Gluten Free Apple Cake
October 20, 2016
I had recently walked by Trader Joe’s at a miraculously non-crowded hour. I found their gluten free all-purpose baking flour. I wasn’t sure what I was going to bake with it but it was dancing around my head.
And then we went apple picking. I found a bounty of apples sitting on my dining table. Most people see apples and think apple pie. I love cake. A google search for apple cake recipes produced a great list. I decided to use elements from different recipes and settled upon this:
3/4 cup TJ’s all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
4 large apples
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Optional
½ cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350.
Line and butter a spring form pan.
Cut up your apples. I cut them into big chunks. You can make them smaller if you like.
Combine the flour, baking powder and spices, and set aside.
Whisk the eggs until fluffy then blend in the sugar until the lumps are out. Add the vanilla and rum.
Alternately add the flour and butter a little at a time until it is all combined.
This is where you can add the pecans – my family does not care for nuts in their baked goods but I do!
Then stir in the apples.
Pour the lumpy batter into the spring form pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes – check it to see if a knife comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely – it will be tempting to want to jump in right away but it will fall apart if you take it out to soon.
Once it is cool you can take it out. If you want you may add fresh whipped cream but you really do not need it.
Enjoy!
Sexual Assault
October 18, 2016
I am happy to hear the conversation about sexual assault being brought out into the open. Perhaps talking about it can help prevent it.
I have been thinking about my experiences. In college I found myself in a couple of bad situations. When things got out of hand I blamed myself. I blamed drinking. I figured it was my fault. I had flirted and I had liked the initial attention.
When I moved to New York in the late 80’s I found myself the object of many a man’s cat calls and groping. I started to walk with my hands at attention waiting to feel the contact on my ass. What power I felt when the fingers began the journey between my legs and I grabbed them and bent them backward and in my deepest, strongest voice said, “Keep your fucking hands off me you mother fucker or I will kill you, you fucking asshole!”
With each word I bent his fingers closer to the back of his hand. He pulled away.
“You are crazy!”
“That’s right, motherfucker, and I will kill you!”
Graced with this new sense of empowerment I felt like I was an actual New Yorker.
Why? Why should I have to feel this need to be on the defense.
Recently, I was walking down First Avenue in a new dress. I felt great. It has been some time since I have been groped. I am middle aged and most gropers, I believe, prefer young women to assault, so I no longer feel the need to have my hands at the ready. A man walks toward me moving closer to my personal space and grabs my eyes with his and says,”You are a MILF!” In my best New Yorker way I acted as if he did not exist.
“MILF!” He called after me. “MIIIILLLFFF!”
Was I supposed to be flattered? A tiny part of me thought, “well, I still got it.” Then I was angry. Angry at myself for liking it that tiny bit. And angry at that man who felt he has the power to make me feel a certain way based on his opinion. He wanted to have power over me. He was pissed that he didn’t. But what he didn’t know was that he did in some way. He made me feel like an object.
This made me realize that as a young woman I let myself be objectified. Whose fault was that? Was it mine? My family’s fault? The fault of our culture?
I have two daughters. They are actual born and bred New Yorkers. They are way edgier than I ever was and probably will ever be. I talk to them constantly about being mindful of their bodies. My younger daughter is 1fifteen years old. She often dresses in what should be just comfortable clothes but I have to tell her to cover up. She gets angry. I have to warn her about the other people out there. It is not her. It is our culture. It is the acceptance of Locker Room talk. It is the culture of wealthy men wanting to buy everything including women. Boys will be boys!
Well, guess what? Powerful women will be powerful women. And we will not tolerate this. And the men who are not motherfuckingassholes will not stand by and let this happen.
Keep talking about it! Do not back down. And do not elect a motherfuckingasshole!
Tandem Nursing
August 10, 2016
Tandem Nursing means nursing two babies at once. This can be twins or it can be siblings born at different times i.e. an toddler and an newborn.
Many people believe that you cannot get pregnant while nursing or that if you are nursing when you are pregnant you need to wean.
