Guest Post: Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Since I had two very difficult pregnancies and have sought to block out those times of my life, I'm glad to share this guest post from Katie about healthy habits during pregnancy. Check out her blog, Moore From Katie, for more tips and ideas!

Guest Post from Katie at Moore From Katie

Natural Tips for Mom and Baby

When a woman becomes pregnant she has a lifetime of dreams ahead of her.  Anticipating the baby’s arrival, striving to enjoyable a comfortable pregnancy and making plans to be as healthy as possible are just a few things that are on a woman’s mind when the news of the conception is received.  For me, I was determined to make my pregnancy an enjoyable one!  

Following a few simple steps can prepare you to have a comfortable pregnancy and will also prepare you to provide your baby with top-quality nutrition and care.

The Benefits of Water and Rest
If you are looking forward to having either a natural delivery or cesarean section, it is important for your body to be strong, healthy and equipped to handle the trials of labor.  The stronger your body is during your pregnancy, the easier it will be for you to meet your goal of having a wonderful delivery!

Drinking a lot of water will help you to flush unwanted toxins from your body.  Water will also help you to deal with headaches and joint aches during pregnancy.  Getting plenty of rest is important so your mind and body feel equipped to handle each new day without feeling the stress of being depleted and overworked.  Try getting to bed an hour or half hour early each evening during your pregnancy.  Don’t hesitate to indulge in a weekend nap and make sure you get off your feet as much as possible.

Begin Planning Organic Baby Food Meals
If you enjoy eating organic foods, it is a whole new ballgame preparing organic baby food!  While it is a challenge to fix healthy baby food, it is also a fun journey that will give your baby wonderful nutrients when he or she is old enough to eat solid foods.  

Purchasing wholesome foods such as organic sweet potatoes, organic peas and unprocessed oatmeal will give you an excellent foundation to begin making healthy and nutritious foods for your baby once he is ready to eat solids.  Finding these foods at farmers’ markets is one of the best places to get chemical-free foods without spending a fortune.  Learning how to prepare them during pregnancy will make it a breeze to slip into the habit of making wholesome foods for your child when it is time.  These simple steps really benefited me, and I hope they will help you out, too!

As with any aspect of your pregnancy, please make sure to consult with your doctor before making any changes.  My doctor helped me make decisions about nutrition, delivery options, cord blood banking options and so much more.  Hopefully you can enjoy a happy and healthy pregnancy. 

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26

Book Review...Little Blessings:Bedtime Stories and Prayers

I’m always on the lookout for quality children’s books, especially ones I can read out loud to my kids. (Now that Junior can hear, he enjoys listening as well!) When Little Blessings: Bedtime Stories and Prayers arrived in our mailbox, my 4-year old immediately took it and started “reading” it to herself. While she wasn’t actually reading the words, she proclaimed “I love it!!”, then gave me the chance to read it. Little Blessings: Bedtime Stories and Prayers is made up of four previously published poems and stories, brought together in this one book suitable for reading to a child right before bed, or anytime actually. The poems are light and fanciful, and easy for a young child to follow along. They talk about blessings, and about how God created the nighttime, so they don't need to feel scared. 

Once I finally got a hold of the book when my daughter was finished, I could immediately understand why she loved it! On first glance, the illustrations are adorable, and very well done. It seemed somehow familiar to me…I then noticed that Elena Kucharik, the Care Bears creator and illustrator, was the artist. The illustrations make the book, I think. They are absolutely charming. I think this book is a wonderful addition to our children’s book collection, and would make for a wonderful baby shower gift or gift for any child who enjoys being read to.

*While I was provided a complimentary copy of Little Blessings: Bedtime Stories and Prayers from Tyndale  House Publishers, all opinions regarding the book are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Ever since I posted my slow cooker black bean recipe, waaaaay back in the day that I first started this blog, people have been asking how they can tweak the recipe to make refried beans. Well, you'll be happy to hear that slow cooker refried beans are very simple to make, and don't require any lard, (like the truly authentic taqueria beans), but still taste amazing.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

• 1.5 C dry pinto beans, picked through and rinsed
• 4.5 C hot water (helps the beans cook faster)
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• 1/2 onion peeled, left whole OR 1/2 C finely chopped onion
• 2.5 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 or 1/4 chopped jalapeno depending on your spice tolerance (seeds removed)
• Combine all ingredients, cook on low 8 to 10 hours, or until soft. If using whole onion, discard. 
• Remove beans to a large bowl, and reserve water in slow cooker. Add 1/2 to 1 C of cooking liquid at a time to beans, and mash with a potato masher or fork until desired consistency is attained.
• Serve and enjoy!
• Note: Like my black beans, I like to start these on high for 3-4 hours, then switch to low for 5-6 hours. If your beans do not seem to cook in 8-10 hours on low, try this method. I have found there to be a variance in the cooking times for different brands of dried beans. The older the beans, the longer they take to cook as well.

