Precious Moments

Posted on May 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

Yesterday was John’s 2nd birthday, and I will be posting pictures and such this weekend after his party. But, today I wanted to take a moment to record some of the “precious moments” we’ve been having with Jessica recently. With the start of her new diet, she has started playing pretend and being able to express what is going on in her head a little better.

1) Hearing “I love you Mommy” at least once every day (usually several times each day) for the past year!

2) “Mom, I want you to grow small like me so I can be your good friend!” April 11, 2012

3) While watching The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with the kids, Jessica says “Mom, it’s like God!” She might not have said much, but she totally got the connection between Aslan and Jesus. :-) April 27, 2012

4) While at Open Gym, they had the kids talk into the microphone and say thank you to their moms for bringing them. Jessica said, “Um, I am a little mommy, and I love my children! My babies listen and do what I say.” (the Little Mommy Golden book is her favorite book right now and has helped with developing her pretend play skills!) May 1, 2012

5) Watching her pretend play, her involving me and her babies in her pretend play, and hearing her dialog about her pretend play! “Oh! My Little Girl fall down! You ok? My Little Girl need some ice!!”

Last year, these types of moments seemed so elusive. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to experience these “precious moments” with her!

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Posted in Anthology

I Am So Very Blessed

Posted on May 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today I was reminded of just how blessed I am to be the parent of a child with special needs. On our way out the door this morning, Jessica found one of the sippy cups we have been setting out in our community to raise funds for the adoption of a little boy with Downs Syndrome and asked what it was for. I hadn’t talked with her about this yet because although her expressive language is about on age level, her receptive language is at least a year behind, and I wasn’t sure how much of it she would understand.

I told her that it was a cup that we put money in for a little boy named Vitaliy who doesn’t have a mommy or daddy and that the money will buy him an airplane ticket so he can go home to his new mommy and daddy. She asked “Why Vitaliy not have a mommy or a daddy? Did they die?” (She’s seen this in some children’s cartoons.) I told her “I am not sure. Sometimes their mommy and daddy die, and sometimes their mommy and daddy don’t want to be a mommy or a daddy.” (I didn’t have the heart to tell her that sometimes people just don’t want to be the parent of a child with a disability.) She then wanted to take the cup to her school to show all of her friends, so I let her and we talked about Vitaliy the entire way to school. (She has decided that she wants to go visit him….)

When we got to school, I told her teacher that Jessica had wanted to bring this cup to show her friends. I told her that the cup was intended for donations to assist with the adoption of a little boy about Jessica’s age with Downs Syndrome and that if he wasn’t adopted by September then he would go to a mental institution, which I understand often has no toys and no books and very little interaction. Her teacher found that to be rather shocking. I then told her that in our own country 90% of Downs Syndrome pregnancies are terminated, which is equally disturbing because both ways effectively silence the voice of an entire group of people. It worries me what will happen as we develop more prenatal tests for other disabilities. Will we effectively eliminate those people from our society as well? Jessica’s teacher said, “Wow, it is amazing how deep the need for control runs.” She also volunteered to set the cup Jessica had brought out in case other parents would like to contribute to Vitaliy’s adoption.

On the way home from school, Jessica got very stressed because she realized that we had “forgotten” the cup with Vitaliy’s picture on it. I explained that her teacher had said we could leave it at school for other people to put money in so Vitaliy can buy an airplane ticket to come home to his new mommy and daddy. She seemed quite sad that she didn’t have Vitaliy’s picture anymore, so I told her I would print her off a new picture that she could keep in her room so she could remember to pray for Vitaliy to get to come home soon.

She is so proud of her picture of Vitaliy!

She’s still a little confused on all of the details, but it made me think “How lucky am I as a parent to be blessed with such a child that cares so much for ALL people….no matter how they look, their disability, their choices, their performance, etc. So what if she waves to random people on the street and says ‘That’s my new good friend!’ and we have to explain that you need to at least ask what their name is before you call them your friend. God knew what He was doing when He created Jessica because with a heart like that, she is going to bless so many people.” Then I saw this video posted on Vitaliy’s blog, and I burst into tears because it is true. God doesn’t make mistakes, and He doesn’t make broken people. He makes people for a purpose.

