Wow I didn't mean to skip August's monthly email, and I'm barely sliding in under the ropes for September. The summer baby boom is very real! In addition to helping local mamas via in-home visits, I've also been getting the ball rolling on local breastfeeding classes, starting a new job at the local women's hospital, and making several changes in school and work and parenting... I've been dealing with major decision fatigue and I'm starting counseling again to process some of the big shifts I feel like we are dealing with.
What I'm learning
I feel like change is the only constant in parenting and that's good and bad. This has been a major theme in my life in the last few months. Once I have a grasp on one season, we seem to jump ahead to a new one! With the 9 year old moving into a new, much more independent developmental stage, and the 1 year old being solidly a toddler, I feel like I am rapidly shifting into the middle years of motherhood. There's a lot to look forward to there, but like anything, there's also something to grieve in the season I'm leaving behind.
What I'm reading
It has been so long since my July email that I can't even remember everything I've read. My favorite recent fiction read was Nora Goes off Script. I feel like good fiction (good living books, if you will) teach you a lot about yourself, life, and humanity, without tediously spelling things out. This was one of those books. It was so easy and enjoyable to read, but also relatable as the character struggles with certain aspects of motherhood and marriage.
In non-fiction, I have started about half a dozen books but not made it very far. Those require more focus (aka not bedtime reading) and no interruptions (aka no reading with the kids awake and up and about) so there's that. But if poetry counts, I am trying to read one Mary Oliver poem per day, just to help me focus on the present and my surroundings a little more because that's the only antidote I've really found to feeling like time is moving too quickly!
What I'm listening to
Here are some podcast episodes I loved listening to since we last chatted:
- If you struggle with the recent trend toward femininity only being flowy dresses and long hair and dreamy read-abounds and jaunts through the woods with your perfectly obliging homeschool children, this episode is for you: Are Women Human? This podcast interview has actually changed my life, given me so much to thing about and talk about, and gave me the confidence to admit that a part-time hospital job would serve my family's time and finances really well right now. A friend share it with me after I sent this other podcast to her (Simple Farmhouse Life: Do Homemakers Have too Much Time on Their Hands?) and... yeah. I will eventually be expounding on this in my own podcast after I read Dorothy Sayers' book on this + a few other related books.
- How to Enjoy Your Evening Hours on the Lazy Genius Podcast. This episode is short and practical and I really appreciated this food for thought.
- Everything Wrong with Nutrition on Social Media. If you haven't listened to Quiet the Diet yet, you're missing out. This episode was so good!
- Babies Aren't the Parasites We've Been Told. This recent episode of 1000 Hours Outside podcast was about the mental load of motherhood, motherhood overwhelm, attachment, and looking to our common complaints to find out what our unmet needs are in the hard seasons.
On my podcast
Last fall, I started a podcast called Milk + Motherhood and it's been so fun. Season 1 was focused on postpartum identity, recovery, and nutrition. Seson 2 is diving into more specialized subjects regarding postparutm and motherhood. Even if you don't listen, check out the shownotes for a wealth of additional information on these subjects. Here are the episodes I've published since my last newsletter:
25.) Homeopathy for Breastfeeding and Postpartum with Jenna Dodge
In this episode, I talk with Certified Classical Homeopath Jenna Dodge (@projecthomeopathy) about how homeopathy can be a helpful tool in your postpartum, breastfeeding, baby-raising era. She explains how she became a homeopath, what homeopathy is, how it works, how it differs from other home remedies like herbal tinctures, and how to find remedies that could work for you.
26.) Feeling Strong in Your Postpartum Body with Adina Rubin
I really loved chatting with Adina in this interview because I purchased her program last fall and I loved it so much! In this episode, she and I chat about life with 3 kids, kettlebells, why moms need to be strong, how this looks practically in the postpartum season, why walking isn’t always the best postpartum exercise, and how a strength program doesn’t have to be complicated or even hard to be effective.
27.) Let's Talk About Breastfeeding Toddlers
I just released this solo episode this weekend, and you all are LOVING it! I am solidly in my toddler breastfeeding era right now, so I figured this was the perfect time to talk about it! In this solo episode, I cover toddler breastfeeding myths, my personal change of heart in this regard, global breastfeeding recommendations and the benefits of breastfeeding, and the benefits of breastfeeding for more than a year. I talk about how your milk changes over time and how the experience of nursing definitely changes. PRO TIP: You guys, I spend so much time working on my show notes. Don't forget to check them out when you listen, because they are FULL of rabbit trails, articles, other podcast episodes, anything that has encouraged me or informed me on the subject at hand.
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What We're Eating
I feel like I gave myself a bit of a break in the past month and just made really simple meals. It helps when the weather is hot and all the good stuff is fresh and in-season! But I've been re-vamping my gluten-free sourdough starter after it spent a few too many weeks in the fridge (I mean, it was too hot to bake in August) and I made sourdough discard chocolate zucchini muffins and sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last week. The kids we skeptical, but ultimately appreciative of fall vegetables in their baked goods ;-)
Seasonal Recipe
This recipe is from my Nourished with Nuance cookbook and it's perfectly in season right now as I harvest a bumper crop of honeynut squash from our garden.
Autumn Pork Salad (makes 5 servings)
-20 ounces of cubed butternut squash -1.5 lbs pork tenderloin -2 Tbs olive oil for baking -2 Tbs olive oil for dressing salt and pepper -5 cups fresh arugula -3 Tbs lemon juice for dressing -2 ripe Asian pears, diced
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Toss the squash in olive oil, salt, and pepper andspread on a lined, rimmed baking sheet.
- Pat the tenderloin dry and place on the other side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (For additional flavor, you can sear the pork in a hot pan until all the sides are browned BEFORE baking, but this isn’t required).
- Bake squash and pork for 20-25 minutes until pork’s internal temperature is 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let meat rest 5-10 minutes before cutting.
- In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and 2 Tbs olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large bowl, combine the arugula and pears and toss in the homemade salad dressing.
- Add cubed pork and roasted butternut squash and serve.