You can get pregnant while nursing.
Breastfeeding can be birth control under specific conditions. There is the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).
LAM works like this:
- No return of menses since birth
- breastfeeding on demand, night, and day
- baby does not take any food or other liquids regularly
- baby’s sucking needs met primarily at the breast (no pacifier or bottles) baby is less than 6 months old.
- baby does not go longer than four hours during the day and longer than six hours during the night between nursing
With LAM there is about a 1-2% chance of getting pregnant – similar to taking birth control pills.
Many people get pregnant while nursing. Often moms are advised to wean their older baby if they become pregnant. There is no need to wean unless you are at risk for premature labor and you are advised by your health care provider to refrain from intercourse.
What can you expect while nursing while pregnant?
About halfway through pregnancy your milk changes from mature milk to colostrum. Colostrum is thicker and does not flow as easily as mature milk. Some toddlers get frustrated and wean. Others hold on for dear life!
One telltale sign of pregnancy can be sore nipples. Some moms find nursing painful or they become averse to nursing and they choose to wean their older baby.
Others will put limitations on nursing – one mom used counting as her strategy – “you can nurse for ten seconds – 10, 9, 8 . . .“ Another mom had a nursing chair where they could only nurse sitting in the chair in a quiet room.
Some advantages of tandem nursing can be:
- nursing toddler can help relieve engorgement
- older baby not feeling left out
- mom doesn’t feel she is abandoning the older child
- she still has her magic toddler wand
- sibling bonding
- stronger immune system of the toddler
Disadvantages:
- mom may feel touched out
- judgement from family, friends and health care team
When nursing twins it can be a good idea to alternate breasts for the twins. This can be every feeding or everyday – Twin A gets the left breast while Twin B gets the right breast for one feeding and then alternate the next feeding or on Monday Twin A gets left breast and Twin B gets right breast and on Tuesday Twin A gets right breast and Twin B gets left breast and so on. Many moms of twins will choose to nurse one at a time once they get older to have one on one time. In the early days it can be a time saver to nurse both at once.
How does one manage tandem nursing babies of different ages?
Weaning
June 23, 2016
I remember when all three of my children weaned.
My plan for Phoebe was to nurse for one year.
I figured I could avoid formula and bottles if I nursed her for twelve months.
At my baby shower for her I received 36 bottles! I had not registered for anything and told people I would be breastfeeding. We did not have a dishwasher. The thought of washing bottles overwhelmed me and made me want to breastfeed even more.
Laziness was a motivating factor initially in some of my parenting choices. Breastfeeding and co-sleeping were the bomb!
Though we struggled together initially, nursing became an extension of my mothering Phoebe.
As her first birthday approached I got anxious about the weaning process. How would I do it? Who would it benefit? How would I calm a tantrum or get her to sleep?
Breasts – Taking Away the Mystery
January 25, 2016
I thought it was time to share this again.
Breasts are the great, mysterious glands that fascinate and confound us. They are used to sell cars and beer and they are used to feed babies. They can be used to lure lovers. They are mysterious because we idolize them but we know very little about them.
I remember talking with a woman who told me in medical school they were studying cadavers. She said they took a scrotum and dissected it this way and that way. When it came to the female body the breast was lopped off and they never looked at it.
Several years ago I was at the Bodies Exhibit at the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan. I had my oldest child with me, she was ten years old at the time, and I had my son who was a few months old.
I noticed that the exhibit of the female body showed a…
View original post 623 more words
The Myth of the Perfect Mom
December 30, 2015
Source: The Myth of the Perfect Mom
Safe
November 7, 2015
The question of co-sleeping comes up often. It can be controversial. There are heated debates about it.
The other day I asked my three children what they remember about co-sleeping and how it made them feel.
I did not ask them all together. I had three isolated conversations with them. Each was brief.
I first asked Finn, my youngest.
He is seven years old. About 80percent of the time Rob and I wake up with Finn in our bed even though he goes to sleep in his own bed. I asked him why he likes to sleep with us and he told me that he feels warm and cozy and it helps you if you are scared. He told me he feels safe.