If you want to help bring Vitaliy home go to Reese’s Rainbows, an awesome organization that arranges the adoption of international special needs children.

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Posted in Autism

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Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Mother’s Day Edition

Posted on May 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

The start of your journey into motherhood is always an exciting one because the entire journey is before you and full of new beginnings!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

One of the most exciting things about becoming a mother is the realization that YOU have the power to shape your child into the person they will become.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

As a mother you have so many options before you to weigh and eventually decide which method is right for you, and you will likely find that no one particular philosophy fits you and your child

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

While finding your own path gives you the freedom to do what works for you and your child, it can also be challenging to go against the norm around you, but if you don’t stew about it, then you will find new confidence when you realize that you really do know what is best for you and your child!

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Those are the exciting moments of motherhood, when things are going right, and you feel like you have it together!

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

But the reason motherhood is such a great adventure is because it is not an easy road. There are many bumps in the road, and there aren’t always signs warning you about the road ahead.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.

Some of those bumps will make you feel “left behind” as your friends and their kids move on to the next milestone.

You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

Un-slumping yourself is not easily done, but it’s also not a good place to stay. Just because it’s not easy, doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

This is the scary part of motherhood. When you realize that you haven’t a clue what to do. When you start weighing choices, wondering what the result will be of different choices.

You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…

…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

It does get confusing trying to find your way again, and it can make you feel panicked to the point that you start to race “down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace,” but eventually other people will force you to slow down because you truly can’t do it all by yourself and you will have to wait on them to make things happen.

NO!
That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

No! That’s not for you! As Mom somehow you will find a way out of the lurch and find those bright places where boom bands are playing once again!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Having come out of the lurch, you have grown stronger from your bumps in the road and are ready to take on new challenges! You’ve figured out how you fit in your relationships both old and new post-bump-in-the-road!

Except when they don’t
Because, sometimes they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.

The truth is though that motherhood is not a journey you can take with friends….motherhood is a journey that you have to take alone because each person’s journey is different.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

And there are definitely things on the journey that will test your courage.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

But, because you are someone’s Mommy, you will face up to your problems whatever they are because your child depends on you.

You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

Keeping your center is the key to surviving those moments. When we loose sight of our center, we can easily become unbalanced or even mix up our right food with our left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

Yes, you will indeed succeed, but I think that along the journey of motherhood your definition of success will change because motherhood teaches you that life is not about what we typically think of as success. It’s about the journey, the heart of the person making that journey, and the lessons learned along the way.

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

 …and from the perspective of your child, you really will move mountains!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

No matter who you are, you really are off to great places and today is your day! That mountain is waiting with your name on it, so take courage, and get on your way!

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Posted in Parenting

Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Iced Mocha Cappuccino

Posted on April 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

Let’s just start out with a couple confessions: 1) I have absolutely zero self-control, ZERO! and 2) I am a HUGE stress-eater!! While Jessica and I have been on our elimination diet (sucrose free, dairy free, preservatives free, yeast free, gluten free, fermented foods free such as vinegar, and fructose lite diet) trying to figure out what it is that we are reacting to, I have done really well…..until I get stressed…..at which point I completely, and I mean completely, blow the diet!! Unfortunately, with two small children that have daily therapy appointments and bring home all kinds of germs, I am stressed a lot!!! ;-) So, I decided that I needed to come up with some stress-eating options that would NOT completely blow the diet! Enter the Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Iced Mocha Cappuccino!

Dairy-free, Sugar-free Iced Mocha Cappuccino

1 oz homemade sugar-free chocolate syrup (recipe below)
2 oz cold-brewed coffee
4 oz homemade almond milk
1 teaspoon melted coconut oil
2-3 ice cubes
Combine all ingredients except ice cubes and blend (you want the coconut oil well blended before adding ice or you will have chunks of solidified oil in your iced mocha cappuccino). Add ice cubes (blend if desired).
Nutritional information: That is .025 of a Tablespoon of Honey and .025 of a Tablespoon of Maple Syrup per serving or .05 of a Tablespoon of natural sweetener per serving! I think that is completely reasonable!!!!
 

