SortaCrunchy

how to walk like a supermodel

From school-of-the-home contributor Dina:

My day started happily enough. Summer was being ushered in on the backs of warm, dry breezes and life was good. Until I came face to reflected face with every aging woman's kryptonite: your body in a swimsuit. I'm a generally optimistic person but this was one time I would rather take the cup half empty instead of filled up and bursting at the nylon seams. Milk does a body good. Having provided it to four eager babies, not so much.

During my recent physical, I bemoaned my mounting ailments and gravity-laden parts to my doctor, hoping perhaps that she had a prescription that could make everything better. She assured me that I looked quite good for my age, this while doing my semi-annual pap test. I guess the up side to being old enough to have birthed four children is bragging rights to a beautiful birthing canal. How's that for inner beauty...

Gravity-laden or not, I'm proud of who I am, how God made me, and what He created me to do and be.

It wasn't always this way. Growing up, my mother always warned me against my steady diet of fashion magazines, cautioning me that photos from a centerfold can lead to discontent in my center, my soul. I kept binging on the images until my own became too much a priority and my reality could never match my fantasy.

These days our children don't even need to open the pages of a magazine to feel physically inadequate. The top rated shows for kids are those with tweens bedecked in full make-up and hair extensions as their starlets. The grocery lines are full of magazines mocking the cellulite or the excess baggage of even the thinnest stars. Commercials during all the sporting events boast beautiful women, capitalizing on their beauty, mocking their supposed lack of brains.

This is the definition of beauty today? These are the role models for this generation?

I want something more for my kids. I want them to be someone more. I need a hero for hire. I need a role model who could show them how to walk worthy, a tall order only a super model could fill.

As I read my Bible one night, I found her. I found him.

I found the mother of Moses, who saw that hers was not an ordinary child. Seeing something special in the innocence of his baby eyes, she wanted something different for him. So, she hid him away. She sheltered him from death and then instilled in him a powerful sense of justice.

He, the remarkable son, refused to be but a child of this world, turning away from the privilege and the comfort that was his. He chose to suffer that he might bring justice to a hurting people.

I found Joshua who courageously believed that there could be more to life than what God's people were willing to settle for. He believed that God had bigger plans, better plans, a better land prepared for them.

There was Daniel, brilliant and handsome, who resolved not to defile himself in an environment toxic to his beliefs. He purposed in his heart to stand apart.

Ruth was a beautiful woman who didn't find humility and service below her. She looked to the needs of others over the pursuit of her own desires.

An oddball from the start, there was John. He didn't exactly dress to impress and his diet was, shall we say, unique? But his words, a voice crying out in the wilderness, drew people by the flocks. His message made others listen. His passion made them want the Truth that he shared.

This is who I want my children to emulate.

As Moses' mother did, I want to believe that my child in no ordinary child. That they are meant for more than what the world would offer them, more than what the world would have them settle for.

I want them to possess a justice that compels them to stand up for those without it. I want them to have a courage that turns away from apathy and lethargy, a courage that demands that they fight for what God desires for them.

I want them to understand that beauty and brilliance are gifts but they do not define you, they do not complete you. I want to warn them that following after solely those pursuits can lead to a slippery slope of conformity and arrogance. Instead, I would that they would humble themselves, that they would never believe themselves to be above any service. 

To be a voice of Truth, to be one pointing others to God, that would be a enviable future for my children.

My desire is that they would walk like David who, though he slipped up time and time again, knew the love of his God surpassed any other's. I hope that they can hold fast to the truth that forgiveness is only a call away and that they would never give up pursuing after God.

As a mom who can do little to shape their external features, I want to do all I can to shape their inner beauty. By providing them with alternative models to point them in the right direction, maybe it is possible for them to walk a different walk. Maybe one day they too could be super models to a generation of children desperate to know how they can love God and live in this world.

At the very least, they can always claim themselves as heirs to a legacy of people with inner beauty.

After all, their mother sure did have one good looking birthing canal.

a student of life, learning daily through the unconditional love of her God, her husband, and her four children. a lamb to her Good Shepherd and a shepherdess to her young ewes, all the while hoping that somehow, someway her life brings about change in the lives of others that will last for all eternity.  Read more from Dina at A Worthy Life.

