I’m convinced that hosting Mothers Blessings for expectant moms can change the world. I’m not exaggerating- recreating a norm of communal support and blessing for mothers (and not just excitement for babies) has a generational ripple effect. When the mother is cared for, supported, and enters birth and motherhood without fear and loneliness, she is more likely to have a smooth labor and a better postpartum. When the mother is filled up, she is more able to love and care for her children well, which is life changing for them and creates a better experience of motherhood. A mothers blessing is one way to bring this care and support to the forefront and build a web of female community.

I’ve had the privilege to be a part of a good handful of mothers blessings and can honestly say they are one of my favorite things in the world! The idea is to really pamper, bless and encourage the expectant mother into this new season of life (wether it is her 1st or her 5th baby, each one brings a new season), instead of a party more focused around gifts for baby.

(You can still totally do gifts for baby, have a registry and all of that, in fat you can absolutely have a baby shower and a mothers blessing)

A mothers blessing invites the mother to receive (for once) and brings together community around her, showing her she is supported and helping her to feel less alone in what can sometimes feel scary and isolating. It also helps that community to feel a part of her journey, encouraging more commitment from them to be part of her support system. “We’re all in this together” type vibes.

It brings us back to the heart of womanhood, something that many of us feel has been lost- that we are intrinsically communal and thrive when we gather together, that we pass down wisdom through stories and words, and caring for each other as a village uplifts us all. Motherhood, birth and postpartum have long been womens work, often marked by the gathering of generations of women, support from wise elders, celebration, ceremony and deep, nourishing care for the new mom- something that is very far from many womens’ experience of pregnancy, labor, postpartum and motherhood as isolating and unknown.

History & Culture of Mothers Blessings

There have been version of this worldwide and in times long past and I am so convinced it needs to make a full blown comeback and be the norm for every mother, in some way.

The most commonly known and what the recent American resurgence often links back to is the Navajo “Blessingway” or Hózhó. The Blessingway is a two-night ceremony that is used for many major life transitions, like puberty, marriage, or pregnancy. It is a sacred ritual with specific chants and stories intended to restore peace, harmony and invite protection to the mother and child. However, this is very different than any modern mothers blessing practice I have heard of, and isn’t really something to emulate as this is a sacred cultural tradition.

Many indigenous cultures worldwide have practices of preparing the space for birth, cleansing and blessing it and the mother to be.

Across Medieval Europe, various versions of birth girdles were wrapped around pregnant bellies, inlaid and sewed with charms, amulets and prayers to protect the mother and child and ease labor, along with chant and prayer rituals. In ancient Egypt and Mesoamerica, protective amulets and and charms were worn also.

In India, women gather for a vailakappu ceremony to adorn expectant mothers with colorful glass bangles, anoint her with sandalwood and shower her with flower petals, to calm the mothers mind and stimulate baby’s senses.

In Japan, women practice Satogaeri shussan, returning to their ancestral home a few weeks before delivery and allowing elders and relatives to take care of her, providing her rest and emotional security.

In Egypt, southwest Asia, North America, Indonesia, Slavic cultures and I’m sure many others, sacred women’s sanctuaries where generations of women gathered to bleed, birth, and confine after labor were communal and supportive spaces with their own unique rites of passage and blessings, many of which are largely unknown and only hinted at (you know we women like to have our secrets).

There are also tons of post-birth blessings and rituals- in East Africa, new mothers are bathed in the ocean by female elders, in Java mothers are washed with flower petals and other goodies while women chant milk-supply blessings, in Ghana new babies are ceremoniously washed in protective herbal baths. Hawai’i has postpartum lomilomi massages, Mexico has the “closing of the bones” wrapping of the mother, southeast Asia keeps new mothers by a roaring fire for 7 days. In ancient Greece, the family celebrated mother and baby surviving the first 10 days postpartum, and lots of cultures had and still have strict rules about care for postpartum mothers and complete community support for the first month or so.