Overall, I am very pleased with this recipe. I might lessen the coffee and the chocolate just a tad because I prefer my Iced Mocha Cappuccino to be a little weak. A few notes about why I did what I did: First, the coconut oil adds creaminess to it. It basically replaces the whipped cream. You can make (and buy) non-dairy whipped cream, but the coconut oil is a quick and easy substitute (and does produce some foam on top). Second, I chose to cold-brew my coffee because I had read that it was less acidic. (basically soak 1 pound of coffee beans freshly ground in room temperature water for 12 hours, then strain). I actually hate coffee….shocking I know…..I have only recently learned to like Iced Mocha Cappuccinos. My sister uses instant coffee all the time and thinks it works just fine. I would be curious to see what other people think, as I will be using the cold-brewed coffee for a very long time (it made an entire gallon and the occasional Iced Mocha Cappuccino for me is the extent of our coffee drinking around here….I will probably freeze most of it in smaller increments, possibly ice cubes, for later use…which might be very convenient actually)! Third, I originally tried using coconut milk, but the flavor was completely different and the texture was much thicker than what I was looking for. I can’t say that I am a huge fan of almond milk, whether or not it is sweetened or flavored; however, the flavor and texture of the almond milk seems a perfect substitute for an Iced Mocha Cappuccino! I chose to make my own almond milk because there are hidden sugars even in the unsweetened store bought almond milk. (basically soak 1-2 cups of almonds in water for 8 hours, drain, blend with 4 cups of water and any spices, sweeteners, etc that you desire, and finally strain through a nut bag of piece of fabric….I used 2 cups of almonds, 4 cups of water, and no spices or sweeteners) Not to mention, you can save the almond pulp, bake it for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and use it in place of almond meal in recipes! I assume you could do the same thing with used coffee grounds…maybe use them a second time or use them in homemade playdough, soap, as a natural dye, in a cake, etc…..thoughts?

Sugar-free Chocolate Syrup

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil and stir frequently for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Then refrigerate.
 

Once cooled this recipe is a perfect replacement for store-bought chocolate syrup! A few notes about why I did what I did: Honey and maple syrup both have rather distinct flavors and are sweeter than refined white sugar. I felt that by using both equally, one flavor would not over power the chocolate sauce. Also, the original recipe called for 2 cups of refined white sugar. I knocked it down to 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 a cup of maple syrup. Also, if you are unfamiliar with vanilla powder, it is basically powdered vanilla beans that you can use in place of vanilla extract. David has tried adding this to milk and thinks it is a really good substitute for store-bought chocolate syrup. I did try another recipe first that I had found online (although I completely altered it) that used coconut milk as a base. It was not good in milk or in the Iced Mocha Cappuccino; however, it was a pretty good substitute for chocolate pudding!

Notice the tiny black flecks in the pudding? That is the vanilla powder. I think next time I will use vanilla extra to give it a smoother texture.

Dairy-free, Sugar-free Chocolate Pudding

14 oz can of coconut milk (or make your own)
2 oz of unsweetened Baker’s chocolate
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or 1/4 tsp of vanilla powder but it will be a bit grainy)
Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and stir constantly for about 10 minutes until chocolate is completely dissolved. Chill.
 

Jessica and I both really enjoy this as a treat. David felt that it was a reasonable substitute for pudding but that I got much closer with the Dairy-free, Sugar-free Chocolate Syrup. It has a bit of a coconut flavor to it, and neither of us are huge coconut fans. However, it is still a pretty good substitute for chocolate pudding! Hip Hip Hooray for some sweet stress-eating treats that are on the diet (so long as it is in moderation)!!! If you end up giving some of these recipes a try, please let me know what you think and any variations you try!

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Posted in "Austism Diet"

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A Tour of Our Fridge

Posted on April 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

We’ve made a lot of changes in our diet over the last several months, and it is revolutionizing my kitchen!!!! I am still in the process of reworking the rest of the kitchen, but here is a peak at what our fridge has been looking like recently!

Starting at the top left we have some eggs we bought from a local homeschooling family. Unfortunately, we aren’t buying eggs very often anymore because John is allergic, and eggs are one of his favorite foods! Next to that are some leftovers.