SortaCrunchy Q&A - Parenting Books: Some Favorites of Mine

 

Back in bleak January, I asked you to ask me some questions to inspire me when I get bored with myself and have no idea what to write about.  Brilliant June has wooed me with her wiles, and I've found myself once again incapable of pinning down thoughts.  So I'm turning again to that wealth of great questions to try get myself back on track here.

The ever-lovely, always-wise Stephanie of Metropolitan Mama wrote:

I have two questions:
1. Do you plan to have more kids? Why or why not? (If that question is too personal, feel free to ignore...).
2. What are your top 3-5 parenting books?

I answered that first question in March with a big fat unhelpful question mark.

So, parenting books it is!  (WOW, I'm talking about books and reading a lot this summer. I hope you don't mind.  I spent every summer of my childhood, adolescence, and, well, let's be honest, adulthood with my nose stuck in a book.  Summer = reading for me!)

Most everyone who knows me knows that I had a not-so-great experience with parenting books when I first started out on this parenting path.  Because of this, I have a complicated relationship with parenting books.  I approach them with equal parts cynical skepticism and eager expectation.

I know this - a formula approach doesn't fit well for me.  I'm completely a global thinker, so books that lean heavy on philosophy are the ones that I tend to be drawn towards.

As I've thought about sharing some favorites with you, I've realized that all of the ones I have enjoyed the most fit into three categories: theological thoughts, understanding ages, and family dynamics.  (So Stephanie, I'm afraid you're going to get way more than 3-5 books in your answer!)

Theological Thoughts

* Heartfelt Discipline: The Gentle Art of Training and Guiding Your Child by Clay Clarkson is a great book.  You might be familiar with the books and ministry of Clay's wife Sally.  I so admire their approach to godly parenting.  Clay is very open and honest about his shortcomings as a parent, and in the opening pages of Heartfelt Discipline, he shares his thoughts on the Jesus's parable of the seed and how that plays out in parenting.  That part of the book was an eye-opener for me, and truly changed my view on my role as a godly mother!  He is also a conservative evangelical who provides an alternative view of "the rod" passages in Proverbs that are very enlightening.

* Biblical Parenting by Crystal Lutton is a book I picked up after Heartfelt Discipline.  Crystal is an incredibly smart, well-educated, passionate and compassionate woman who believes strongly in the instruction from Titus 2 that older women are to be teaching younger women how to love their husbands and children and run their homes in ways that honor Christ.  (It is a mystery, isn't it, why so many popular parenting books in evangelical circles are written by men.  Puzzling.)

Biblical Parenting is the essential handbook for grace-based discipline.  In it, Crystal explains "the difference between what a relationship looks like when it is under Law versus under Grace."  She speaks clearly on boundaries and offers consistent encouragement to remember that grace-based parenting is not permissive parenting.  She offers an in-depth study of "the rod" verses and provides some helpful, practical parenting tools for those who want to pursue an approach to parenting that avoids punishment.  It's a short book full of scripture and encouragement.  I have found that the people who have this one on their bookshelf at home tend to hang on to it quite tightly!

Understanding Ages

I think an essential aspect of effective parenting for me is educating myself on what is age-appropriate for each season of parenting.  NOT so that unwanted behaviors can be overlooked, but rather so that those behaviors can be understood.  For me, understanding the why behind a behavior is so pivotal to finding a solution for correcting the behavior.

Two recommendations: the Ames and Ilg series Your ______ Year Old is a good starting point.  These were written in the seventies and are not the most engaging reading you'll ever pick up.  In fact, they read a little bit textbook-y.  But they are short and provide some great insights into what is happening developmentally at each age. 

One of my favorite lines from Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender is this:

In associations with other children, at this age, one rule seems cardinal in the child's mind.  This is that he is going to hang onto and defend to the death any toy he has played with, is playing with, or might play with.  (ed. note: *snort*)  His possessions are almost a part of himself, and to give up anything is highly painful to him.  "Mine!" is still a key word to him.

YUP.

Knowing this about my two year old doesn't mean that I let her take toys from others or refuse to teach her about sharing.  It does mean that I anticipate that the circumstance that requires her to share has the potential to be tense, and I prepare myself for that and try, as much as possible, to set her up for success in that situation.  I know that it's part of the age she is growing in and through, bearing in mind that she will eventually mature to a point of wanting to share instead of being forced to share.  (Just saw that happening today at the library when she easily shared a bracelet she was wearing with another little girl who was interested in it.)

So, yeah.  I like the Ames and Ilg books for that kind of information.

