Random acts of thankfulness and prayer

Do you ever do things habitually and not even notice that you do?  Things you've done so long that you don't even remember why or when you started?  Some of these may end up being bad habits, but some are good, and one of these is what I'm writing about today.

I have a habit of giving thanks when I'm doing mundane tasks.  I know there was a big fad (if you can call it that) a couple years ago about deliberately counting and giving thanks for every little thing.  This is a good thing to focus on, but I realized at that time that I already did it many times every day.

For example, every morning when I'm making my coffee I am thankful for petty little things.   Like electricity to heat my water (and for my cute little tea kettle to heat it with).  And then for ground coffee so I don't have to take time to grind it (that's what happens when you buy the cheap stuff!)  I then go to the cupboard and pick out my favorite mug-of-the-day.  I am thankful that I have so many favorites (I only keep the ones I love), so every morning it's exciting to pick out what coffee cup to use that day.   I'm thankful each day that my French press is not broken (the kids unload it from the dishwasher rather carelessly most days).  And I'm thankful that I'm getting my essential fatty acids as I put my coconut oil in it and drink it away.  Most days it's cold before I get a chance to drink much, but the thankfulness is still there for the ritual of it all.

 

Another thing I do each day is give thanks for my dishwasher.  Every day as I'm loading it I say a few thankful prayers to God for having a dishwasher (because of the amount I dislike doing dishes).  And for each dirty dish because they mean that my kids are healthy and able to eat.  And that we have enough food to feed them.  I give thanks that we're able to share so many meals together as a family, as seen by the many dishes that get washed.  I'm also thankful that I'm not pregnant, as dishwashers are NOT made for a big pregnant belly.  When I've been pregnant, I give thanks that the discomfort while loading a dishwasher doesn't last forever!  I realized recently that I do this each day, and I have no idea how long I've been at it.  A good habit to keep up on.

I also pray thankful prayers for friends and family while changing diapers many times each day and while mowing the lawn and hanging clothes on the line (maybe that's why I enjoy them so much).  It always happens to be the same people who I pray for, so some people get prayed for a lot more than others, I'd say!

Recently (about 3 weeks ago), we seemed overwhelmed by bad news.  Greg's Grandma fell and broke her hip.  His uncle had a heart attack.  His aunt was also hospitalized for various health concerns.  Another family we know lost their 5 year old boy in a tragic accident.  My cousin was in ICU intubated with pneumonia and the prognosis was not good for quite some time.  A young family we know has been struggling with cancer.  A few more friends have injuries, terminal illness, marriage turmoil and perils of different sorts.    Although we were doing okay ourselves, we were reminded that we should, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."  Galations 6:2.  When I would notice that I was worrying (about situations that I have no control over), I would try to turn it into a prayer instead.  Greg and I both felt the weight of their struggles, but were reminded "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." Romans 12:15.  It was okay to feel that burden.  It is actually an honor and a privilege to pray for those we love.  Especially when they may not have the strength or faith to pray themselves some times.  

The time was rather dark, but God is always faithful.  He has reasons for all that we go through.  Pain and suffering are part of this fallen world, even if we may not understand it.  Tough times often draw us nearer to God, which is such a good thing, but none of us would wish it on anyone.  I think of many of the saints in the Bible, and none of them had it easy either.  Even God's own children were not very obedient to Him throughout the ages.  There certainly is nothing new under the sun and this is how we can rest in His promises and put all our hope and trust in Him!

Saving jeans, one pair at a time

Now that I am the proud mother of 3 boys, I've been pondering ways to increase jean life.  I normally would peruse garage sales and thrift stores for them and snatch them up whenever I could.  This worked well except for two things.  1) they didn't always fit right and then I'd have to get rid of them  2) they would wear out "prematurely" in my estimation (because they'd already been worn). 

With 3 boys, I can see us going through a lot more jeans in the coming years.  So, I began to think of how I could stretch out the life of the jeans we already own, as well as keeping them looking tip-top on most occasions.  I don't mind jeans with holes in them around the house for playing (another bonus to homeschool), but prefer hole-less jeans for town and such. 

I know they make double front jeans for men, but as of yet have not found them for boys.  New jeans are expensive especially x3.  Buying patches for so many jeans gets expensive too, and they are so thick that it makes the knees not bend very easily either.  I've also tried sewing old jean pieces as patches into the new to make my own double layer knees, but it didn't work very well either (they still wore out rather quickly).  My solution came as I was folding some Dickie's pants that one of the boys has.  They had interfacing ironed into the pants around the knees straight from the factory.  Eureka!  I tried this at home with a couple pairs, but it wore through right away.  It must have been too thin (I just used ordinary interfacing).  I then went to the fabric store and found the sturdiest iron-on interfacing they had (the actual cotton fabric with glue on the back for putting in collars of shirts) and bought some.  If I could patch up the jeans before they wore out, maybe they'd look better for much longer.

I then came home and tried it out.  I ironed the interfacing on the inside of the new jeans and then ran a row of stitching around the whole "patch" to reinforce the corners. (I have tried putting on iron-on patches in the past and the glue loosens at the corners after a few washings- not good!)

Here's what it looks like from the inside.  It's still a bit of work to add to my day, but I think it's such a shame to have to throw jeans away so soon after just the knees wear out and the rest of the jeans are fine.  I'm certainly not up to making crafts out of them and you can only use so many pairs of cut offs!  I do wish I had an "arm" on my sewing machine which would make stitching around these much easier, but I don't, so I just bunch it up as necessary and go sewing along.

So far I've been happy with the results.  The jeans that I've done it to look great and the fibers stay stronger as they stay intact much better.  It'll take a few years before Isaac is wearing the jeans that Luke is in now, so I can't tell you if I'll get 3 boys through them or not!  I still shop for second hand jeans when I can, but have also found a fairly good deal on new jeans at Old Navy.  They go on sale for $10/pair.  Dark wash (which shows less stains and the stitching from the patches) and an adjustable waist (necessary for skinny boys!)  Makes me a happy Mom.  Now to do the same for shoes...(please help!)

How do you stretch your kids clothing life with your budget?  Where do you find the best deals?

The good, the bad and the newest normal

Having a baby definitely brings out the best and worst in people.  I've heard it said that having a baby brings a family closer together, yet I've witnessed it also pulling a family apart as well.  It's so uplifting to see a miraculous being created by God Himself and being given to us as a free gift.  How amazing is that?!  But, it also brings out the worst in even the meekest of saints.

Right now I am sitting here nursing a (fussy) baby who is supposed to be napping while I attempted to plant my pathetic garden.  This morning we went into town to meet up with the farmers of the CSA (community supported agriculture) we are planning to join to get fresh produce for the summer.  I've wanted to join one in the past, but the cost scared me.  Turns out this one will be 2/3 the price I normally spend on (mostly non-organic trucked in) produce from the store.  And it's fresh picked.  And it's organic.  Hooray!  We'll see if the quantity works out to be similar or not.  

