Saturday, February 16, 2013

Updates and Goat Milk Formula

Sorry! Last post was October???? Seriously??? What's wrong with me?
Oh yeah, I've got two kiddos and time enough to myself to shower (some days) and check facebook. Here's to 2013: the year of blogging regularity. 

2013. Also a year of blossoming and building for my marriage. We are going to be celebrating 5 years of marriage in April! They were foundational years. They were tough years. We have found more freedom in Christ by walking through the difficult times and dealing with our pasts and now it seems like we are getting a fresh start. Let's start building!!! 

With my relationship with God, I am focusing on James 3. Taming the wild tiger that is my tongue and allowing only praise to be released from my mouth and not curses. 
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29 NASB
 This is especially challenging since John is a rambunctious, strong-willed little man. What is edifying to him? What does he NEED in those moments where I could just yell at him and allow my frustrations to lead to me reacting in anger instead of responding with grace? Yes, he needs boundaries. He needs to learn to submit his will. All great leaders understand authority because they are under authority themselves. So that is my vision and my goal. According to his need, what are the words that should proceed from my mouth? Will it give grace? Will it build up? In the Message, it is paraphrased as "Say only what helps. Each word a gift." I love that. Obviously, this applies to every relationship in my life. James 3 is my calling for 2013 and really, my whole life.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Kiddo-updates!!!! Hurray for the two most handsome boys on the planet!
Milo AKA Mr. Drooly Face (6 mos.)
John-John in his cubby (26 mos.)
Well, we've already talked a little about John. Other than his strong-will, he has a huge heart! Thankfully, I think his heart is a worthy foe to his will. Also, he is potty training and obedience training and doing stellar in both! I'm proud of my little man. He loves to dance and sing and of course play with cars (he sleep with his little stuffed doggie and Lightning McQueen) He's not into crayons. He likes to paint but it mostly gets on his body (war paint?) He will sticker the mess out of stuff. He's not really talking. He mostly speaks in "sounds". Vroom Vroom for car. Hoo Hoo for owl. But we're working on it. I still say he's a genius. (of course, he is)

Milo is the sweetest, most content baby in the world. He is 6 months old today! Where did the time go?? He's crawling already. He really likes John. He's a total sweetie. He's only high-maintenance in what he eats. He refused to nurse during the day so I had to pump all the time and give him formula to supplement. I've recently stopped pumping (I figured I got enough brownie points for pumping every day, three or four times a day for 5 months) and now he's just getting formula. He is slightly lactose intolerant so I have to make it from scratch. It's good though because at least I know exactly what he's eating. And he enjoys it and it settles well with his tummy.

Here's my recipe for Goat Milk Baby Formula:
yields 4 cups

2 cups goat's milk
2 cups filtered drinking water (don't use distilled b/c it lacks healthy minerals)
1/4 cup liquid whey
1/4 tsp. Lactobacilli Bifido
1/2 tsp. cod liver oil
1 tsp. sunflower oil
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. coconut oil (I add just a little bit at a time to the warmed bottle)
2 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp. acerola cherry powder
3 tsp. blackstrap molasses (makes it sweet and it's high in vitamin B12, potassium, iron, calcium and it helps with constipation)

Mix it all together either in a blender or I usually make a half-batch at a time and shake it all together in a Ball jar and keep it refrigerated. Use it within 24 hours.

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by!