Two other ages and stages books that I like that I think do a good job of blending philosophy with practical pointers are The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition) by William and Martha Sears (you knew that would show up here, didn't you?!) and Positive Discipline for Preschoolers: For Their Early Years--Raising Children Who are Responsible, Respectful, and Resourceful (Positive Discipline Library) by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Roslyn Ann Duffy.

Family Dynamics

* Families Where Grace Is in Place by Jeff VanVonderen is what I am currently reading.  And it is just . . . wow.  I've had to start it and put it down and then come back to it because the material is so, so, so convicting and challenging.  AND GOOD.  As I've thought about what to say about this book, I've decided I'm going to write up an entirely separate post about this book, so I won't say too much at this point. 

One of many things I love about it, though, is that it is not just about parenting.  He speaks extensively on marriage, and treats family relationships in a very holistic way - examining how everyone in the family relates to one another rather than isolating parenting.

On the cover, there is a quote from Bill Hybels that says "the single best book on the family that I've read in years," and I whole-heartedly agree.  Again, more thoughts on it another time.  But it is definitely, absolutely a (new) favorite.

Does it seem strange to you that someone who has complicated feelings about parenting books would have more than a dozen in her Amazon cart?  Because I do.  At least a dozen.  Here are a few I'm hoping to get to in the next year:

Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes... in You and Your Kids Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) Gavin de Becker

Easy To Love, Difficult To Discipline: The 7 Basic Skills For Turning Conflict Into Cooperation Becky A. Bailey

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids Kim John Payne, Lisa M. Ross

Kids Are Worth It! : Giving Your Child The Gift Of Inner Discipline Barbara Coloroso

What about you?  Have you read any of my favorites?  Agree or disagree on my selections?  Have some favorites of your own to share!  Let's talk books!

All links to individual books are Amazon affiliate links.  Thank you for supporting SortaCrunchy simply by shopping Amazon through me!

His Favorite Chocolate Cake

 

My man has simple tastes.  Luckily for me, he doesn't request Giada's Chocolate-Strawberry Panini or Nigella's Caramel Croissant Pudding when I ask him what he might like for me to make for him for Father's Day.

Just a simple chocolate cake will do.  

His mother's is the best either of us have ever come across, and I am happy to share the recipe with you.

Behold, the Twenty Minute Cake:

1 cup butter
4 Tblsp. dry cocoa
1 cup water
In microwave melt butter for 20 or 30 seconds, then add cocoa and water. Heat together in microwave until it begins to boil.

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
Add sugar and flour and beat well with mixer.

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. Mexican vanilla
Add last four ingredients and stir well with mixer.

Pour into sprayed baking pan. (9 x 13)    Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees. (some ovens, only 400 degrees)    While cake is baking, make the frosting below:

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter
3 to 4 Tblsp. cocoa
1 tsp. Mexican vanilla
1/2 box powdered sugar

Melt margarine in microwave and add rest of ingredients. Beat well.  Spread on cake just as soon as it's out of the oven. Cover with foil immediately.   (The original frosting recipe is double this, but it is just too much frosting for us.)

OR

This is another favorite that she likes to use on the cake sometimes instead of frosting:

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

2 Tblsp. butter (melted)
2 Tblsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup or less heavy cream

Commence with celebrating!

Oh, and speaking of food . . . the winner of the Real Food on a Real Budget giveaway is Erin (comment #118) who said:

I would love to get this book! Eating good, organic food is sometimes expensive (especially in California) but I'd love some baby steps on how to eat healthier on a budget! :)

If you didn't win but would like to purchase a book, I encourage you to go see Stephanie to purchase a copy (the e-book is on sale right for $18.97!)

SortaCrunchy Featured Sponsor: Mama Pepper Designs

I am so happy to introduce you to my featured sponsor for June - Elayne Slevin of Mama Pepper Designs.

Well, actually, you've already met Elayne.  She's the "heart mom" who shared her stories and resources for other families affected by congenital heart disease back in February.  Through that post, you got to know Elayne as a compassionate and helpful mama, but now you can get to know her as Mama Pepper.

Elayne is an incredibly vibrant, funny, and enthusiastic person.  She is one of those people who loves to share with others what she knows about the topics that drive her enthusiasm.  Opening a store to showcase her favorite products that support a natural living lifestyle is a move that makes perfect sense.