Speaking of my pathetic garden, I have no idea how women of the past with babies had gardens.  "Just tend it while baby naps," they say.  Umm, yeah.  I have million things to do while baby naps.  One of them would be to take a nap myself, which rarely happens because of those million other things to do!  Of all the seeds I planted, it's not looking good.  No carrots came up.  A few meager beets did (out of a whole package).  1 pea plant out of 2 packages of seeds.  The beans are up but I accidentally bought bush beans instead of pole beans which will take up way more room and the leaves are looking like a slug has been eating on them.  I planted a bunch of seeds in the sun room which are half transplanted in the garden before having to come in and tend to baby.  We'll see how they do.  I haven't had much luck in the past with them, but am trying again.  Tomatoes just got transplanted, so don't know their status either.  Last year we got a few snow peas (maybe 2 small bowls), one meal of green beans and although the tomatoes were plenteous and delicious, they froze before we could harvest the majority of them.  Sigh!  I'm going to keep trying though, because it's worth it.  I know our lovely chicken Bridget has been down in the garden, so I'm hoping she hasn't eaten all my seeds.  That would be quite the situation.

This kind of frustration absolutely brings out the worst in me.  I'm normally a pretty patient person.  With the fussiness I've dealt with with our other babies, it's definitely taught me not to get my hopes up too high as to what can get done in a day.  But, I still have expectations.  I'm told by outsiders to lower my expectations for this stage in life.  That's fine, but I really don't know how to bring them any lower without resorting to sheer chaos around here.  Meals are pretty hodge podge, although consistently so!  The weeds have completely taken over our yard, which would be a hard yard to keep up on even if we were retired and had nothing but time on our hands.  It is kind of a kick in the teeth when our next door neighbor faithfully mows his lawn each Sunday morning as we're heading off to church, while our weed patch is waving in the wind.  I try to have a few flower beds with perennials, but they are absolutely covered in weeds too so you can't see the flowers.  And spraying the weeds just doesn't sit well with me.  We tried mulching, but obviously didn't put a thick enough layer down, as the weeds are heartier than even this year. 

To lower my expectations any lower would be cause more trouble rather than less.  You need to have some joys in life, otherwise it just gets to be complete drudgery.  I try to pick simple joys and these help me through the not-so-fun tasks.  Simple joys (tasks) to me are things like hanging clothes on the line.  Cloth diapers, while I hang them on the line (double savings).  The ritual of making coffee in my French press and then picking my favorite mug of the day and savoring my coffee out of it.  Yes, these all take more time than the conventional ways, but they are the enjoyable time in my day.  

Dishes on the other hand, are not.  I procrastinate on dishes far too often, which leaves me with way more dishes than if I did them regularly.  Although I dislike that about myself, I haven't been able to change it yet.  No matter how many dishes I do, there's always more within (usually) 15 minutes.  Or less.  Getting dishes done is never an accomplishment, as there's always some that I forget on a random counter, or a dishwasher to unload (the kids do it, but it still nags at me to make sure it's done).  If I wash them all, then they need to be dried and put away and that just never gets done.  My dish rack is always full.  Ugh. Not my idea of a good time. 

Having more kids also makes me realize that each child needs more time for different needs, which is difficult to give when a newborn needs a great quantity of my time.  This (in the long run) is not a bad thing, as children from larger families make better spouses and get along with others better too.  But, at this stage of the game all I see is the areas lacking that need my attention.  Behavior issues.  Discipline.  Attitude adjustments.  Potty training needs.  More reading time (me to them, them to me).  More memory work.  More Bible time.  More time with my husband.  But, it just ain't happenin' right now.  And that's just the way it is.   I guess I don't see how all those things draw a family closer together as some claim.  I do have to make my other kids work harder, which is good.  I try to appreciate the time I have with each of them separately and our time as a whole.  I do have a good attitude most days (thanks to B vitamins and green powder) up until about 7 pm. and then bedtime often gets a bit messy!  I try to have a basic routine each day to keep us on track which helps immensely.  

But...I'm still looking forward to the day when a child takes initiative for something and just goes for it.  Picks up a toy without being told.  Starts schoolwork before I tell them to.  Helps out a sibling without being asked.  Brushes their teeth without a huge mess in the bathroom.  Things like that.  I do have hope, as I've seen that each child does get older.  Our older 4 do sleep through the night, much as I never thought they would.  They can eat by themselves and are good eaters for the most part.  They do know how to do most jobs, even if I have to regularly motivate and remind them to stay on track.

I realize these years are fleeting.  And I'm okay with that.  I love interacting with my kids each day.  3 meals each day where we can visit and enjoy each others company and learn about something new each time (whether a story, an imagination gone wild, a question needing an answer, a Bible devotion or whatever it is we're talking about that day).  I love enjoying my baby.  Cuddling, waking up with her next to me, rocking her to sleep and just smiling at her and her smiling back. I love it when a toddler climbs into bed with me and cuddles before taking on the day.  And rubbing the kids feet or backs when they're having a rough time (or if I have an extra few minutes at bedtime).   Those are the moments not to gloss over.  And I love them.  But they don't make up the majority of the day, even if they're interspersed throughout.  

The majority of my time seems to be nagging and cajoling young'ns to do (minimal) chores, nursing a baby while looking at the cobwebs and messes I can't reach, and tripping on 100's of miscellaneous items on the floor.  Legos and paper scraps from crafts seem to be the worst culprits around here and they drive me batty.  It simply amazes me how much paper can be snipped up into a million pieces in an incredibly short time.  And the scraps are obviously too big to vacuum up, but too small to pick up one by one.  I think paper scraps are the bane of my existence around here.  Not sure what to do about that one, since that's about the only crafts that the kids do.  They just love cutting up paper and boxes to make "projects", and I do love the creativity it brings, but oh, the mess, the mess!

Anyhow, that's what's going on around here lately.  A bit of this, a bit of that.  A bit of the good, a bit of the bad and mostly just trying to get used to our new normal in life.

A Chicken Tale

Last summer we added 6 more chickens to our flock of 6.  These 12 hens gave us plenty of eggs and entertainment all summer and fall.  Until the coyotes moved in.  Then the raccoons.  One by one, our chicken flock dwindled.  We had them fenced in all day and locked in their coop at night, but still chickens were going missing (sometimes in broad daylight while I was home).  Greg got on the lookout with the shotgun, but didn't get a coyote until 11 were already dead.  The raccoons left telltale paw prints in the snow where they had broken into the hen house at night, left 2 dead inside and then escaped over the fence to get away.