Many cultures practice or have practiced immeasurable sacred rites, rituals, and blessings through ought pregnancy, birth and postpartum to honor, protect and guide expectant mothers. And yet now we tend to send mom off to her gyno visits, where she is weighed, asked if she feels ok and sent off with a ‘yes thats all normal’ just to return to hospital, uninformed and unsupported, expected to birth with no loving hands, and then quickly bundled off home with not another word except to mark her ‘open for business’ again at the 6 week postpartum check up.

The Modern Mothers Blessings

Modern mothers blessings seems to be something all of their own, which I love. While they draw inspiration from the idea of gathering around mothers and creating more ceremony around such a milestone, it isn’t stolen or appropriated from any particular culture. Instead it seems to stem from the natural urge to gather as women and honor one another, something long lost that we are coming back to.

As such, I don’t personally use the word “Blessingway” (although it does roll of the tongue beautifully) because that very much is a specific, sacred Navajo tradition and that is not what we are doing here.

So all that being said, a blessing can really take so many forms. The goal is that it is suited to the mother and is something that would personally bless her. It can be as simple as a gathering of close friends with a little extra intention, or it can be a longer, more deliberate ceremony created with different interactive elements to honor the mom and encourage community commitment to her and baby wellbeing.

Planning a Mothers Blessing

Planning a mothers blessing can actually be so simple, but there are a few elements that work together to make it a really enjoyable time for everyone involved. Again, you can take or leave whatever parts of this make sense for you or the mother in question.

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Lately, my brain has been such a buzz of competing thoughts, feelings, ideas, words, that almost nothing seems a complete thought, and though I know I have thinks to think and words to speak, unravelling them seems so challenging.

I materialize 8 blog post ideas at once but when I sit to write the actual words seem to dissipate- I suddenly have no knowledge or ideas in my brain, let alone an intro, three point body and conclusion. Suddenly I’m ten steps ahead of my own wonderings, concerned about what others will think of my thought, comparing it to other peoples thoughts.

The curse of a cluttered mind. But that’s not all it is.

In a world where everything is a ‘take’ a ‘hook’ and ‘angle’…where do we create space for the journey of explorative expression? When do we give our minds enough room to breathe, enough time to truly take in deep, enriching, delicious information and inspiration, chew it over and actually churn it into something altogether our own, delightful and fulfilling before it even reaches its finished form, just because of the process of getting there.

I’ve been noticing lately just how deeply my mind seems to be effected by the easy dopamine entertainment hits with which I fill it every day.

I open instagram and scroll for 20 minutes. My algorithm is so wonderfully programmed to me that every single video is incredibly inspiring- every minute offers a new genius recipe, divine parenting insight, whimsical craft, philosophical lesson. Each one sends my mind on a tangent of ideas- a new to-do, an add to my TBR, then of self deprecating “I should be doing that” or analytical comparison- what camera are they using? How did they film this so beautifully? Are their kids crying at them in the background or does that just happen to me? Does this come as easily to them as it seems, am I doing something wrong? And then the roller coaster loops right back to pleasant inspiration as I open my notes app to write down another cluster of weird protein rich hidden fiber treat recipe ideas that I will never revisit.

My notes app would shock people.

Suddenly, I’ve become very aware of the utter overstimulation that all of this input - even good, inspiring and positive input - wreaks upon my mind. After 15 minutes I’m reeling with thoughts, after 30 I’m starting to feel bad about myself and my lack of follow through, and any longer than that and it all turns into a mush ball in my brain. I can hardly remember anything I’ve seen, but I have the distinct feeling that the next scroll might somehow be the inspiration piece that solves my very real life queries or concerns. It never is. But I scroll again.

My scrolling has decreased quite a lot lately. A combination of simply not having the time, of purposefully retraining myself to reach for more challenging dopamine like physical books, and honestly a bit of disillusionment with social media.

I think I, like many others, am becoming tired of the treadmill of what is no longer ‘social’ media and what I can only call maybe, ‘consumption’ media. I’m tired of seeing the same types of things over and over, yes, but more than that I’m tired of seeing people trying to sell themselves, to hook me, to engage me, to be worthy of views, follows likes. I’m tired of finding that same drive within myself when I create, I hate it, I want to actively work against it even though it’s my job and the apps don’t like it when you don’t play their games.