At Mama Pepper Designs, you can find fun favorites like I Am Not a Paper Cup.  Look at it!  Isn't it cute?  SO handy to have, too. 

And as it just so happens, Elayne and I share the same taste in cloth diapers.  She loves Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size Diapers so much, she decided to carry them in her store.  Fuzzi Bunz always made up the bulk of our cloth diaper stash and was definitely our go-to trustworthy diaper.

Now, here's what you need to know about Elayne.  She is an incredibly talented woman.  She can rock a sewing machine like nobody's business.  She makes these fabulous cloth wipes.  Truly, TRULY luxury.  And I know my cloth wipes.  The ones we have from Mama Pepper Designs are always the first to disappear from the clean wipes basket in the bathroom. 

Lean in close, though, because this next part is kind of a secret.  What Elayne is really known for are her original creations such as her HoBags.  Click on over to her gallery and you'll see what I'm talking about.  I happen to have a MPD HoBag and I love it!  I get tons of compliments on it.  The design is so well-thought out and it is IMPECCABLY constructed.

But here's why it's a little bit of a secret - Elayne isn't currently stocking HoBags or any of the other designs you see in her gallery because selling her creations at the local Farmer's Market keeps her quite busy.  BUT, she does send out alerts every now and again to let fans of hers know when a custom slot comes open.  And she'll be sewing up many more goodies when the fall comes around!

But for now, it's a beautiful Sunday in June, so if you have a few minutes, pop on over to Mama Pepper Designs to find out more about Elayne, shop her in-stock, and ask her how to get in on the alerts when custom slots become available.  Oh, and you can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter as well!

I'm so thankful for the support of Mama Pepper Designs this month at SortaCrunchy!  And it's an absolute pleasure to introduce her to all of you.

When I Feel Brittle

 

I love our pottery so much.  It makes me happy.  We use it every day.

The thing about pottery is that it gets brittle over time.  The more we use it, the more easily it chips.  That's just how it is.  I would a lot rather have well-loved pottery to serve my family on than stacks of pretty, un-chipped dishes collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.

Earlier this week, Stephanie wrote at Adventures in Babywearing about having cake and eating it, too, and I sighed a big relief.

I can so completely, easily relate to the feeling of unraveling.

Some days I tell Kyle I feel like my entire being is one throbbing, raw nerve. (Those are the worst days.)

But more often there are days when I just feel brittle.

You know brittle, right?

easily broken, cracked, or snapped
easily disrupted, overthrown, or damaged
easily hurt or offended
lacking warmth, depth, or generosity of spirit

Precisely.

(And as I always say when I share these things, it's nothing except that which is common to woman, to mothering, to partnering, to community-ing that brings me to this place.  No special circumstance.  Nothing extraordinary.  Just the business of living.)

Some days it's just the flies dive-bombing the kitchen and the wet swimsuits and towels mildewing on the laundry room floor and the toddler meltdown that arrives at 5 o'clock every day like, well, clockwork and the five year-old falling apart a mind-boggling number of times in one day.  Some days I don't even answer my phone because it's all too rarely, hey girl, I was just thinking of you and it's all too often hey Megan, do you think you could . . . ?

* * * * *

Do you know why brittleness sets in?  It happens when there's an absence of regeneration. 

Did you see this coming?

My most brittle days are the ones where I fly out of bed and into the cyclone of activity without pausing to regenerate or to restore or to receive.

Oh, it's so hard to receive.  When I am the most brittle, I conjure this image of God in my mind - my Heavenly Father describing me in this way:

"Oh, that Megan.  We've worked with her so much to encourage her to live up to her potential.  I don't know where we went wrong." And then, with an barely perceptible tsk, "Such a disappointment."

I know that's not true, but when I get to that place of easily broken that is always the direct result of a lack of renewal, it's easier to buy into that deception rather than fight hard for the truth.  And those are the times when I am simply in no mood for the sweet tea and daisies that so many devotionals for women seem to offer.  I need something real.

And that's why I have been so incredibly blessed by the newest release from Jen Hatmaker - Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load.

The thing about Jen is that she is absolutely the real deal.  She knows what it is to have little ones running around, tugging at every inch of you all day long.  She is far enough ahead of me on the parenting path to be able to offer some much-needed perspective, but no so far ahead that she condescends to patting me on the head with a "this too shall pass, dear."