Needless to say, our lone chicken Bridget (named for a Busytown character) was a little spooked to sleep in her coop.  We thought she might be lonely, so we sent her over to live at our neighbors who have a flock of their own (although also dwindling due to coyotes).  After a few days, we see Bridget strutting her way back home to our house.  She settled back in and has been spending her days digging up my garden (ugh!) and her nights up in our other neighbors holly bush (a pretty safe choice).  She's stayed alive for now 5 months longer than the rest, and faithfully gives us 1 egg each day.

We'll probably get more chickens someday since we love the fresh eggs and scrap eaters, but for now she's the lone ranger!

Missing family - Found!

There's always been some questions in our family history. We have a great-grandfather who disappeared, never to return.  The story has been that my maternal great-grandmother Briita Frederiika Charlotta Pell (Lottie, as she was known) met him (William Charles Smith) at Oaks Park in Portland (where he was working as a carnie), then they married.  When Lottie was 3 months pregnant with my Grandma (Ada Margaret Smith); WCS (as I'll refer to him from now on) took all their money out of the bank and left in the night never to return.  It's always been a question what happened to him.  This happened in 1914, exactly 100 years ago.

Lottie then returned to her parent's farm in eastern Oregon (she had been living and working in Portland) to give birth to my Grandma and raise her there.  Eventually Lottie filed some sort of divorce for desertion and did remarry when my Grandma was about 6 or 7, but the new marriage never resulted in any children, so my Grandma remained an only child. 

Great Grandma and Grandma

Because of the time this happened, Lottie always wondered if WCS had gone back to England (where he was from) to fight in WWI.  Maybe he was killed in the war.  Because she was quite hurt by him leaving, neither she nor my Grandma ever looked into it too deep what may have become of him.  But, now that they are both gone, my aunts and Mom have wondered and started looking into it.  They did find some possible family members names before Grandma died, but had no way to find out where they lived (they only knew they were in Canada).  Grandma thought it was interesting that she might have 2 half brothers, but didn't really want to know much more than that.  She was 90+ at the time, and had lived her whole life without them.  She passed away at 92 in 2008.

Kurtti siblings now- Beth, Ruth Anne, Susie, Hilkka (Jim's new wife), Jim, Becky, Julie Mary, Phebe

Fast forward to now.  My parents live in Alberta, Canada and one day they were having coffee and visiting with their neighbor, an Englishman (or it may have more likely been tea!)  The neighbor had been mentioning that he was doing some genealogy on his wife's family, through his hometown of Aldershot, England.  My Mom's ears perked up, as that had been where WCS was from (there is an army base there, apparently).  She asked if he'd mind checking into what he could find out about our great-grandfather.  He said that he'd love to.

Great Grandma cooking in the farm cook shack when Grandma was 5

He found out this:  Yes, WCS had gone back to England serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (status: single).  But, he had not died.  Records show that he remarried and came back to Canada after the war with a new wife and young son.  He settled in Vancouver, BC and had another son there.  He had raised his family just a few hours away from where my Grandma lived her whole life.  My aunts were able to then look up family members through Facebook and make connections with a step-grandson and a granddaughter, both living in Canada (the step-grandson only 45 minutes from my parents in Sylvan Lake, of all things).  The granddaughter lives in BC and has been emailing my aunt as well as has pictures of him in the mail as I write, of her grandfather, who is also ours.

The granddaughter (Beverly is her name) said she never knew of us or Grandma, nor does she think her parents or grandmother (WCS's "new" wife) did.  She was surprised, to say the least, but also intrigued.  When she saw pictures of my Grandma, she said, "Well, we sure can't blame this one on the milkman, lol"  She apparently saw some strong family resemblances.  They also wondered how WCS kept that secret all those years.  We also wonder all the other unknown details of their relationship which we'll never know, because everyone is now dead and gone.

My great-grandma burnt everything they had owned except his Bible and his boxing medal (which he did as a side job/hobby), which my uncle has now.  My aunts have found their marriage license online and printed it off too, as the original was destroyed.

-William Charles Smith marries Briita Frederiika Charlotta Pell (m. July 4, 1914)

  -Ada Margaret Smith (b. April 1, 1915) (marries Rafael Kurtti)

    -James, Susan, Ruth Anne, Stephen, Mary, Rebecca, Elizabeth (Mom), Phebe, Sara, Julie

-WCS remarries Eliza
   -Frederick Frances Smith (marries wife with previous children, thus step-children as mentioned above)

   -William James (marries)

       -Beverly (married with children)

Grandma as a teen

Grandpa and Grandma as I remember them

WCS and his two sons are all deceased now, so Beverly and her children are the only true other descendants.  There were relatives left in England, but they are all deceased now too.  Beverly has been to England and met them in the past though.  My aunts and parents hope to meet her and visit her when they go through BC next time.

Grandma often said how amazed she was that what started out to be a bad situation eventually led to a very blessed family.  They have 100+ descendants now, and the strong Christian faith is such a blessing to have been raised with.  Grandpa & Grandma were such an example of a strong Christian marriage, and Grandma's parenting tidbits of wisdom have helped me immensely.

Fascinating stuff, if I do say so myself!  (There may be details that I have wrong here, please correct me if I do, as I'm writing this from memory, which is rather distracted these days!)

Dental Discussion - part 1

If you don't know this about me already, I love to research.  Random topics come up, and I just HAVE to know more about them.  In nursing school, my instructor routinely said, "Rachel, you don't have to know that!"  ("But I want to," I would reply.)  Then she'd stay after class and explain whatever it was in more depth.  There's a few blogs I love to follow because they're the same kind of people that I am.  They read good books and then summarize the information so I don't have to.  Even better!

Lately the topic has been dental health.  A cavity (or more) has arisen  in our house, and I want to know why, how, and what can be done to prevent/heal/make better that cavity.  I read Dr. Weston Price's book Physical Nutrition and Degeneration  and Cure Tooth Decay last year, and this got me on the journey.  I know that teeth can heal, and I know that nutrition has a lot to do with the prevention of bad and promotion of good oral health.  So, I perused our local library system and here's more of what I learned.

The first book I read is called Elements of Danger, (Protect Yourself Against the Hazards of Modern Dentistry) by Morton Walker.  It mostly is a book about the hazards of mercury (amalgam) used in so many dental procedures and what steps you can take to avoid it, and what other options are out there.  It goes into much depth as to the health problems that can be linked to mercury toxicity.  It tells how to find a holistic or biological dentist who can remove those type of fillings, and procedures to take before any dental work is done (things like massive amounts of vitamin C, etc).  The one thing I did not understand was that the dental diet in this book was completely opposite that of the other 2 diets I read about in the above books.  Both diets eliminated sugar and eat lots of veggies, but everything else was opposite.  I have to believe that Weston Price's diet makes much more sense, and was proven over a much longer time frame with a much bigger populace.  The biggest factors in healthy teeth/gums is to be getting enough good stuff (fat soluble vitamins A & D namely, minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, boron and silicon are essential for teeth/bone formation) and eliminating the bad (sugars and starches which keep bacteria alive in the mouth and throughout the body and rob the body of nutrients).  He also goes into the fluoride debate, which I won't get into here, and also talks about how homeopathy can be used in dental health.

