It's Easy Being Green

After several weeks I’m trying to climb back in the saddle when it comes to the blog bandwagon.  I’ve been out of commission for the last several weeks because my wife and I were getting ready to welcome our first child into the world.  She arrived on June 23rd at The Farm Midwifery Center in Summertown, Tennessee.

My wife really wanted a natural child birth for her first birthing experience.  When we figured out we were expecting she did a lot of reserach on local hospital birthing options and that’s when we realized that she wasn’t going to get the natural experience she wanted in a hospital.  Intervention rates in our area are high and both hospitals we considered wouldn’t allow us to avoid fetal monitoring, alternative birthing positions, etc.  That’s when we started looked for a midwife in southwestern Indiana.

We didn’t have much luck there either.  We found a midwife in the area but she has a history of lawsuits and told us that 90% of her first time Moms end up being transported to the hospital.  She didn’t have any emergency backup options and since Midwifery is unfortunatley illegal in the state of Indiana, we weren’t real comfortable with local options.  That’s when my wife discovered The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee.

The Farm started off in the early 70’s as a spiritual community leading the way in communal living.  One of the most successful components of The Farm community was their Midwifery Center, led by world-reknowned midwife Ina May Gaskin.  Gaskin has written several books on the subject of Midwifery and natural childbirth and her writing helped to direct my wife to go in that direction as opposed to a medicated, un-natural child birth in a local hospital with high intervention rates.

The beauty of The Farm is that just about everyone who lives there also maintains a cabin that is available for rent on their property.  A few of these cabins are primarily used as birthing cabins, where women can give birth in a quiet and relaxing home-like experience.  To be quite honest, in the beginning I still wasn’t convinced that a birth experience at The Farm was the way to.  I was urging my wife to just go “the easy way” by having a birth at the local hospital, using insurance so we didn’t have to lay out a bunch of money to have a birth.  I’m sorry that’s the attitude I carried.  We scheduled our first visit to The Farm to see if this was what we really wanted to do.

Driving onto The Farm the first time was like stepping into a time capsule.  This experiment in communal living certainly felt and looked like a hippie paradise.  Stepping into the Midwifery Center was like walking into a clinic located in some small, third world country at the far reaches of our globe.  As soon as our midwife greeted us at the front door though, it was all over for me.

The first thing I noticed about our midwife, Pamela Hunt, was her calm and warm demeanor.  As soon as we were in her presence, I felt every worry about a natural birth experience melt away and knew this was the place where we were going to introduce our little one into the world.  In addition to our monthly, insurance covered visits to a local OB/GYN in Indiana, we made a visit to see Pamela at The Farm during at least every trimester and kept in touch with her via email and telephone after every prenatal checkup back home.

Since we live more than 200 miles from Summertown, Tennessee, we knew we weren’t going to be able to hop in the car when my wife’s water broke and head to The Farm.  A rushed, frantic three and a half hour car ride while my wife is in labor just wasn’t going to be option.  That’s where the rental cabins at The Farm came into play.  Just about everyone who lives there also has a cabin available for rental.  Several of the cabins are designated as birthing cabins, giving women and their families a place to relax and enjoy a natural homebirth experience.  We opted to rent Pamela’s cabin which was right next door to her house.  It doesn’t get much more comforting than that!

We headed to The Farm two weeks before my wife’s due date and got her all setup in the cabin.  I stayed weekends and drove back to Evansville during the week to go to work, since I wasn’t going to be allowed to take very much time off.  I had just returned home very late after the second weekend at The Farm when I awoke to the home phone ringing at 7:30 in the morning.  I knew right away what the call was about.  My wife had awoken to her water breaking and was getting ready to sit and have breakfast with her Mom who was staying at the cabin in my absence.  I immediately got our zoo of animals resituated at the house and made my excited trek back down to Tennessee to help welcome my first child into the world.  In the meantime she took a morning stroll to The Farm Store down the road from the cabin and visited with Pamela about the day ahead.

When I arrived at 2pm my wife was obviously excited to see me.  We hung out for a bit and then she laid down to take a nap and rest up for the birth.  It was hot and extremely humid that afternoon but the stickiness seemed to have a certain energy about it.   Early in the evening, she woke up and was beginning to get some strong contractions about every 2 to 3 minutes.  Knowing that the birth process was starting was both daunting and exciting.

To read the rest of our birth story, check in tomorrow!

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It’s been a whirlwind past few weeks as we get into the final days of my wife’s pregnancy.  I can’t believe how quickly times has flown by and how much I’ve had to get done.  Admidst all that, I’m ramping up for the Summer garden season and am getting ready to get our vegetable patch going.

I probably should have started my seedlings a lot sooner but since this is my first season here in the Midwest, I’m a little behind the curve.  We’ve been saving our used cardboard egg cartons and just turned those into a seedling factory a couple of weeks ago.  They work great and don’t drain water all over the place and they save space too.  Eventually, you’re supposed to be able to just clip the individual egg cups apart and plant the whole thing just like a peat pot.