With devotionals with chapters titled "Chick-Fil-A, Group Baths, and Other Survival Techniques," "Egg Salad Sandwich Disorder and Road Rage," and "Our Own Little Sweatshop," you know you are listening to the wisdom of a friend who is as hilarious as she is insightful.  Her humor, sometimes sarcastic, did raise my eyebrows a few times, but that happens so rarely in the neatly sanitized devotionals I am accustomed to reading that I have to applaud her for her authenticity.

These devotionals are exactly what I need in this season of life - a perfect blend of practical advice and meditations on Scripture.  She brings the person of Christ to life on the pages of this book in a way that is utterly approachable while being extremely challenging.

These forty short devotions (each are three or four pages long) speak to women in my season (mothering in the trenches) and touch on the real issues of my life - teaching children to think of others, finding and clinging to sanity, bringing sexy back to marriage, and jealously guarding time alone with God.

Those brittle days?  Find rejuvenation with reminders from Jen like this:

"The adoration you feel when you watch your sleeping cherubs?  God has it for you.  Your pleasure at fulfilling one of their little dreams?  Jesus shares that feeling with you.  Your bursting heart when your kids laugh?  God feels the same way about your joy." (p. 105)

I need that truth to wash over my mind, to smooth off the ragged edge, to tend to and nurture my easily broken heart.  If your looking for some light-hearted but poignant perspectives for renewing your mind daily, well, I know you'll be blessed by Out of the Spin Cycle.

(Baker Publishing sent me a copy of Out of the Spin Cycle for the purposes of review.  This post is part of the Out of the Spin Cycle blog tour.  Out of the Spin Cycle is available June 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.)

The Birthday Road Trip

First things first: Today at Simple Mom, I have a column up discussing 7 Ideas for Screen-Free Travel with Kids.  There are some great comments already.  If you have a few moments, I would love it if you stopped by to add to the discussion.

In fact, that would be a great birthday present to me.  Because did I mention?  TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!  The big, symmetrical 33! 

Your suggestions on the road trip playlist last week were wonderful.  Thanks for humoring me with that!  My sister Emily and I had an incredible trip.

Here's the rundown:

* On Thursday, I dropped the girls off at their grandparents' where they were so happily ensconced in playing in the yard that they barely looked up to tell me goodbye.

* I headed south on I-35 until I got to north Texas where Emily lives and goes to grad school.  We had fun tootling around town - shopping, eating, and seeing friends.  We talked about ninety miles an hour, and I am confident we annoyed all those around us with our frequent outbursts of laughter.  We then proceeded to stay up way too late, as is our custom.

* Friday morning, we shuffled around and finally hit the road for Austin around noon.  That means we were ready for nourishment just about the time we hit West, Texas - home of the best kolaches ever in the history of man.  My favorites come from The Czech Stop:

 

Then it was back on the road for us!  

Traffic in Austin on a Friday night can get a little gnarly (even worse than usual) but we actually made it to RunTex Riverside in plenty of time for me to pick up my running packet for The Race.

And then - AND THEN! - we headed over to The Shady Grove for dinner with my friend (and Simple Organic editor) Katie Fox!  I called to let her know we were on our way over and told her to look for me - that I would be wearing a green t-shirt and white skirt.  Emily was a little confused.  "Do you think she's forgotten what you look like?"  Um, not so much forgotten - we had never met!  But we've "known" each other for nearly three year through blogging.

Katie (and her hubby and precious daughter) were so much fun.  My friend Melissa also joined us for dinner there, and we stayed for hours and I feel like we could have kept right on talking for hours.

* We drove south out of town a little ways to the home of my friend Angela who had graciously offered to host us.  Catching up with her was the perfect end to an incredible day.

* Saturday morning, we got up bright and early with the sun and drove out to Blanco, Texas, for the Texas Lavender Women's 5K and 10K.  I wish I could have take pictures of the incredible scenery that driving through the Texas Hill Country offers.  It was stunning and just what I needed to settle my nerves before the big 10K.

There were hundreds of women participating in the race, and the atmosphere was awesome!  Everything was so well organized.  If you live in Texas and enjoy running, I HIGHLY recommend running in the annual Texas Women's run at least once!  

 
The race course took us along a gentle road through lavender country, but I had a hard time enjoying the scenery because OHMYGOSH, the heat.  The race started at 8:30 AM and the temps were already rising.  But worse - oh so much worse - than the heat was the humidity.  When the sweat can't evaporate off of your skin because of the humidity, it makes for a miserable race.  My morning runs end as the sun is coming up, so my body was not even a little bit used to running in that kind of weather.  I was disappointed that I had to walk most of the last two miles of the race, but overall, I was happy to have completed it!