He feels strongly that 85%+ of illness in this country is a long term result from poor oral health.  The state of a person's mouth is indicative of  the overall health of a person.  Since most germs/pathogens enter through the mouth, either through food or just the mucus membranes, keeping our mouth healthy is vital.  He also says that many people claim that their teeth (for good or for bad) are genetic, but more often it is nutritional (in the womb for the most part).  The health of our teeth is greatly dependent on the nutrition (or lack) we received in the womb.  Through a healthy diet we can reverse damage to a great extent, if the damage is not too extensive.  I know this is likely true, as my parents and grandparents have/had horrible teeth, but all 4 of us kids have good ones.  That would be nutritional not genetic, with those odds.

The next book was a quick read, but good stuff.  It is called, "Stop the Rot" by Dr. Garth Pettit.  This dentist worked with low income Aboriginal kids in Australia and discovered something very interesting.  The teachers were telling the kids to "brush your teeth and rinse" and "rinse your brush under the tap."  The kids instead were "brushing their teeth" and then "rinse and rinsing the brush under the tap."  They took the instructions literally (and got them wrong), and instead halted their cavities and didn't get any new ones.  The key was that they were leaving the toothpaste in their mouth to let the active ingredients work.  Otherwise you just rinse all the good stuff (and the bad of course) down the drain.  There were only 2 classes who were doing this, and no one else in the school.  The rest of the kids' cavities continued at the same high rate.  So, his lesson is this:

1) Put toothpaste on your toothbrush and brush all surfaces (teeth, gums, cheeks, tongue)

2) Spit out germs and grime

3) Rinse and spit

4) Put more paste on your brush and "paint" it all over inside your mouth and leave (spit excess if necessary)

Easy peasy!

Using a toothpaste with healthy ingredients is even more helpful.  There are many "natural" toothpastes out there.  Look for essential oils (such as myrrh, tea tree, cloves, cinnamon), sea salt, xylitol, food grade bentonite clay, minerals (calcium, magnesium).  If you want to remineralize teeth since you have a cavity already, find one without glycerin.  Glycerin coats the teeth so that they can't get the minerals needed to heal themselves.  Most toothpaste has glycerin in it, the only one I've found without is Earthpaste.  I've also made my own when I run out of it.  There are many recipes online.  I use flavored stevia for the kids to make it taste better. 

The next book is called Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye by Ellie Phillips, DDS.  The caption on the front reads, "A Do-It-Yourself Mouth Care System for Healthy, Clean Gums and Teeth."  This lady is a dentist who has a mouth care system to eliminate tooth decay/ mouth degeneration by eliminating bacteria in the mouth.  Her questions are the same as mine: If we spend so much money on dental education, programs, care, etc., then how come more than 1/2 of all first graders have cavities and 3/4 of teenagers do.   It's a sad state of affairs in our country!  She doesn't go into diet at all, which I believe has a lot to do with poor oral health, but instead focuses on just killing bacteria in the mouth.  She does this through using xylitol many times each day (a mint or gum after each meal) and then oral rinses morning and night to assist with germ fighting.

Her website Dr. Ellie  describes the whole process and the products can be mostly easily found.  She believes in oral fluoride but not internal (in mouth washes and toothpaste but not in water sources).  She believes that in 6 months of her protocol, your bacteria should be greatly diminished and health can begin.  Although I'm not convinced that using a ton of xylitol is healthy (it is still a heavily processed "sugar"), I will try to halt the cavities we've got with it for now.  She also recommends eating "teeth healthy" foods at the end of your meal to reduce bacteria (milk, cheese, chocolate (helps sugars in it not be absorbed as much), apples, tea, bee propolis).

Another couple of interesting things in that book was that she says that 84% of preterm birth could be avoided with healthy gums/mouth.  Gum disease is a huge risk factor in low birth weight babies too.

So, what we're doing is this: (source)

No grains or nuts (phytates inhibit mineral absorption), sugar (feeds bacteria and lowers immunity)

Lots of good fats, bone broth, veggies, meats, nutritious eggs, raw dairy

Added grass-fed butter (Kerrygold)
Oil pulling when we can

Added fermented cod liver oil (the best source of easily absorb-able vitamin A & D)

Extra calcium/magnesium

Extra digestion herbs to facilitate better absorption

Xylitol mints/gum after each meal/snack

Cell salts (calc phos) for increasing absorption of minerals into the body

Update:  We did go to the dentist last week, and there are 4 cavities.  One will need filling for sure (it's almost to the nerve, but not quite), but I'm hoping the other 3 can be halted or reversed.  Once a cavity is past the enamel, remineralizing is not possible.  I have 1 more month before our next appointment, so we'll see what we can do in the meantime.  This child is a mouth breather due to allergies, and thus the cavities (saliva normally bathes the teeth keeping them continually remineralizing).  Without the saliva, the pH alters causing acidity (and growth of bacteria -> cavities).  I'm hoping by having him chew gum all day, then at least he's getting more saliva working through his mouth all day, even if I can't do anything for the nighttime. 

These books all tie into another book I'm working through called Pottenger's Prophecy-How Food Resets Genes for Illness or Wellness.  Pottenger was a pediatrician and scientist in the 1930's who tried feeding cats different diets and meticulously charted the results.  Within 4 generations of poor diet, the cats quit reproducing and were extremely unhealthy.  This book tells how this relates to the SAD diet that many Americans eat today and how their health is suffering in the same ways.  But, the hope is that if we can reverse the poor eating, we can "reset" the genes for wellness that have increased our risk factors.

Here's a summary from elsewhere:

"With the current poor state of health in the United States, the country which spends the most on medical treatments, we know that we're obviously missing something important when it comes to being and staying well. This research shows why proper nutrition (not that dictated by corporate interests via government) is vitally important for not only our own survival, but that of our future children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It's amazing and frightening to think that our poor nutritional choices now may damage our grandchildren, but science is showing that to be true. A very interesting and enlightening travel into the world of epigenetics! "

"The Pottenger's Prophecy" is as much a comprehensive resource of health information as it is a guide for how to live a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the countless research studies that reveal just how the American diet is negatively affecting our health, the reader will also learn:

The Ten Green-Gene guidelines that contain a list of the best foods you can eat for health.