The next shelf down on the right has some Asparagus and carrots that we have been storing in water. This keeps them fresh for longer, however, the longer they are in the water, the more nutrients are inclined to leak out. That shelf also holds some local, pasteurized, non-homogenized milk from grass fed cows. John and David have been enjoying the milk. I am hoping that me and Jessica will be able to add dairy back in at some point. The glass bottles they come in are absolutely adorable! I take the empty glass bottles back each week and pick up new bottles of milk!

The next shelf down has a huge box of strawberries we picked at a local farm….very yummy! And the shelf below that has some more leftovers.

The small drawer on the right holds fruit. We have been having to limit fruit to one or two servings a day as to not overload Jessica’s system with too much sugar.

Below that are two large bins of greens! We have been getting a box of local, organic produce every two weeks from Off the Vine, and there are always quite a few greens in each box. I keep them in a bucket of water to keep them fresh as long as possible! (again some of the nutrients may leak out the longer they are in the bucket)

The two drawers on the bottom hold a variety of vegetables: potatoes, onions, squash, cabbage, more carrots, avocados, etc. I pick up a few fruits and veggies from the store each week to supplement what we get in our produce box. I find there are certain favorites that we want for certain meals.

Finally on the door, the very top is currently bare except for some labs waiting to be mailed off. (We replaced our butter with coconut oil.) The next shelf down is David’s condiments. We are working on replacing these since Jessica and I can’t have them, but we are waiting until we find a substitute that David approves of….so far we have found a ketchup substitute! The next two shelves hold a water filter pitcher and meds (mayo for lice…didn’t work in case you were curious, pro-biotic capsules that contain no sugar, and some liquid acidophilus which…you guessed it contains no sugar). Finally the bottom shelf on the door contains a mixture of store-bought and homemade condiments: lemon and lime juice (adds a bit of convenience to my kitchen at the moment), sugar free jam (still working on finding a good recipe for that), pomegranate juice (great substitute for cranberry juice in recipes), homemade ketchup, and blended store bought almond butter (they say you just have to stir it, but it tastes significantly better if you blend it). Sometimes we have a few other homemade condiments like mustard, avocado salad dressing, guacamole, sugar free chocolate sauce, and occasionally some salsa.

I am still working on revamping my kitchen, and I am hoping that when I meet with the allergist next week that we might be able to add some things back in. But for now, this is how our fridge has been looking! I have enjoyed cooking from scratch and learning more about how to prepare/preserve different types of food; however, it would be nice if going out to eat was not such a pain and if we could add back in some whole foods (like milk or wheat). You can substitute some things, but there are  certain properties of certain foods that you just can’t substitute and have it turn out the same…..at least not without having a chemistry experiment going on in your kitchen!!!

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Posted in "Austism Diet"

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The Last 6 Weeks and Pictures!

Posted on April 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

I have done absolutely no blogging in the past 6 weeks, and there is a pretty good reason why. We have battled a nasty (and I mean nasty) cold that passed through the entire family for two weeks and 2 separate lice infestations!!!!!! If you’ve had lice, then you know what a pain it can be to get rid of them, but I have NEVER seen a lice infestation like this!!! We used every product, every home remedy, etc and eventually have to resort to putting prescription insecticide in our hair to kill them the second time around! THIS would be the down side to living somewhere that pretty much has no winter…..the bugs never die off and become pretty much impossible to kill!!!! In one of our few forays into public during the last 6 weeks, we did go with some friends to pick strawberries and had a WONDERFUL time!!!!!!!

The whole group getting ready to go pick berries (minus baby Jamison)!

John enjoyed picking berries, but he also enjoyed eating them!

Believe it or not, he did actually put quite a few in the box...some of them were very green....but he did put some in the box!

Showing Mommy one of the berries he picked! After tasting several different berries of different levels of ripeness, he eventually concluded that the red ones were the best to pick!

Jessica did an AWESOME job picking berries! She stayed on task the entire time and didn't eat any of them!! She actually picked almost our entire box with some help from John and her friend River, and then Jessica went and helped Ms. Kami finish picking her box!

John a little more timid about trying another berry after the last one that was really green!

"Oh...I think this is going to be a good one!"

Baby Jamison living the good life relaxing in the strawberry field!

