I know no why there were no work-out gyms a century or so ago… because people made their own butter!  I’ll tell you it is a work out!  I don’t know why our high ‘quality of life’ includes the ability to buy pre-made and packaged butter in a grocery.  To me, the process of carefully selecting local cream, cleaning used food jars for churning and making my own butter into heart shape molds gives me so much joy.

It seems that with each passing year, my husband and I get even more and more ‘granola-y’.  The more that we read where food comes from and how it is made, the more we hunger for homemade traditional food – REAL food. Last weekend we visited Charleston, SC and the food there was seriously amazing.  I had no idea it was a place packed with such wonderful restaurants with such incredible chefs.  We dashed about the city taking refuge from the heat and humidity in restaurants, cafes, and gourmet delis.  Our favorite meal was duck confit paninis and a few sushi rolls fromCaviar and Bananas.

Almost every eatery proclaimed that they had housemade mozarella and I tried it.  DELICIOUS!  So, now that I’m home I’m planning to make me some as soon as my shipment of rennet gets in.  For now, I’m moving on to butter and yogurt.

Here’s how I made butter today:

Pick your cream

Pour into little jars and let sit until about 55-60 degrees F.

I used this awesome thermometer from pampered chef. Order here from my buddy Robin.

Once the right temperature, shake the life out of that jar.First you’ll hear, ’slosh, slosh, slosh’  then ‘whomp, whomp, whomp’ as the beating thickens the cream.  Then ‘thump, thump, thump.’ It will be ready when you hear ‘thump, slosh, thump, slosh’and the creamy consistency breakes up and there is clumps and liquid milk again. Pour the milk with butter into a colander and the milk drains out.

The butter should look like this:

SAVE THE MILK that runs off… it’s buttermilk and yummy to drink or cook with

After the water runs off the butter clear, the milk should be out of the butter and you can knead it to double check. Then put it into forms.  I used valentines day cookie cutters in the spirit of reusing and not purchasing unnecessary goods.

YUMMY! This is the real deal… now on to make some homemade bread from this butter and to have with this butter.  Stay tuned for next week’s post on making homemade mozarella!

Vacation was WAY too short! I want to go back and spend hours upon hours laughing, dreaming and resting!  But for now… I’ll take the rest that I got and will get back to work! So come on mamas… have your babies. I’m a very ready doula!

Just wanted to share my new favorite website:

Curbly.com for design and makeover ideas… my favorite:

… for being Marvelous!

I don’t usually pray during birth while working as a doula.  I focus, I breath, I think but I don’t usually pray.

I prayed through my own: Dear God, give me the strength for this next wave.  Give me a focus for my birth.

I prayed through my closest friends’ births: Help my friend to find her voice, tell her health care provider what she wants and how she will have this baby.  Guide the hands of those helping her bring her baby into world. Give her strength.

General prayers of protection and comfort.

But the last birth that I attended I prayed  a lot.  It was a long labor, probably the longest I’ve every assisted in.  I prayed for strength and  creativity in ways to comfort the mom.  But I also prayed: Dear God, please let the Dr., who checks her progress, find that she is 4 cm dilated.  Please let her be ready to push.  Please give her energy to push how she wants.  Please sensitize everyone in the room to mom’s wishes. Please guide the Dr.’s hands to gently bring this baby into our world.

I prayed and it was an amazing birth.  All birth are amazing in that it is the most beautiful and difficult process ever.  I always cry and feel so blessed that a mom would open her heart to me as her doula and invite me to partake in such an amazing life event.  When they place baby on mom’s chest, I burst from excitement and relief for mom, baby and even myself.  The first cry – a deep throaty scream that is pushed from the baby’s tiny working lungs brings me pure joy, and I cry. I am amazed by moms and what they are capable of.  Every mom, no matter how petite, nervous, strong, shy, or demanding has the incredible life-bringing power within her and it gives me chills when she succeeds in bringing for her own baby to this world.