Another egg carton seedling tray with lemon cucumbers and yellow squash reaching for the sky.

I had a few loose seed packets left over from previous years so I started some lemon cucumbers, zuchinni, yellow squash, Trip-L Crop Climbing Tomato, Benchmark Tomato, Jumbo Tomato and some bush beans.  So far, the sprout factory is off to the races with with many of the squash plants winning.  Some are even ready to be potted up because they’re getting a bit leggy now.

My next task is to get the future garden plot prepared for planting.  We’ve been inundated with rain for the past three weeks or so and it seem like we’re finaly going to get a short dry spell.  That will hopefully allow me the chance to actually get out and get some soil turned over and ready to go.  The composter is set up and already on a roll.  We just cleaned out the rabbit hutches and that provided a lot of great compost material, along with our usual kitchen scraps and trimmings from the bushes and flowers around the house.

So, how does your garden grow this time of year?  Are you a Midwestern gardener with some time tested tips?  Let me know what you’re growing and what you can always rely on for a bumper crop harvest!

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If you’re like me, your ears perk up anytime you hear that a company is offering you to try their product for free.  That’s why I’ve been impressed with Kashi, every few months rolling out a new product that people can try for free.  I think it’s a great marketing ploy, especially in our current economic troubles.  Just a few weeks ago, Kashi was advertising a coupon to try one of their new frozen dinners for free so I decided to give it a shot.

I haven’t been impressed with the other two Kashi products I’ve tried with their free coupon system.  First it was one of their breakfast/energy bars which I thought was terrible and have never bought another one since.  Second it was their line of granola-like breakfast cereals.  Once again, I thougth I was eating a bowl of nuts, twigs and leaves from the forest floor and couldn’t stand the taste or texture.  So, I was a little hesitant as I popped my Kashi frozen dinner and in the microwave and watched it cook.

I really wanted to try the Lemongrass Chicken dinner but my local grocery store didn’t carry it.  So I ended up going with the all-natural Southwest Style Chicken.  Pulling the dinner out of the microwave left a pleasant southwestern smell which got my mouth watering and excited to try the meal.

The grilled chicken breast was seasoned with lime, cumin and a hint of chipotle and diced into small pieces.  The flavorings were definitely present but not even throughout the chicken.  The chicken was on a bed of fire roasted onions, corn, red and green peppers and Kashi’s 7 whole grains and sesame pilaf.  The mixed in vegetables were very tasty and the whole grain pilaf was actually very good.  I didn sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top of the dish and that made it even better and allowed the flavors to really pop.

The frozen dinner is a bit small and didn’t fill up my “growing boy’s stomach” but was so tasty I scraped the dish it was in to get every last little bit.  Kashi says they use only high quality, natural ingredients with no preservatives or artificial anythings, ever.  The Southwest Style Chicken contained 16 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.  When I have the money, I will probably give Kashi’s other frozen dinners a try.  I’m always looking for something to spice up the humdrum of my leftovers I usually take to work but get tired of running to the corner fast food joint to eat something totally horrible for me.

If you’ve tried the other dinners in Kashi’s new frozen line, let us know what your thought were!

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Our latest prenatal visit to our midwife showed that my wife’s pregnancy is going great and that our little girl growing inside seems to be right where she needs to be.  It’s hard to believe that in just about 90 days, that little life inside of my wife’s belly will be plopped right into our arms.  I’m excited and know it will be such a tremendous experience.

In the meantime, I have run across some more homemade items that you can use for your baby and that I will use for mine once she’s here.  Blog reader Misty responded to my homemade baby lotion recipe post and said:

“I also know there are good “recipes” out there for make your own baby wipes, both using traditional paper towels (goodish), and using rag squares (much better).”

Misty’s comment got me looking and sure enough, there are recipes out there for homemade baby wipes.  I imagine they can get expensive after awhile so if you’re resourceful and are looking to cut down on your baby costs, you might want to give this a go!

Homemade Baby Wipes:

- 5 large plastic containers with high sides

- 1 roll of Bounty paper towels

- 2 cups of cold tap water (I would probably use distilled because I don’t like the added chemicals in our local tap water supplies)

- 6 Tbsp. of baby oil

- 2 Tbsp. of baby bath liquid

Slice the roll of paper towels in half and remove the center cardboard tube.  Place the ingredients into a medium bowl and mix.  Don’t mix too much because the mixture will foam up and you’ll have to start over again.  Place the paper towels in the container and pour the solution over the top.  It will take about 1 hour for all the liquid to be absorbed into the paper towels.  Place the baby wipes in a well-sealed plastic container and use as needed.

This post reminds me of an adult friend I have who has always sworn by using baby wipes for his own bum.  The thought has always cracked me up but maybe he’s got a point.  At least now I have a great homespun present to whip up for him that I know he’d truly appreciate!