While I was on the course, my sister (the artist) thoroughly enjoyed all the art and artisans who were participating in the Lavender Festival.  She got some of the best shots of the trip:

 

 

   

 

* After the race, we drove down into San Marcos - another absolutely breathtaking part of the trip.  There is a big, big part of my heart in the Texas Hill Country, and time spent there was one of the best birthday presents I've ever had.

* Some of my closest friends from our San Marcos days met us for lunch - and again, I could have stayed and talked for hours.  I was reminded of how with such dear friends, it's so easy to pick up right where you left off.  SUCH a treat.

* We ended the day with dinner with Emily's friend (and Austin expert) Patton at Trudy's and a trip out to The Oasis for live music and relaxing.  We stayed in Austin that night - along with nearly a quarter of a million bikers who were in town for the ROT rally.  So that was interesting.

* Sunday morning, we slept in ('til 8:45!  It was glorious!) and made one last stop before we headed northward.  H-E-B is arguably the best grocery store chain IN THE UNIVERSE.  Since neither Emily nor I can shop there anymore, we actually did some grocery shopping as part of our road trip.  I loaded up on Kyle's favorite salsa (we've been unable to locate decent salsa in the Sooner State) and other little goodies.

* One last stop in West - this time, upon recommendation from a friend, at a different bakery.  The kolaches were slightly different, but still scrumptious.  And look at that!  Some Texas-sized cinnamon rolls jumped in the box, too!

 

I arrived home to two sweet girls who were almost as anxious to see me as I was to see them, and my sweet hubby who graciously made this whole trip possible.

Once we reach our thirties, it becomes a challenge to carve out celebrations, doesn't it?  Or is that just me?  It's easy to let a birthday pass by in the season of diapers and Dora and PB&J and constant clutter patrol.  That's what I'm doing today on my actual birthday.  A trip to the library for story time, cleaning house, preparing dinner for our small group tonight . . . just the business of life. 

But I am stopping to pause and remember and treasure the memories of the grown-up road trip.  I feel so incredibly well-celebrated.

Real Food on a Real Budget - review and giveaway! (You know you need it!)

Last Saturday night, my sister and I went to dinner in Austin with her friend Patton.  The topic of Food, Inc. came up, and Patton told me he resolutely refused to watch it because although he knew there were serious problems with some of the foods he was eating, he is a "poor grad student who can't afford to change my eating choices."

I found it interesting that on this topic, I have so much in common with a thirty year old bachelor.

Have you seen Food, Inc.?  Perhaps read one of Michael Pollan's books?  Do you subscribe to blogs in the Real Food Media network?  Does all of this information about the importance of real food make you anxious about funding a Real Food kitchen?

That has been one of the most difficult aspects of embracing change in the realm of food.  I've always just done the best I can do with the money we have in our food budget, and that often meant a lot of compromise.  More whole foods, less processed, more organic, less questionable sources . . . I just kept remembering our trips to Whole Foods in Austin when we would walk out with one bag and a bank account $75 lighter.

This is why I have been so, so grateful for my friend Stephanie Langford's book Real Food on a Real Budget.  Stephanie and I go way back to when she was just starting out at Keeper of the Home, and so I have seen her grow from someone who wrote only occasionally about food choices to a full-grown expert on the matter.

Stephanie has long been an enthusiastic fan of living well within your means and running a home in the most financially efficient manner possible.  Her devotion to thoughtful spending has remained consistent even while figuring out how to bring the best possible food into her home for her family.  All of the research, writing, and work she has done to share her discoveries at Keeper of the Home are now available in this incredibly convenient, outrageously helpful book.

I want for you to go - right now - over to Keeper of the Home to read the description so you know what all you will find in Stephanie's book.

NOW THEN.