This particular couple, strangers before our first doula meeting, wove themselves quickly into my heart.  I was completely invested in their birth plan and their well being.  The 25 some-odd hours that we shared in the hospital before active labor gave us ample time to share our stories with each other.  It gave me time to understand some of the unique nuances that make their relationship tick.  It was great research for knowing how to help mom cope once she really needed literal, non-stop, hands-on support.

It was incredible.  And I invited my God there.  We shared faiths and so, He was welcome there in our presence and thus obviously guarded the lives within those walls.

I long for more opportunities to share life, faith and joy with more families.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a million times – my birth clients and those women that have attended my childbirth classes are AWESOME! Basically, I think that it boils down to the fact that women and mamas are awesome.

I just met yesterday with one of my former clients who is raising money for a wonderful non-profit here in town, The Nest.  The way that she is raising money is by selling Pomegranate linens at very reasonable prices.  All of the money goes directly to The Nest.  She is asking a very low price: $1 for napkins, $1 for placemats, $15 for tablecloths (though, if you wish to donate more than she is asking, it is much appreciated).

Usually Pomegranate napkins run $24 for 4 napkins, $28 for 4 placemats and $30-50 for tablecloths.  The charity price is a STEAL and you will be contributing to a great organization that works to support women, children and families by education, counseling and support.

I LOVE finding out about what my friends are doing to make their world a better place and to lend a hand to their neighbor!  If you’re interested in purchasing some fantastic linens to support The Nest, please email me at lauren@birthisfun.com and I’ll send you more info!

One of my good friends lovingly refers to the 4th of July as the ‘Anniversary of American Rebellion’ so to celebrate, I decided to rebel… I call it the Rice Krispie Rebellion!

It is against all things organic, natural, healthy and good.  IT is rice krispie treats!!!!!   And I guess since the box says, ‘9 Vitamins + Iron’  I could kinda convince myself it wasn’t ALL bad!

Oh how gooey marshmellows melt with butter to create a delicate bath for the krispy chunks of high fructose syrup rice… ahhhhh.

The bright packaging and mooshiness was too much for me and my begging 3 year old, E, to resist today… so we are… now… enjoqaiayging… stickeeeyeisa, marshwemeloowlllwoy gooooo;poi:)ness!

Happy 4th of JULY!!!

You’ve heard it said, ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’  I think there must be another saying about Russian grandmothers, ‘too many бабушки in one house’ and in birth, ‘too many eyes in the labor room.’

After I had my first baby, with no one there except the dr. and staff and my husband, I was sure that birth #2 would be a perfect opportunity to invite anyone who wanted to see a birth.  There are so few opportunities for women to view normal birth these days.  ‘Normal’ being one that begins on its own, when baby is ready, one that progresses naturally (doesn’t necessarily mean progressing regularly) and one when the momma and daddy call most of the shots.

I wanted to give all of my baby-less friends the opportunity to view birth as it should be to give them confidence in birthing naturally.  But when the day came and I went into labor with baby #2, I didn’t feel the same.  In fact, we called no one until after Fiona was born!  I felt that I needed to focus on me and my family during labor  and didn’t want to entertain any guests.  I did not want any extra ‘eyes’ on me.  I did NOT predict my last minute change of mind, but for us it was perfect.

I am so thankful for moms that allow other women to attend their births.  As a doula, I am thankful for the opportunity to be a set of helpful hands in an intimate family moment.  It’s a sacred blessing to be granted entrance to a birth!

I challenge moms to take time during their pregnancy to really evaluate their OWN desires for their birth day and how many eyes that they want on them.  Note that these desires may change last minute and even during the labor, mom might change her mind.  If you are attending a birth, check your own emotions and desires at the door and take on the mama’s wishes.  If she asks you to leave, don’t be offended – just leave!

