recipe)
  
• baked a double batch of french bread
• fed my kids (with only a few threats) Cream of Wheat and blueberries for breakfast
• filled out an application to join a public charter school for homeschoolers this fall
• had my new dryer delivered (we had to buy the dryer to go with our new washer) and both appliances installed. (Lowes does this for free! Next day!)
  
• washed my first loads of laundry in the new machines
• fed my kids lunch
• created an event on facebook for the family reunion that Jared & I are planning
  
• made a batch of Prudy's homemade pickles. We LOVE them around here!
• got dressed (but will squeeze in a shower later--I had to make some sacrifices for all this domestic productivity:)
• fed the baby twice
• put Ian and Bronwen down for naps twice
• set off the smoke alarm during naps by burning the cornmeal on the bottom of the french bread pans. oops.
• put Bronwen back down a third time after she freaked out from the smoke alarm
• wrote a blog post

If only every day could be so productive.

Here's what Margaret's been doing:


And my darling FIL took the boys to the free movie this morning and then kept the big boys for an afternoon swim. I'm not complaining! Now, for my nap. Do you think the city can send someone over to fold all my laundry?:)

Baking Bread

The weather this morning is cool and overcast--perfect for baking bread. I broke down last week and got a few loaves at the Orowheat outlet because it was too hot to bake in the middle of the day and my third trimester has left me too tired in the early morning or late night to contemplate such projects. But none of the inhabitants of this house feel the love with store-bought wheat bread, and it's time to get baking.

Once I get the bread raising, we'll be finishing up our Ancient India chapter. I'm pleased to report that yesterday I finished off Henry's first grade math curriculum, taught one of Kimball's last math lessons, and got a new closet organizer in the new baby's side of the closet. I also found a great deal on pink tulle online for the bed skirts in the girls' room (I'm copying a Pottery Barn Kids design); so I didn't have to leave the house! So I'm making progress on that list.

I posted this recipe a year or so ago, but it stands repeating. By the way, if you don't grind your own WW flour, Trader Joe's is now carrying their own brand of white whole wheat flour for $2.99/ 5lb. bag. A great find at a great price!

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

• 3 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• scant Tablespoon coarse kosher salt or 1/2 t. fine salt
  
• 6 cups whole wheat flour (I like white wheat flour best, from whole white wheat)

Mix ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, proof the yeast:

• 3/4 cup very warm water
• 3 Tablespoons yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

When yeast is proofed, add to bread mixture along with:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups white, all-purpose flour

Mix on low or medium to incorporate, then on high for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Turn out into bowl sprayed with cooking spray and allow to rise in a warm place for 25 minutes. Turn dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and separate into four loaves. Shape loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Allow to rise for 25 minutes more.

Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from oven and from pans immediately. Rub or brush tops of the loaves with butter. Allow to cool on wire cooling rack. Freeze what you're not going to use today or tomorrow.

Variations: Substitute 1/4 cup of the oil with an equal amount of applesauce. Substitute 1/2 cup flour with equal amount ground flax seed, toasted wheat germ, or leftover oatmeal. Add 1/2 cup sunflower seeds with final 4 cups of flour (my kids don't love this version). Any other variations that my readers can suggest?

30 Days

Today is June 1st. On the last day of this month (unless she is a plan-spoiler like her older sister,) our new daughter will be born. Of course we look forward to that day with excitement and joy, but I will confess that I always also dread labor day--or at least the six weeks that follow. The last 30 days sends me into a frenzy of to do lists and anxiety.

You see, as much as I adore having a new baby, as much as I weep at the miracle of each new birth, as much as I treasure holding that special little child in my arms, I am a wreck after I have a baby. I am not one of those girls who bounces back, showing up at parties in cute clothes when the baby is a week old. Oh, no. When I have a baby, I lock myself in the house, avoiding contact with everyone except my mother, whom I cling to pathetically, and anyone who brings by a meal. I don't get any projects done for a LONG, LONG time, and don't want my picture taken for a year.

So, knowing that I'll accomplish absolutely nothing except for keeping my children alive in the weeks following her birth, my last 30 days are for scurrying around, trying to cram in everything that I won't get to later. Here's my list:

• Get the girls' closet organized, with a wire organizer and cubbies added for new baby's clothes, blankets, burpcloths, etc.
• Buy the fabric for the new bedskirt and cribskirt (anyone have a Joann's coupon sitting around?)
  
• Dig out the newborn baby clothes from the garage (which are hiding behind a barricade of my mom's stuff); determine which, if any, can be used for a summer baby. Wash them.
• Take a weekend getaway with my husband. Sleep in. Read a lot. Pay attention to him. Eat out. (scheduled)
• Look for acts of service to perform every or most days for other people.
• Go to the temple two more times. (scheduled)
  
• Take the kids swimming as much as possible.
• Win free ice cream for a year.
• Have at least two playdates for my kids every week in June at my house.
• Get my ironing pile down to nothing or at least down to the week's Sunday clothes.
• Take my boys to art camp, twilight camp, and swim lessons (scheduled).
• Help my sister with her new baby, coming soon . . .
  