I’m still on the lookout for a recipe that uses rags instead of paper towels.  That would be more sustainable considering you could probably just wash those and resue them instead of buying paper towels all the time.  If you have any homemade recipe or remedies, please share them with us and I’ll post them on the blog.  Thanks Misty for your great idea!

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So one of my favorite bloggers, Hot Belly Mama, is hosting a great giveaway right now.  Since I’m getting ready to have a baby, my wife and I have been searching for an eco-friendly alternative to all the plastic diaper waste we could possibly contribute to the local landfill.  The Bumgenius diaper is one alternative we’ve looked at since we’re “eco-freaks” and have thought about giving them a try.  If you’re in the same boat, head over to her blog for a chance to win.  Here’s the details:

Good luck!

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Frustration is beginning to set in over our ongoing home search.  As my regular readers may know, my wife is pregnant with our first child.  We’re expecting a bright, bouncing bundle of joy at the end of June and we just can’t wait.  In the meantime, we’re looking for a new place to live.

The home we rented when we moved here to Indiana six months ago is falling apart around us and the landlords just don’t seem to care.  The basement is leaky and moldy, the cast iron pipes have numerous issues and it’s just too small for us.  You should be amazed at the brevity of that explanation because the list does go on and on.

We tried to get conventional financing for a home and we need to clean a couple things up on the credit report before we can get the money.  It’s estimated it will be a couple of months before we can buy something on our own so in the meantime, we’re looking for another rental we can call home for awhile.  We thought we found the perfect place both for living and enjoying a homestead life just a few minutes away from our current house.

From the front, the Red Country House doesn't look like much but take a look at the back and it's a different story.

The Red Country House as my wife and I began calling it, is an early 1900’s home complete with unfinished basement and partially finished attic that would make a great sewing/craft room and children’s play area.  Despite the period looks, the owners of the home have done a really nice job fixing everything up and at least keeping it liveable.  But the house wasn’t what really caught my imagination.  It was the land surrounding it.

Big windows fill the back of the house with natural light and a closed in sun porch provides ample space for plants to overwinter.

Sitting on 5 acres, the Red Country house was surrounded by space and trees, lots of them.  You pulled down a gravel driveway about 50 yards and circled around the back of the country house.  A small two bay garage sat behind the house in addition to an old barn.  The barn was spruced up with a fresh coat of paint and a new roof, complete with a rooster weathervane on the peak.  Further back, a large prefab metal building sat in the middle of the property but the oasis behind it was amazing.

The green gambrel style barn has lots of possibilities and adds to the property's charm.

Plopped in the middle of 5 acres behind this prefab building was an amazing organic garden.  Now it’s winter, so nothing was growing but you could see the layout complete with a rotating composter and deer deterrent fencing.  In the middle of the garden, young fruit trees beginning to bud out for the spring.  Adjacent to that space was a large stand of trees complete with antique farming equipment scattered admidst their trunks.  There was an old cultivator that a farmer could ride on behind his horse and other devices that showcase a time gone by.

The organic garden space complete with fruit trees in the middle and a rotating composter awaiting fresh kitchen scraps.

At the back end  of the 5 acres was a large patch of open grass, awaiting the construction of a new home or whatever vision someone could come up with.  I stood back there thinking about a home orchard and berry patch, a gazebo and maybe even a duck pond.  But then I had to pinch myself.

The back end of the 5 acres looking toward the front and the Red Country House. The organic garden space is right in front of the large metal prefab building in the middle of the property.

The property is a rental afterall and the owners seem quite content with continuing to own it.  One of these days I’ll find our perfect homestead where we can truly begin to live the self-sufficient and quiet lifestyle we desperately desire.  It was the perfect blend of rural charm with city conveniences just a few blocks away.

So what’s your dream homestead like?  Have you found it yet?  If you have found your perfect dream homestead let me know.  I’d love to feature some of my readers places they call home sweet homestead.

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Since my wife and I are expecting our first child, due in early Summer, I’ve been poking through my books taking a look at some homemade items we can make instead of buying at the local store.  I ran across this recipe for Creamy Baby Lotion in Dr. Myles H. Bader’s book 1,001 Secret Household Formulas and Money Saving Tips.  The book has hundreds of ideas and homemade products you can put together yourself.

Because you’re making this lotion yourself, it’s not loaded with dozens of chemical preservatives to make it have a longer shelf life.  So, don’t expect this lotion to last a long time if it goes unused.

Ingredients for Creamy Baby Lotion:

- 1 cup of pure distilled water

- 2 Tbsp. beeswax (grated)

- 1/2 cup of vigin olive oil

- 20 drops of essential lavender oil

- 4 drops of essential rose oil

Place the water in the top of a double boilers and add the wax.  Heat until all the wax has melted, then transfer the mixture to a blender.  Slowly add the olive oil while blending on a low speed.  As soon as all the olive oil has been blended, add the essential oils and blend for a few seconds.  Allow the mixture to cool in a heat-safe dish until it is creamy.  Store in a well-sealed container and use just like any other lotion.

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