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Junior's Story...Part 3

Read Parts One and Two of Junior's Story.

After receiving the diagnosis that Junior was profoundly deaf, we were left with more questions than answers. Obviously, we needed to process the shock of having a child with special needs, then have to make some decisions that would affect the rest of his life. Did we want to immerse him in the deaf community, teaching him to communicate via sign language? Or did we want to pursue the cochlear implant option, that would allow him to mainstream into society?

After much prayer and consideration, we chose the path that would allow Junior to receive a cochlear implant. Many dozens of doctor's appointments ensued, as well as a hospital visit to determine via MRI if his anatomy would support an implant. After months of waiting, which seemed like an eternity, we were grateful beyond words to find out that Junior was, in fact, a cochlear implant candidate.

A cochlear implant does not restore normal hearing (some say that sound is perceived as somewhat mechanical), and any residual hearing must be destroyed in order to perform the surgery, but with enough therapy and exposure to sound, Junior will be able to hear and develop near normal speech.

At 8 months old, we watched as the Operating Room nurse carried Junior back, wearing his baby hospital gown, and smiling at us. After a 7 hour surgery, we were told all was successful. Junior's surgery site had to heal for the next three weeks, then we would attach the external implant pieces and be able to "turn them on", allowing him to hear for the first time.

The moment that Junior first heard my voice was surreal. I called his name and he turned. He heard my husband's voice and smiled. Sound is a small thing that almost everyone takes for granted, but to us, Junior's simply hearing our voices is the miracle we had be praying for, and we thank God every day that he has given our boy this opportunity.

Junior Wearing his Cochlear Implants

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Book Review: "When Jesus Wept"

As a self-proclaimed history nerd, I enjoy reading books that have an historical element, and historical fiction has always been my favorite book genre.

My favorite authors of this genre to date has to be Brock and Bodie Thoene. They have written dozens of gripping books over more than a few series, including settings in 1930s Germany, 1940s Israel, and the 1st Century AD. The Thoene's most recent series, The Jerusalem Chronicles, takes a creative stab at the life of Jesus, and His followers and ministry. The first book in this series, When Jesus Wept (Jerusalem Chronicles, The), focuses on the life of Lazarus.

The thing I like most about the Thoene's writing is also the most aggravating at times. They bring so much detail and character development to their stories, that I can bank on the first 50 pages being really slow. Luckily, once I've gotten past the background information and character development, the rest of the book flies by and I can't seem to put it down.

When Jesus Wept brings the story of Lazarus to life, and through a fictional account of Lazarus's background, allows you to feel connected to him through his journey as a vineyard owner to being the center of one of Jesus's most famous miracles--raising him from the dead. One of my favorite parts of the book was how the Thoene's used vineyard allegories and comparisons when describing Jesus's miracles and mission. The book was very interesting, and I like how they brought characters and incidents in from some of their previous books so it felt very pulled together.
 
Jesus Wept was different from some of the other Thoene books in terms of action. Their series that are set in the early state of Israel (Palestine in 1947-1948), and Germany and Austria in the 1930s are filled with action, tense scenarios, and adventure. Jesus Wept is more dialogue and character building for what I'm assuming will be the rest of the series. It did a good job portraying Jesus as human while still presenting Him as the fullness of God, and I enjoyed how they described Jesus's miracle of the Water into Wine at the wedding, using some of the background information on vineyards and wine making the Thoene's had presented in the early pages when introducing us to Lazarus.

In summary, I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't say this was my favorite series thus far. I would have liked to have seen more action, and there were obviously some creative liberties taken in describing how they imagined Jesus and His followers.

**I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher for review. All reviews and opinions are my own.