Here's why I love it:

• It is extremely well-written.  Stephanie is a gifted writer, and her material is a joy to read.  She can take the most complex ideas and approach them in a way that is completely accessible and very readable.  In other words, she is going to teach you a lot of things that you don't know, but she will never make you feel ashamed for not knowing.
• It is realistic.  She breaks down her own grocery budget for you, sharing her shortcuts, practical solutions, and real food inspirations.
• It is more than just a book.  It's a complete reference.  The vast majority is Stephanie's original material, but there are highlights from other books and websites sprinkled throughout, along with tips and hints from a community of readers AND additional information in the appendix.
• It is for everyone.  There will be some things in there you already know.  I've been meal planning since I was a newlywed, (lo these twelve years ago) but there were pointers in here on meal planning I had not considered.  There will be things in there that you've never dreamed you would consider doing (me?  Growing my own vegetables?!)  and she shows how it can be completely doable.  Whether you are simply toying with the idea of baby steps towards more real food in your home or you if you are an experienced real foodie, you will learn from this book!

You can order the book from this page, or you can try for a chance to win a copy that Stephanie is offering to SortaCrunchy readers! 

*** To be entered to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post! ***

For extra entries, you can

1) Follow Stephanie on Twitter and leave one comment telling me that you did
2) Subscribe to Keeper of the Home and leave one comment telling me that you did
3) If you are a fan of Keeper of the Home on Facebook, leave a comment telling me that you are

Giveaway runs from today until Saturday, June 19th.  Giveaway is open to readers worldwide. 

Food Inc., link is an Amazon affiliate link.  Thank you for supporting SortaCrunchy by shopping through my Amazon recommendations!

Healthy Snacks To Go - WINNERS and discount code!

Good Monday morning, friends!

The two winners of the free copies of Healthy Snacks To Go

are commenters

106 - Steph Dunkle

and

1 - Heather of the EO

(I think it's so cool when Random.org chooses #1!)

For everyone else, Katie has a special deal for the next few days for SortaCrunchy readers.  Enter coupon code SORTADEAL for 25% off of the regular price of the book Healthy Snacks To Go. This coupon code expires June 16th (my birthday!) at midnight.

It looks like today over at Kitchen Stewardship, Katie is sharing another coupon code for Healthy Snacks - JUNEDEAL  Using this code lowers the cost of the book to $5 through midnight, June 15th!

Katie has another new release coming this week, so keep an eye on Kitchen Stewardship for that, and I have another review and giveaway coming up later today.  Like I said - HAPPY MONDAY!

Building the Road Trip Playlist

 
I'm so excited, I can hardly see straight.  In less than twenty-four hours, I'm headed down to Texas for the Blanco run!  My sister Emily agreed to road trip down there with me, and we are both just giddy about the hours of travel ahead of us.

I do love a good road trip.

Especially with my sister.

We never run out of ways to entertain ourselves.  Without a doubt, we will tell stories, talk politics and philosophy, laugh ourselves silly, and at some point, I'm sure we will devolve into singing Chi Omega Rush songs to help pass the time.

Thankfully, we have very similar taste in music - 80s-to-early-to-mid-90s pop, country (especially Texas country), and cheesy show tunes are genres upon which we will always agree.  So today, I'm thinking about the dream playlist.  The songs that elicit a nearly-involuntary response - volume and voices turned up loud.

These songs would definitely find a place on The Road Trip Playlist:

1. "Jessie's Girl" : Rick Springfield - This song takes me back to freshman year of college and navigating freedom and The City with Jaime.  We wore out our Billboard Top Hits: 1981 CD, and Jessie's Girl probably got the most air time.

2. "Love Shack" : B-52s - Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin roof, rusted.

3. "Groove is in the Heart" : Deee-Lite - Sing it, baby.  This song is high school and senior year and Laura and show choir and sno cones and all things good and wonderful in life.

4. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" : Deep Blue Something - Released the spring of my senior year (1995), this song will never be over-played or played-out for me.  It's just fun.

5. "Santa Monica" : Everclear - This is, what, 1996?  Right?  Kyle and I were dating and did quite a bit of road tripping in those days.  Though the lyrics hint at a darker meaning, it has always been for me an impossibly great song that begs for top-of-your-voice-sing-along. 

6. "Run" : George Straight - Sir George can find a place on my playlist anytime, for any reason.  "Run" is especially well-suited for road trips, don't you think?  

Find a truck and fire it up
Lean on the gas and off the clutch
Leave Dallas in the dust
I need you in a rush
So baby, run

Good.  Stuff.

7. "Drink One More Round" : Cory Morrow (with Pat Green and Owen Temple) - Um, this is probably not a song we would belt out in front of the kiddos (what does drink a round mean, Mommy?), but oh my goodness!  This is some Texas country at its best.  I like to spend my days floating down the GUADALUPE RIVER . . . Perfect for this weekend.