-How to reset your genes for health, healing and longevity

-Nutrition secrets you can pass along to your offspring

-How to reframe your relationship to food and eating

-What invisible nutrients are and how they help

-How incompatible today's Western diet is for our health and genetic makeup

-The positive effects that stress-reduction behaviors and exercise can have on our health. 

PROS

-Backed by more than 400 research studies

-Diligently written and researched

-Shows the correlation between today's food supply and its influence over our health

-Provides practical solutions and strategies for healthy eating that is safe and beneficial to our health and the health of the environment

-Advocates a whole-foods and unprocessed diet"

Any thoughts or experiences?

•  researched
• Shows the correlation between today's food supply and its influence over our health
• Provides practical solutions and strategies for healthy eating that is safe and beneficial to our health and the health of the environment
• Advocates a whole-foods and unprocessed diet

Read more at http://www.dietsinreview.com/diets/pottengers-prophecy/#yBvpOiHeuXS1D3dB.99

"The Pottenger's Prophecy" is as much a comprehensive resource of health information as it is a guide for how to live a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the countless research studies that reveal just how the American diet is negatively affecting our health, the reader will also learn:

• The Ten Green-Gene guidelines that contain a list of the best foods you can eat for health.
• How to reset your genes for health, healing and longevity
• Nutrition secrets you can pass along to your offspring
• How to reframe your relationship to food and eating
• What invisible nutrients are and how they help.
• How incompatible today's Western diet is for our health and genetic makeup.
• The positive effects that stress-reduction behaviors and exercise can have on our health.

PRO

• Backed by more than 400 research studies
• Diligently written and researched
• Shows the correlation between today's food supply and its influence over our health
• Provides practical solutions and strategies for healthy eating that is safe and beneficial to our health and the health of the environment
• Advocates a whole-foods and unprocessed diet

Read more at http://www.dietsinreview.com/diets/pottengers-prophecy/#yBvpOiHeuXS1D3dB.99

"The Pottenger's Prophecy" is as much a comprehensive resource of health information as it is a guide for how to live a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the countless research studies that reveal just how the American diet is negatively affecting our health, the reader will also learn:

• The Ten Green-Gene guidelines that contain a list of the best foods you can eat for health.
• How to reset your genes for health, healing and longevity
• Nutrition secrets you can pass along to your offspring
• How to reframe your relationship to food and eating
• What invisible nutrients are and how they help.
• How incompatible today's Western diet is for our health and genetic makeup.
• The positive effects that stress-reduction behaviors and exercise can have on our health.

PRO

• Backed by more than 400 research studies
• Diligently written and researched
• Shows the correlation between today's food supply and its influence over our health
• Provides practical solutions and strategies for healthy eating that is safe and beneficial to our health and the health of the environment
• Advocates a whole-foods and unprocessed diet

Read more at http://www.dietsinreview.com/diets/pottengers-prophecy/#yBvpOiHeuXS1D3dB.99

To sleep or not to sleep...that is the question

While I've been pondering the future with baby #5, I'm again refreshed (in not such a good way) of how little our babies have slept, and trying to remember what we did about it.  I'm the least worthy to write on this subject since we've not been very successful, but I do admit we've learned a few things along the way.  I have utmost sympathy for parents of bad sleepers, since we've had 4 so far. (2 of our kids woke up at least 15 times each night until they were about 1, and I recall spending 8+ hours out of a day getting a baby to sleep over and over as she'd wake up every 15 minutes still tired and crabby)  I know the pains of not getting much sleep!  But, I offer hope too, as now all of our bigger kids are great sleepers, and those days do end.  And, you can live on alot less sleep than you think you can. 

I'm just going to list some of the things we've done and why we've done them.  Not that it'll be the best for someone else's family, but these have worked for us.

Worked:

-Co-sleep until at least age 1.  I do put the crib/bassinet by our bed and start moving them into it gradually so it's not such a big adjustment when it's time for them to move into it full time.  This gives me a better sleep also if they sleep a bit further away for at least part of the night.

-No crying it out.  My kids always swallow air while they're crying, which causes more crying and it is just a vicious cycle that never ends.  (Our oldest also whacked his nose on the crib while crying it out and caused a nosebleed that bled everywhere.  Not worth the potential benefits.) 

-For naps I rock them to sleep.  I nurse them first and then rock them until they're asleep and then lay them down.  Sounds cushy, but there's no crying and they go to sleep.  When I lay them down I pat their back/bottom until they're soundly asleep.  It also works to lay with them on a bed and pat them on the back/bottom too until they're asleep.  It also may mean laying with them through their whole nap until they get used to napping properly.  Plan for that and bring a book.  Or shut your eyes too. 

-White noise.  Lots of it.  Loud.  Use the vacuum if necessary.

-Let them sleep on their stomach if it helps.  They seem to sleep deeper and longer this way.  My kids are such light sleepers that I'm really not too concerned about SIDS.  Their burps come up easier also if they're on their stomach (this is for older babies that can lift their head on their own, of course).

-Dark room.  Goes without saying, but sometimes easy to forget.

-Get all burps up before nap (which has been absolutely necessary with our babies).  Otherwise they wake up from a burp after 10 minutes and think they're "well rested".  Keep baby as vertical as you can to facilitate this (a baby carrier is awesome).

-Make baby sleeping your top priority.  Dishes will wait, laundry can wait, older kids must learn to be quiet at nap time.  Must!  (My rule is that whoever wakes the baby must put the baby back to sleep.  It only takes 1 time to teach this lesson to a loud preschooler!) 

-Prayer.  I used to pray (endlessly) for more sleep and then would get discouraged when I wouldn't get what I thought I should, day after day.  A friend (who struggles with insomnia) suggested praying for "enough sleep to do what God wants me to do for that day".  Changing my prayer perspective helped immensely (and not tallying my lack of sleep).  I'll be in debt for the rest of my life anyhow, so why even keep track of it?  It only discourages me more.

Didn't work: 

-Laying them down while drowsy (they just wake right back up and scream).

-Crying for any reason.  Reasons mentioned above.  Once they're big (1-2ish) they will fuss more at bedtime, but I don't allow any endless crying.

-Any Babywise or other such methods.  Tried them, and they just didn't work for us.

For Mom

-Our Naturopath was telling us that a baby only has the coping abilities he/she is given by the nutrients given from Mama's milk.  A Mom lacking in B vitamins is going to have a baby who can't cope as well in any given circumstance because the baby is then also lacking in B vitamins (teething, sickness).  Upping B vitamins is beneficial all around.  I like NutriCalm as it's full of B's and also has some relaxing herbs to sooth a frazzled mother's nerves (take in the morning for best effect).