• Help my mom get settled into her new house, coming soon . . .
  
• Read the new writing curriculum I bought for next year.
• Research and order a science and Latin curriculum for next year.
• Visit the new homeopathic/holistic pediatrician and make sure he's the right fit for us.
• Post on my blog more often.
• Plan and execute Sharing Time every Sunday in June.
• Stop eating so many sweets--getting down to one a day would be a good start!
• Drop off some stuff at D.I. and the recycling center.
• Finish ancient India and China chapters in history.
• Finish up math curriculum for the year (Henry has one more lesson, Kimball has five.)
• Mail off a package to Scrappy that was mis-addressed at Christmas time and still sits in my bedroom.
• Make more pickles (love this recipe from Prudence Pennywise).
• Get a pedicure.
  

This list is sure to grow as quickly as I check things off, but I have learned (with one preemie and one baby who decided to be born 8 days before her scheduled c-section, baby shower, and my hair cut-and-color) that we will all survive if the list doesn't get completed. Still, I will be plugging away at it, come what may, for the NEXT 30 DAYS. And hopefully, when labor day comes, I'll be able to relax and enjoy it as much as my hormones will let me!



What are you doing in June?

Reporting

Thank you to those of you who commented last time (instead of clicking somewhere more cheerful and leaving me behind in my pathetic dust,) with words of encouragement and understanding. I am feeling much better now. Here's how my list is coming:

• van purchased: check (what a huge relief, inspite of being sick about spending any more money on something that will just beg to be fed with gas on a twice monthly basis.)
• house picked up for the housekeeper: check (She never came. Called and said she was sick. Argh. I am trying to bribe my children to vacuum and do bathrooms today so I can move on to other things on my list.)
• date night with Henry: check (Kimball lost the chance to come due to some unfortunate punching of his brother in the stomach. It was very sad for him and I really wanted to relent, but we knew that he needed to learn the lesson. Henry was so fun to be with. He kept thinking about Kimball and asking, "Can we take some of this home to Kimball?" We did the Mother-Son sports night, which was sponsored by Henry's school, then had a little treat of Cold Stone and chips from Chipotle. We brought some chips home for Kimball to enjoy for breakfast. Then, Henry accompanied me to the grocery store.)
• get some food in the house for Jared to eat while we're gone: check. (See above note after date night with Henry.)
• make Amish Friendship Bread: check. (One of my friends, Stephanie, gave us this fun starter 11 days ago, which made yesterday Day 10. You mostly just babysit the starter for the first 9 days, stirring it and sometimes adding flour, milk, and sugar. Day 10 is when you actually make the bread. So when we got home from our night out and I put away the groceries, I decided that I'd better make the Amish bread. The kids had lots of fun helping me with the starter over the 10 days leading up to this, and they had fun eating it for breakfast, so I don't feel too badly that they didn't get to help make the bread at 10pm. We'll take a couple of loaves to friends today, along with some starter for them to make their own. It baked while Jared and I caught up on the week's TiVo (Office, Lost, Dancing with the Stars).)
• water the garden: check. (Oops. The past two days were so crazy that we hadn't done it. And it's been quite sunny and warm. So we got out there this morning and discovered some new blossoms! Yeah! Lest this sound too idyllic, I should mention that Bronwen alternated between trying to eat the compost pile and washing her hair in the very dirty rain water basin while we did this.)
  
• park day with my friends: check. (I'm glad we went, even if the day was busy. It was nice to catch up and let the kids play somewhere other than our yard. Since most of Thursday was spent with me trying to keep them busy without actually having to pay any attention to them, this activity on Friday was a nice break for everyone.)
• library. check. (We have lots of great books to read this week while we're out of town.)
  

Here is what still needs to happen before midnight:

• buy organic fertilizer and fertilize those plants. Especially the tomatoes. I'm dreaming about home grown tomatoes. I also want to get the last plants for our garden, the fall raspberries, and get them planted. Perhaps I can sweet talk Jared into this errand.
• get another pair of wireless headphones for the road trip so that Ian can actually hear the movies on the new DVD player. Sounds like another honey-do.
• wash several loads of laundry, fold them, and put them away.
• pack for five people.
• grind wheat (honey-do) and bake bread. We decided to combine this with a science lesson on yeast, gluten, and whole wheat.
• deliver the loaves and starter from the friendship bread.
  
• take a shower (ideally) before heading off to the autism charity event. Avoid using the word "just" to describe my full-time job as mother all night to people who have sexier careers. I'm proud of my job and get irritated at myself when I find myself downplaying that.
• post our weekly report on the homeschool blog. Or at least have the pictures taken so that I can post from my mom's.

So I guess I'd better get away from this computer and get going!