8. "Family Tradition" : Hank Williams, Jr - Again, not exactly family friendly.  Like, not at all.  But for some reason, this is a favorite for me and Kyle.  Another song that is just impossible not to sing along to - loudly.

9. Show Tunes.  Particularly from shows in which we were cast members (high school performances only, of course).  Emily can sing every single line to "Joseph's Coat" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat - all of the colors in correct order.  It's pretty impressive.

10.  Your turn!  What are some must-play songs on your road trip playlist?

Summer Essential: Healthy Snacks To Go (review and giveaway!)

When Dacey was two or so, she went through an extreme picky-eater stage.  In my desperation to get her to eat something - anything! - I started buying Clif Kids bars.  She loved them and they seemed sorta nutritious, but oh my goodness was that expensive.  I always thought there had to be a way to make those bars at home for much less money (and with much more control over the ingredients!) but I never followed through on exactly how to go about doing that.

Imagine my supreme delight when I received a copy of the newest release from Katie of Kitchen Stewardship - Healthy Snacks To Go..  Granola Bars, Popeye Bars, and Larabars were the first recipes that caught my eye.  Y'all - she has fourteen different variations of the Larabars in this book!  And all of them are so, so easy.  The most exotic ingredient you will find is coconut oil (we've talked about the before, remember?), and if even I can find that in a small town Oklahoma health food store, then I have to think it's not all that exotic anymore.

But the bars are just a sampling of what you'll find in Katie's book.  There are fruit rolls, smoothie inspirations, cracker recipes, and a special section with ideas for side dishes or lunchbox inclusions and more!. 

In a time when recipes are abundant online, why would you pay a little extra money to purchase an e-book like this?  Here's why:

• There are so many great recipes included, all in one handy little book.  No digging through sites, reading through comments for variations, and printing out page after page of feedback and adjustments.  Katie has thoroughly vetted, worked through, and perfected each recipe she shares.
• Links aplenty!  Not only does Katie share her own super easy, super YUM recipes, she also provides links to some of the best snack recipes from other talented food bloggers.  There are also lots of links to explain processes and philosophies you might not be familiar with if you aren't into all things Real Food.
• As with all things Kitchen Stewardship, these recipes are totally approachable.  If you are into soaking grains, she provides instructions for that.  But if you aren't - no worries!  Each recipe could be made with ease by real food enthusiasts or more mainstream cooks alike.
• Special dietary needs?  Katie has carefully labeled each recipe with icons indicating if a recipe is sugar-free, gluten-free, casein-free, grain-free, nut-free, raw food, no added sweetener, soaked option, or special indulgence.  We don't have particular dietary restrictions here, but I can only imagine if you do that it can be quite the task to figure out if a recipe will work for your family or not.  Katie has worked out a system where you can know in a glance if a recipe will work for you!
• The book is FULL of FAQs and tips and hints and helpful ideas!  Katie has thought of every possible question you might run into on a recipe and answered it for you in advance.  And each page also includes Katie's gentle sense of humor so it reads like a trusted friend sharing her best recipes with you.

For families preparing to hit the road for vacation and explore the outdoors throughout the summer and go on picnics with family and friends, this book is an essential.  I just cannot say enough good things about it.  For the same amount of money you would spend on a few boxes of granola bars, you have a resource for your home that will ensure that you always have a healthy snack or side dish on hand - throughout the summer and all year long!

Because Katie is incredibly generous and extremely awesome, she is offering two - TWO! - free copies of Healthy Snacks To Go as a gift to SortaCrunchy readers.  Here's how to enter to win one of the copies (choose any ONE or ALL of these entry options!):

• Check out the table of contents here and leave a comment telling me the recipe that interests you most
• Browse Katie's recipe collection at Kitchen Stewardship or her Monday Missions and leave a comment telling me your favorite
• Follow Katie on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did
• Like Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did
• Join over 3,000 readers and subscribe to Kitchen Stewardship and leave a comment telling me you did

Giveaway is open to readers worldwide and runs from today (June 7th) through Sunday, June 13th.  Winners will be announced Monday, June 14th.  Happy snacking!

(All links to Healthy Snacks To Go are affiliate links which means I receive a small portion of the proceeds from each book you order through me.  I will say with all honesty, however, that I would be this enthusiastic about the book even if I were not an affiliate!  It's really, REALLY great!)