-Calcium/magnesium.  This can really help everybody be more settled.  Most of us know about the importance of calcium, but are more vague about magnesium.  I find this very calming and helps me handle stress better, sleep better and helps baby be more calm as well.  Natural Calm is one I like.  This one has calcium in it too.  Take it in the evening after supper so it has time to work before bedtime.  Magnesium is also great for keeping digestion moving along, which can get stopped up during pregnancy.  An epsom salts bath is another good idea for getting magnesium in.  Magnesium is also great for teeth and teething, so taking extra will help both mom and baby's teeth be stronger and healthier.

For babies and Mom

-Probiotics.  These help immensely with digestion and looking back, our fussiest babies had the worst digestion.  I wish I'd known to supplement to help them feel better.  Alot of their lack of sleep was from tummy aches, which they were too little to be able to tell me.  I used gripe water and gas drops (we went through bottles of it!) but didn't specifically use probiotics until later.  We also were doing lots of diet modifications too, which helped but didn't solve the puzzle.  Since then I've tried to diligently eat more myself so that baby gets more too.  We now drink water and milk kefir every day (at least I do) for the benefits.

The two books which were most helpful have been:

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

The Happiest Baby on the Block (more for newborns, but also information for older babies)

I'm sure I'll think of more stuff, but that comes to mind right now.

Isaac and the Mickey Mouse piggy bank

I don't know about you, but I happen to think that 2 year olds are just the cutest ever.  They are just learning to talk and communicate effectively, and I just love their curiosity and observations on the world around them.  This little guy is no exception.  He has us chuckling all day long.  Terrible twos, what are those?

For some reason, he's taken to Mickey Mouse.  We got a book from a thrift store with him in it, and ever since then, Isaac has been in love.  He calls him Mi-Mow.  We then found out that Isaac also did not own a piggy bank to store his hard earned money in, so I suggested that we start looking for one for him.  He put two and two together and thought a Mickey Mouse piggy bank would be the perfect solution to his problems.

Due to pregnancy, snowstorms and new babies, our shopping time has been nil.  Every time someone would mention going to town, Isaac would remind them to "buy Mi-Mow-pi-ba"  (buy Mickey Mouse piggy bank).  Or that he'd be fine with getting one for his birthday too (in September).  Many times each day he'd remind us about his needs in his cute and loving way.  

We had looked online for banks, but hadn't found one that met the need.  Greg's Mom talked about how her kids used to have them and how neat it'd be if we could find one like that.  This went on for a few weeks.  Then, the other night, Greg says to me, "Where is that Mickey Mouse piggy bank from when I was a kid?"  I really had never seen the thing, but told him that if we did own such a item, it would be in his keepsake box in storage.  He pulled it out and low and behold...the much talked about Mickey Mouse piggy bank from his childhood.  Isaac was ecstatic!  He couldn't quit showing us, all the while telling us who and what it was.  Just too cute!  He's been a happy boy since, playing with it each day, and putting any money in it whenever he can!

Celeste's birth story 2/14/2014

Baby Celeste Marjorie was born slightly after midnight on Feb. 14.  Her name means "heavenly, celestial" and is referred to in 1 Corinthians 15:40 "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another."  Marjorie is my paternal Grandma's name, and fits with our tradition of "M" as the middle initial for our girls (same as me).  Our boys all have "W" as theirs, which is the same as Greg's.  Marjorie means "pearl", which is beautiful too (in my opinion, of course).

Anyhow,  the day of Feb. 13, I somehow knew that was baby's day.  In the morning at breakfast I told the kids, "Well, today looks like a good day to have a baby."  They agreed.  We then all went to the library to get our stack of ordered books and movies (which had been waiting for us through our big snowstorm and that was the last day of holding them for us).  We dropped Grandma Somero off at Walmart, went to the library and then while waiting in line there, I had this "I've got to get home" urge.  I didn't know if it was that I was still weak from being sick the two previous days or what, but I figured I had better listen.  We had talked about getting a coffee from Red Leaf on our way out of town, and so I stopped there and nothing on the menu looked good.  That had NEVER happened before!  So, I got a coffee for Grandma and a smoothie for the kids to share and we went back to pick up Grandma from Walmart.  We got home, had lunch and then I laid down for a nap.  Except I didn't nap.  Baby was kicking me so furiously that there was no way to sleep, but I did rest.  About 4 p.m. I knew something was happening, but still no active signs of labor.  I thought perhaps I should call Greg to get off work early (he's never got called home for any of our babies, and wishes he would for once) but didn't, since things were still pretty slow.

When he got home at normal time (5-ish), we had supper (I had no appetite, but knew I should eat) and then we laid out a plan since it looked like baby was coming that night.  I was dreading the inevitable so had trouble knowing what to think/do.  Grandma suggested taking all of the kids into her bedroom and having a movie night with them and then Greg could just put them in their own beds once they fell asleep.  Then nobody had to go anywhere and the house would be quiet and the kids contained.  Plus, we had just got that whole new stack of movies from the library that needed watching!  It was then that the contractions did start.  They were pretty slow, but turned steady at about 7 p.m.  They remained consistent at 10 minutes apart, so we called the midwife (she wanted them consistent before she came).  We later found out why they were far apart.

The midwife (Laura) got to our house about 8 p.m., and then checked me.  Only 3 cm.  That was kind of discouraging.  I was hoping we were further along than that but, oh well, what can you do?  After that I rested for a while and then started walking through the house again.  Laura had been up the whole night before with a challenging birth, so we told her to nap while we just waited for things to progress.  Greg got a bit of a nap too, since he was tired from a long week.  I just walked and focused on getting through the contractions.  The house was quiet and dark, and very peaceful.  By 10 p.m. the contractions were getting quite a bit stronger, but still remained at 10 minutes apart.  I could feel progress happening, but didn't want to get my hopes up in case it was slower than I had hoped.  

By 11 p.m. the pains were pretty intense so I got into the bath, which helped immensely.  I didn't want to get in too early, but instead use it as my last resort for the pain.  I was in there for an hour with the pains getting incrementally stronger.  Greg was pouring water over me when I would have a contraction and that would help diffuse the pain a bit.  Finally I asked him to go and wake up Laura so she could check and see where we were at.  He did, and she came back and was going to check how dilated I was (and break my water if I was at 7-8 or more) on my next contraction.  When that happened, the water broke and she said, "Oh, the baby is right there.  Push her out!"  So, in that same contraction I pushed and baby came out.  And then a second push to get her body out.  Done.  Whew!  So relieved that I just held Celeste and cried for the longest time.  Then we checked the clock to see if she had been born before or after midnight, to see if she was a Valentine's baby or not.   It was 12:15 a.m.

I couldn't believe we were actually done.  This Bible verse has given me alot of comfort with all of our babies.  I dread the process, but when it's done, the joy is unspeakable and the pain is gone.  Not just less, but gone!   John 16:²¹  "A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world."