What should you do after a busy morning of picking (and eating) berries? Eat more berries!!!!

Best shot we were able to get of the entire group together.

In other new, John climbed out of his pack ‘n play and tried to climb out of his crib, so when the last lice infestation hit we just went ahead and took down the crib….one less thing to clean! John now has a toddler mattress on the floor.

However, most nights when I go in their room before I go to bed, I find them like this!

My baby boy is getting so big so fast! He has also started insisting on having a straw cup at restaurants instead of his sippy cup! Before I know it we will be sippy cup and booster seat free.

Jessica got to spend a little time stargazing with her daddy the other night! She had fun and has been talking about camping in the backyard sometime soon.

These are the only pictures we got from Easter. They looked adorable in their matching sailor suits! We should probably try to get a better picture of them in these sometime soon before they out grow them. In previous years, I have made them Easter outfits, but this year I didn’t have time. Perhaps I will make the outfits I had intended on making this summer for the early fall.

It has been a tough last month and a half with all of the quarantining, cleaning, etc. Jess definitely fell behind a bit while we were unable to attend therapy, school, etc. I did get a lot of cleaning out done, but it definitely took it’s toll on my sanity!!! :-)

One last shot of my sweet girl

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Posted in Anthology

DIY Magic Bullet….only BETTER!!!!

Posted on April 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

I realize I haven’t posted hardly anything on here in the last couple months…..things have been absolutely CRAZY around here!!!! More on that as well as some cute pictures of my kids tomorrow, but for now I just couldn’t contain how excited I am about my new “Magic Bullet” that….get this….uses MASON JARS!!!!!!!

In our marriage, David and I have owned an Oster Blender (pretty much the same design as my mother’s 1970′s Sunbeam blender). I liked it well enough, but I hated how there was only one blade, one jar, and one lid. It seemed like such a pain to haul out, put together, use, take apart, and clean…only to use it again.

We eventually got rid of it and upgraded to the Magic Bullet. I made all of the kids’ baby food in it. David used it for making protein shakes, and I have recently been using it for making condiments for Jessica’s new diet. (In case you are just now joining us, Jessica is on a sucrose free, dairy free, preservatives free, yeast free, gluten free, fermented foods free, and fructose lite diet. It seems to have made a significant difference in her Autism symptoms.) The Magic Bullet has worked great! However, it is made of plastic so the parts do wear out with the kind of abuse it gets around our home, and I am always running out of cups and blades (I told you we use it A LOT)!!!

**I should probably also mention at this point that we do have a Cuisinart stick blender that I purchased after the Magic Bullet primarily use for canning, soap making, etc (read heavy duty kitchen projects).

With all of the cooking we are doing for Jessica’s diet, it has become apparent to us that we need to make some upgrades to some of our kitchen appliances. Enter the DIY Magic Bullet! I love the idea of using Mason jars because 1) I have A LOT of them…we use them for drinking glasses, canning, breakfast on the go, etc. 2) I have A LOT of lids for Mason jars! The Magic Bullet only came with 2 lids that didn’t have any holes. 3) They are made of glass and very durable! 4) We can make individual sized servings or use the blender pitcher to make multiple servings at one time!

I bought a new Oster blender from Wal-mart. To my knowledge any standard Oster blender design will accept a regular mouthed mason jar (pint size and jelly jar size). I chose to buy a new blender 1) because if it is something you are going to get a lot of use out of then I prefer to buy it new so you don’t have to worry about abusive previous owners and 2) this particular model has a food processor adapter. I rarely use a food processor. I prefer my mandolin and knives; however, it is nice to have the option without purchasing a separate appliance. I also purchased an extra blade, gasket, and lid while I was at Wal-mart. I also purchased a third blade on Amazon that is supposed to be very heavy duty and be able to handle almost anything I could throw at it!

This is my complete set-up (not counting my collection of mason jars and the heavy duty blade I had to order online). This should serve me better than the Magic Bullet ever could: infinite jars, infinite lids, as many blades as I want to buy, durability, and all replacement parts are easy to come by at any garage sale!!!!! I see many breakfast smoothies in our future!! We really liked this one from Pinterest:

and I am really wanting to try a variation on these:

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Posted in Making a House a Home

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