But mostly, I think I’m tired of the constant onslaught of information. Maybe it’s the way my brain works and maybe some others don’t feel it so acutely, although I have a feeling it affects us all.

I am so textbook ADHD it’s almost laughable, and while I purposefully don’t order my life around that diagnoses, and choose to muddle through unmedicated, it is an undeniable fact when it comes to how my brain works. It is LOUD in there. So loud that I often can’t hear my own thoughts. If I’m managing to keep up with all my *healthy life habits* then it feels quieter, and daily tasks and bigger goals are more achievable. When life gets too full, and I start to be a bit like a hamster on a motorized wheel set juuust slightly too fast for my little legs…the healthy habits fall behind (right when I need them most) and little by little the noise get’s so loud all I can do is sit in one place and cover my proverbial ears. Good old task paralysis. It can make daily life really challenging.

So because of this baseline mental chatter, I really like having background noise or entertainment. It quiets my own mind so I can get on with life while zoning in (or out?) to what I’m listening to, and I find myself leaning on it more the more at my limit I am. In it’s healthiest form, this can be blasting music while I’m cleaning or listening to a podcast on a drive. My less healthy versions have been tv on constantly in the background or, more recently, constant audiobooks (you can tell how overwhelmed I am by how many fantasy books I’ve listened to in a given month).

All of that is well and good- although I have a bent toward distraction and struggle for peaceful presence, that’s one to take up with my therapist another time- at least I am getting things done and focusing on one long plot, or learning something right?

But then at the top of the brain-filling distraction pyramid is ‘social’ media- or at least, the ‘for you page’ scroll-session social media. It’s an all consuming, mind filling, quick and easy access dopamine that has my whole body and mind on couch lock. What at first feels like quieting my brain for a little respite and ‘zone-out’ after a long day actually has the opposite effect- it slams my brain with so much different stimuli in such a short space of time that I practically short circuit.

Worst of all, I most often do this when I’m procrastinating a task that I know will use my brain, or at the end of the day, when the kids have just gone to bed and ‘my time’ has begun. My husband and I will flop on the couch and zone out as a little ‘reward’ or reset after the end of a long day and the exhausting dinner-bath-bedtime extravaganza. But what could be 15 minutes of rest before beginning an evening of interesting and inspiring time to ourselves often turns into an hour of overstimulating input that actually leaves me with a sort of ‘social media sea legs’ when I finally wrench myself away. At this point its 9 pm, I still haven’t showered and suddenly the idea of journaling, painting, reading, writing or researching that new topic I keep saying I’m so interested in…feels insurmountable. And it is- my poor grey matter has been churning so fast that it’s left void.

I’ve genuinely come to the conclusion that scroll time is the main obstacle to all of the things I feel like are a struggle in my life- time management, organization, brain fog or chatter, overstimulation, mood. It feels like I can trace so much of it back to the moments every day that are handed over to screens in an unintentional way. I don’t mean the 15 minutes a couple times a day, checking on friends, replying to people, having a little scroll and then moving on. I mean the hours. The stolen moments at the countertop that are suddenly 10 minutes. The ‘just one more video’ in bed and then its 1 am. Or even ‘just one more episode’ and then, again, 1 am. But it isn’t just stealing our time- it’s hijacking our real, day to day interpretation of our own life.

My parents always drilled into us that your input becomes your output. What you watch & listen to effects your actions, thoughts and expressions. What if we apply this to social media- a billion different inputs and a constant marketing onslaught. I don’t just mean people trying to actually sell things. Every piece of media is a sale-of an idea, of a brand, a person, a ploy for your attention and engagement. If they’re doing a good job, they’re selling you something that you want- inspiration, aspiration, education or relatability.

We are being sold a thousand stories a day and end up wondering what our story is worth. We are selling our attention in exchange for the feeling of an experience, and not the real thing. We are all watching other people live their lives and then feeling like our lives aren’t enough. And plot twist, the people you’re watching are probably watching your life, or others like you, and feeling the same thing.