Laura then was telling us how God orchestrates each birth so uniquely and that the reason my contractions were so far apart was because of the knot in her cord.  Because of the knot, the longer rest between contractions gave her body time to recover without going into distress.  She told us that many times a birth doesn't make sense when she's in it, but then when it's all over, the pieces come together.  It's best to just let the process unfold in the perfect way that God wants it to, to His honor and glory.  She calls babies with a knot in their cord "angel babies" since at any time during pregnancy or birth that cord could be pulled tight and the baby not survive. 

We then took care of the rest of the details and then settled into bed for a few hours of rest before morning.  The midwife left at about 2 a.m. (on her way to go grocery shopping, as is her tradition) and we (Greg, myself and Grandma Sue) tried to sleep and marveled over the events of the night.  The kids awoke to a great surprise, which was quite fun for them. 

All in all, a beautiful experience.  And now our sweet baby Celeste is finally here!  It seems like it takes forever waiting on the other end of things, but is so nice when it's all said and done.

photo by Aunt Julie Crites

The weeks prior to her birth were rather chaotic, I must say.  Grandma Sue came early as things were kind of crazy.  The kids each got sick one by one.  Then Grandma got sick.  Then our washer broke (the drain pump quit, leaving a washer full of half washed clothes).  Then we got 8" of snow and the roads were horrible.  Then I got sick to finish it off.  Thankfully mine was more of a head/sinus cold rather than the flu/fever that the rest of them had.  Then our washer part finally arrived so Greg could fix it.  Then Greg got all done with his pressing jobs at work (his boss wasn't too happy to let him have time off if that certain job wasn't finished, although he would have done it).  Then the snow melted.  And Grandma got better.  And then Celeste was born.  Things just fell into place in their perfect time, but before the birth we couldn't see how they could.  God's hand was over all and we are so thankful for that!

Good green veggies

A few years ago (January 2011) I wrote a blog goal of trying to get our family to eat more veggies.  Not only more quantity, but also more variety.  That's been 3 years now.  The other night I realized that we're doing well.  Maybe not in quantity all the time, but our variety has been expanded.

Back then I started experimenting with cooking styles, realizing that alot of my vegetable aversions were due to them being bland and boring.  My aunt introduced me to roasting, and that has been my new go-to method.  Another friend introduced me to fish sauce (which doesn't taste at all fishy but adds that wonderful umami flavor that makes the most boring veggies amazing).  And we've bought veggies that we never thought we would!  

The other night at supper while we sat there at dinner eating some roasted kale, parsnips and fennel bulb, I realized that my goal has been accomplished.  3 long years later!  Oh, well.  Better now than never, hey?

Here's a few of our favorite ways to eat our "new-to-us" veggies.

Beets- roasted in a pan with the lid on.  I peel them first, but you can also peel them after they're cooked.  Just put in a oven proof pan with a lid for about an hour at 350-400*F.  Done.  The smaller you cut them, the quicker they bake (of course!)

Parsnips- peel, slice into fries, and then roasted on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of oil or butter at 350-400 for about 40 min.  These are tasty but fibrous (like a carrot), so I cut them up small for the kiddos.   This is Greg's new favorite veggie.

Cabbage- cut into a wedge and then slice smaller if desired.  Drizzle with oil or butter, and salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Or drizzle with fish sauce.  Stir occasionally.

Fennel bulb- roast whole bulb with some oil, salt and pepper drizzled over.  About 40 min at 350 too.

Kale- drizzle leaves (broken into bite size pieces) with oil and soy sauce and let them dry out.  I do these on a cookie sheet (mine is stoneware) on our wood stove and they're oh-so-yummy.

Yams- these aren't new to us, but are one of our favorites for roasting.  I peel them and cut them into fries, drizzle them with oil/butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon.  I then bake them on my stoneware cookie sheet until soft.  Usually 40 min at 350.  Stir/flip occasionally.  These are the kids favorite.

You can also easily roast any vegetable and the flavor is amazing.  Baby carrots can be easily dumped on a pan and roasted just like the yams.  Frozen green beans are another easy, go-to for roasting.  Just add some butter, minced garlic, salt & pepper and put in the oven for 1/2 hour or so, stirring occasionally.  Or my other favorite recipe (is in the Kurtti cookbook page 51) is this:

Autumn Succotash

1- 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" pieces

2 T. butter

2 T. oil

4 cloves garlic

2 red peppers, seed and coarsely chopped

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 c. peas, thawed if frozen

1 c. corn, thawed if frozen

1 T. fresh sage (optional, still good without it)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 450*F.  Place squash, peppers and onions in a 9x13 pan.  Drizzle with butter and oil.  Roast until squash is tender, 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven, stir in peas and corn, sage, salt and pepper.  Put back in oven to warm through at 250*F for about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

You'll notice that all of the vegetables are roasted in oil/butter.  Saturated fats help you get your minerals and vitamins out of the vegetables, so be liberal with your butter.  Here's a an article that explains it more thoroughly.  Have some Butter with your Veggies. 

You might also wonder if there's any veggies that we've tried that we haven't liked.  Yes, there is.  We haven't been able to find a way to tolerably eat radishes (us adults like them, but the kids aren't so fond), daikon (another super-healthy kind of radish), most squash (we eat it occasionally, but it's just not our favorite), spinach (we eat it in salad in the summer and spinach dip, but just haven't been able to get alot into us in any other form).  I still have 2/4 kids who are mushroom haters, but I have found a recipe for homemade mushroom soup that everyone likes (if I chop them into miniscule pieces).

Do you have any favorite veggies or recipes you'd like to share?

How a pale pink sweater changed my life

I've never cared for the color pink.  Perhaps it was because when we were kids, I always got the gift that was "the other color".  I always got the red or purple or blue whatever-it-was and my older sister always got the pink one if we were getting the same thing.  I always thought it was because she was more feminine than I, but didn't complain (since there was no reason to) about the lack of pink in my life.

I did own some hot pink and purple cowgirl boots (yes, just like these) back in the day, when hot pink was hot.  But, other than those (and a few matching clothes to go with them, I'm sure), my life has been rather pink-less.

Fast forward to becoming a parent.  Since we didn't know what our first baby was going to be, I dreaded the thought of mountains of pink coming into our life.  Pink was so boring, so mundane, so "girly".  (We of course had a boy, so those concerns went away, for a while!)  And then I was transformed.

It all happened when Greg and I headed up to northern Arizona for a road trip, and I was many months pregnant with our oldest (9 years ago).  Since we had left the heat down south, I had completely forgot to bring a jacket or sweater with me up into the mountains.  We stopped at the nearest store (JC Penney) and I went in to buy something to stay warmer.  The only thing that fit me for the price I wanted to pay (since I'd only wear it that one time, right?) was this clearance rack pale pink maternity sweater.  Yikes.  It was comfortable though, so I bought it, even though the color was less than perfect.