Phoebe is 17 years old. She is a senior in high school. This sophisticated New Yorker travels all over Manhattan and Brooklyn on her own…
View original post 154 more words
My Problem with Similac’s #endmommywars Campaign
September 16, 2015
Have you seen the #endmommywars hashtag floating all over social media lately? It’s becoming a pretty big thing.
On the one hand, it’s an important idea. No mother should ever be shamed for any parenting choice she makes. Period. Truly, it shouldn’t matter if you breastfed, formula fed, stayed home, sent your kids to daycare, whether you were labeled as a “helicopter” parent or “free-range.” Every mom is just doing her best, trying to find her way, and learning as she goes along. The most important thing is how you love your kids. And there is more than one way to provide a loving, secure family base for your child. I’m sorry that any mother has made another mother feel anything but supported in her choices, whatever they may be.
But I’m afraid this #endmommywars campaign is not as supportive as it seems, and in many ways is just pitting mothers against each other further. Are…
View original post 904 more words
The Last First Day
September 9, 2015
This morning as I dropped off my youngest child at school I was weepy. Was this Kindergarten or PreK? No, this was fifth grade. Finn is over five feet tall. He has been going to the same school since her was four years old. Why was I weepy? This marks the end of an era for me – as a mom, as a community member, as someone who is seeing time go by in my middle years.
This is my last First Day of School at the Earth School.
My first First day of Earth School was in September of 2000. For the last fifteen years I have been trekking up and down Avenue B in the East Village of New York City
Just north of 14th Street is Stuyvesant Town where we live. I have walked in snow, sleet, rain and in the blazing sun to get to our beloved elementary school. I have walked with babies in my belly, babies in slings and babies in strollers. I have seen teachers come and go and some come back! I have been through three principles. I have fund raised and recruited other families. I have escorted countless field trips often with a toddler in tow!
At Earth I have found community. I have met some of my closest friends. My family has forged relationships with other families with whom we share holidays and birthdays.
I remember the first annual Earth School Auction.
I have enjoyed the art on the walls and read some inspiring poetry and memoirs by the wonderful children who populate the halls and hearts of our community.
I remember when the roof garden was an idea and then it became real.
I have seen families grow and I have seen families leave. I have seen tragedy and great joy and simply ordinary days at Earth. I was at Earth that terrifying morning on September 11, 2001.
I have watched children perform on the stage.
I have nursed babies in the halls and in the lobby. I have sold popcorn and cookies in the lobby. I have done on-the-spot lactation consulting in the lobby.
I have grown as a human at Earth. I have watched my children grow and thrive. I have seen them learn to tie their shoes and learn conflict resolution and learn to construct a sentence and to defend an original idea.
I have learned about community building and about celebrating the seasons by marching in Tompkins Square Park to celebrate solstices and equinoxes.
I learned about what education is. I have learned so much more. I have learned to let go and watch my babies grow into smart, confident people.
In nine months my youngest child will graduate from the Earth School. But today is the first day of fifth grade for Finn. I will embrace this day and open my heart to the Earth community.
NY Daily News to Opt Out Parents: DROP DEAD
September 7, 2015
In 1975, New York City’s government teetered on the verge of bankruptcy. The city’s leaders appealed to the Gerald Ford administration for financial help. President Ford said no.
The New York Daily News published a headline on its front page that was immediately iconic:
FORD TO NYC: DROP DEAD
Today the same newspaper published an editorial with the same sentiment, this time directed at the parents of the 220,000 children who refused the state tests.
The editorial argues that the parents have been manipulated by the teachers’ union, which is not only false but implies that the parents are dupes.
The editorial claims that the state must stand by the Common Core standards, which (they say) were “developed over many years by the nation’s top education experts.” Would the editorial board please tell us how many years they consider “many,” like two? Would the editors please name the nation’s “top…
View original post 474 more words
mamamilkandme 