Taking the time now to prepare will give mom confidence to say ‘there are too many eyes on me right now’ if she is laboring with friends and needs a moment alone.  It takes a truly confident mom to know what helps her labor and what slows it down. I’ve attended births where the mom really knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to tell us.  It helps the labor to go much more smoothly and give mom the environment that SHE needs.

If you need tips on how to prepare for your birth, email me: lauren@birthisfun!  I’ll be thrilled to talk to you about options and brainstorm what will be best for your birth and your family!

Sometimes a hand is all mom needs to get through a contraction. Skin to skin for pain relief and assurance that she is not alone.

For those of you that are attending a birth as a friend, mother, sister, doula here are some tips on how to be a ‘quiet presence’ instead of an awkward spectator:

-When you enter the room, be quiet! Mom might be in the middle of a contraction, do NOT disturb her rhythm.  When she is done with a contraction, you may approach her and reciprocate the mood that she is in. If she is laughing, laugh, if she is quiet, stay quiet.

-Don’t ask lots of questions.  The laboring moms is working… HARD.  She doesn’t want to answer questions about when her water broke, about contractions, etc. Just observe.  If she seems open to sharing, she’ll share.

-Give her options that are easy to understand and quick to answer.  When mom is in full swing of labor and has little time in between contractions, she can not always decide what she wants. Give her options such as, ‘Do you want counter pressure or no pressure’, ‘Do you want to lie down or get on hands and knees’?

-Keep her hydrated.  The best way to keep mom hydrated is to keep a drink FULL and handy with a straw in it.  Put it up to mom’s lips in between contractions.  If she wants a sip, she’ll take it.  If she doesn’t… she won’t.

-Respect mom’s wishes for quiet and dim lighting.  If you want to carry on a conversation, play video games, watch t.v. or talk on the phone LEAVE THE ROOM.  Remember it is not about your entertainment but what mom wants!

-Lastly, remember to thank mom afterwards for allowing you to come.  You are not entitled to see her birth – doesn’t matter if your the best friend, the mother or her favorite sister… you are not entitled.  Be thankful and tell her that she is amazing, she is beautiful and her baby is perfect.

Thanks to a lovely student of mine, Angie, I am enjoying a delicious glass of ice cold tea.  This is no regular tea, though.  It’s Mint and Lemon Tea!

My last birthing class was a really fun group and one couple was organic farmers of Pete’s Sake Farm in Lexington.  They were a sweet couple that brought much fun to the class and also brought plants!  Each week we would all discuss our current gardens, swapping stories and sharing tips and recipes. One week, to our surprise, Angie and Mike had brought us all a big flat of plants: heirloom tomatoes such as Pineapple and Black Krim, Roma and more.  She also gave us three variations of basil: Holy Basil, Lemon and Regular.

It’s been so fun to add these beautiful plants to my small garden and watch them grow, remembering this wonderful couple and all the zest that they have for life and the great respect that they have for their earth.

Tonight, thanks to some Sweet Basil and Lemon Basil, I hosted a small dinner party with my parents with ice cold black tea infused with Lemon Basil and my own peppermint leaves alongside homemade toasted bread with a slice of freshly picked tomatoes, a sliver of Holy Basil and mozarella.  It was divine!

Thanks to my beautiful students for bringing more to my life than I’m sure that I could ever bring to theirs.  Each birth journey that I am invited to participate in, whether during pregnancy as the childbirth educator or in labor as the doula brings me a slice of heaven here on earth.

In short…I LOVE my job!  Thanks to my students and mamas for making my life so much richer… and my tea that much sweeter!

For the past 6+ months a beautiful piece of fabric strewn haphazardly across the curtain rod has been patiently waiting for this mama to make things look nice and neat.  Alas, yesterday I did it… I finally made the curtains for the bathroom! I know that it seems like a small feat, but as a very busy working, studying mom of two it’s a cause for celebration!

So, I hope that you enjoy this picture and that it inspires you to take a few moments today to do something that helps you to relax, that reconnects you to your souls and makes you smile!