Well, fast forward now 9 years.  I'm still wearing that same pale pink sweater.  It's been one of my favorites.  I wear it almost every day, rain or shine.  It's pretty much worn out now, although I can't seem to give it up.  I have, in the meantime, learned to love pink.  It is so boring in yet refreshing at the same time.  It's soothing yet cheerful every day.  It's peaceful in my chaotic days.  My spare room is painted bubble gum pink.   My kitchen has all pink accents.  My bedspread is also mostly pink.  Yesterday while I was wearing my old sweater once again, I realized that my shoes, my coat, and my scarf were also different shades of...pink.  And our daughter absolutely loves pink.  She'd wear it on every item, every day if given the opportunity.

Pink is just one of those things that makes me happy each day.  And I'm so

glad I got over my aversion to it.  Aren't these just cute and cheerful?

My own guide to a better birth

With each baby, it seems that I need extra motivation to make changes to help things run more smoothly.  That means that the labor would go "better" and that the baby would be less fussy and more pleasant.  This means reading more books and websites, and talking to more people.  For some reason, this makes the whole overwhelming process more doable, when I have more tools in my belt, so to speak.   Kind of like having more appliances in my kitchen.  I think that I can do fine with what I have, but then I get a new ice cream maker for my birthday, and just don't know how I ever lived without it!

There are things that in the past have worked well, and I'm sticking with them.  After 4 kids, you start to learn what works and what doesn't.  There's always a chance of some random wild card being thrown in there, but for the most part, the process is getting more smooth.  I shudder at my naivety with our first baby, thinking that I was well-educated back then.  Thankfully God does give us more chances, and I'm thankful that He has led me to various resources to help with my own health situation as well as the coming baby's.  It also seems that the more I rely on Him, the more answers He gives.  I should know that, but somehow want to lean on my own understandings and knowledge way too much and it doesn't work so well.

This pregnancy I was able to decrease morning sickness drastically by upping my probiotics and adding lots of magnesium to my diet (unintentionally, but it worked).  This blog helped alot 7 Real Food Remedies for Morning Sickness as well as this one (although I discovered it much after the first trimester was over).  The Cause and Cure of Morning Sickness.  Halfway through everything I discovered Green Vibrance that I'm still singing the praises of.  I had been so tired that I needed a nap every single day, and now I only need one rarely when I've overdone it, or we've been lacking sleep from sick kids/toddlers climbing in bed/things like that.  Eating protein in the night was really helpful for keeping blood sugars stable too (usually I'd just chug some kefir from the bottle (since no one else drinks it around here) or eat a few spoons of Greek yogurt when I got up in the night and that worked the best).

The things that I already do and have continued with are:

1) Chiropractic care - This recently was a huge blessing.  Our baby has been transverse or breech at every checkup and after 32 weeks this becomes a concern as the baby starts to lose space to turn around.  Our chiropractor specializes in women's health and children, so she was able to do the Webster Technique on me, and the next day the baby flipped over to the head down position.  She basically just adjusts your pelvis to make sure everything is lined up to assist in better blood flow, better nerve conduction and more room for the baby to get (and stay) in the proper position for birth.  The chiropractor does not touch the baby, but instead just facilitates it's environment so that it can move freely on it's own. (This is different from a Version or ECV in that they actually forcefully turn the baby under ultrasound and it's much harder on mom and baby.) I recommend finding a certified chiropractor and getting an adjustment if you are pregnant or about to become so.  They can help with back and joint pain, as well as just strengthening all those muscles/ligaments that need attention when a baby is weighing on your body.

2) Bradley birth technique - I learned about this 2 babies ago, and it has really helped me get through labor.  I didn't attend their classes, but just read the books and that was helpful enough.  Husband Coached Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.  If you only want one book, the second one is much more useful in actual methods.  (or you can borrow them from me, when I get them back, as they are lent out right now).

3) Birthing ball - love this thing for exercising on before baby is born, as well as the comfort it gives during labor.  Would not go without it.  I'm also doing walking on the rebounder since it's easier than dragging 4 kids on a walk many days.

4) A competent midwife or doula - Although our midwife didn't make it here in time for Isaac's birth, I have confidence in her skills and abilities to intervene if problems should arise.  Having a doula in the hospital for our last birth there was well worth it too.  She was my advocate when I couldn't talk and also really helped Greg know how to help me.  In the hospital, you never know what kind of nurse or doctor you might get, so having someone who can advocate for you is priceless (in my opinion). 

New things I'm trying this time around:  

1) Spinning babies - this is full of exercises and explanations as to why babies have/cause difficult births and how you can avoid them.  Just chock full of good information

2) Gentle birth formula - herbs to assist with labor, delivery and nursing.  I've taken red raspberry tea with all the kids, as well as a pregnancy tea, so this is hopefully kind of the same thing.  I've heard good stuff about it, and our midwife says she's seen good results with it too.  (no false labor- just the real thing, more effective contractions, less bleeding, better milk supply after birth were her observations)
3) Eating dates - "Women who ate dates daily for the last several weeks of pregnancy were more dilated when labor began, less likely to need medication to get labor going, and their labor tended to be an average of seven hours shorter then the non-date eaters. The study found a compound in the dates that imitates oxytocin (which helps with labor)."  It can't hurt to try, since dates are yummy!
4) Eating more gelatin - Since most of the meat we eat is muscle meat, our society is drastically missing out on collagen/gelatin.  I've been trying to eat 1 Tbsp. each day, and have noticed way less stretch marks this time (actually disappearing rather than reappearing).  Wellness Mama (my favorite blog) has a great article on the benefits of it too.  I just add it to my green drink each day, but you could soften it in cold water first (just a couple Tbsp. of water, and then add your morning coffee to the cup and dissolve it too for an easy way to get it down.  Making homemade jello (with juice) is a more enjoyable way to eat it!

As far as baby stuff, our bassinet gave out recently (it was being used for a stuffed animal containment basket in the kids room) so I'm shopping for a new/used one.  We use one for the first part of the night, and then co-sleep the rest, depending on how tired/fussy/rested everyone is!  I know I could probably survive without one, but I do sleep best with a little more room for at least part of the night and I've loved having one in the past.

I read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" before Isaac was born and that was one of the best (of many, many!) books I've read.  Babywearing has also been a lifesaver (a wrap for newborns and and Ergo/mei tai for older babies).  Swaddling has been so helpful (those new kind with the velcro are awesome!)  Also, for older babies, I really like "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" for teaching babies to sleep on their own.

That's all I can think of for now...hoping and praying this birth goes nice and smooth.