I have no problem with mindful media consumption, in fact, I love it. I create it. I’ve always been a visual creator, an actor since childhood, a lover of film and media in the truest sense of the word. But I don’t love when it takes over my own interpretation of my own life.

I don’t love watching other people do and experience and learn things and allowing that to trick me into feeling like I was doing, experiencing and learning it- just for a moment- before locking my phone and immediately feeling regret or emptiness for all the things I’m not doing….just to open it back up a moment later for another hit of that false experience feeling.

I don’t love looking at my own life and experiences through the lens of how they could be packaged for social media. It inevitably leads to perfection paralysis and a lack of authenticity. And this is where so many of us are living these days. Obviously there is nothing, NOTHING wrong with sharing your life online- I do it, I love it! But when suddenly everything has to be a hook, an angle, an aesthetic, we lose our actual life flow. When every thought has to be a ‘take’ suddenly the thoughts disappear because we leave no room for them to grow and take shape of their own accord. We rush everything to a finished final product because that is what we are inundating our minds with day after day, instead of allowing for the journey and process of getting there and just enjoying that for what it is.

Even motherhood is deeply effected by this- I am convinced that most of us would not be nearly so overstimulated, stressed, guilt-ridden or burnt out if we were scrolling 70% less and experiencing 80% more. I find my screen time effects our days just as much as, if not more than, my kids screen time (and I am so lax with mine meanwhile policing theirs like their life depends upon it. Because I know it does. Is that hypocritical?). Not to mention, comparison is the thief of joy and there are countless reasons that every mother is different and good in their own way, but my algorithm would lead me to believe I’m not doing nearly enough if I’m not like ‘her’

I think that’s what has caused me to be a bit….quiet lately. I’m dancing between these two worlds of consumption and creation. On one hand, recognizing the overstimulation of media and the over-marketing of everything we do, think and create. I feel the effects of that machine upon myself and don’t want to create with the idea of ‘how my creation will be consumed’ at the epicenter of my process. And on the other hand, wanting to express, to create, to process vulnerably and publicly, as a sort of antidote to all of the slop and the ‘perfection’, and feeling this deep desire to put things of value into the world. Yet sometimes I wonder if I really have value to bring, and what qualifies me to think that I do- follower count?? The luck of the draw? I don’t want to be another voice putting out useless ‘takes’ into the ether to further muddy the waters of everyones minds. If I am going to share, I want it to be of depth, from real thought and marination. And honestly, if I’m not being diligent with my own inputs and creative process then I’m just another repackager of 60 second sound byte takes, and that is not what I want to be.

So this post I guess is me just breaking that silence for myself. Talking about probably the realest thing that I’ve been processing. Giving my self time and space to really follow a thought for the first time in a while. Honestly, it’s invigorating, I feel like I could write about this forever now that I’ve started, and have about 5 tangents I could go on but this is already getting out of hand so I will reign it in.

At the end of the day, I love the human experience. I love our thoughts, our inner worlds, our communities and creations and how we express and connect through them. I love the way the online world brings us together in a world where so many of us are isolated and so much traditional media is confusing and untrustworthy. I love everything I have learned from creators and thinkers online. But the moment that the consumption of fast food media overtakes the actual experiencing of my own life and thoughts, I know I need to pull back. And the more I pull back, the more I notice it’s effects, and the more I want to pull back farther. I want to be a part of the solution to that, not part of the problem. I don’t want to be a creator that is a slave to the demands of the consumption media machine.

Maybe in another post I’ll share what I’m doing to combat all of this noise, while still creating and consuming mindfully…

If you made it this far, please comment a piece of media you consumed this week that made you think deeply, learn something truly remarkable, or brought you deep joy in a way that stuck with you.

All those goodies make this a particularly good meal for the follicular phase of a womans cycle, and for the first trimester of pregnancy.

(P.S. please ignore the fact that I forgot to take photos til halfway through cooking)

Nutrition Notes

During the follicular phase, folate helps with cell division and healthy follicle development and ovarian responsiveness. Iron helps to replenish blood lost during the menstrual phase and bring energy levels back, while also supporting follicle development. Vitamins A, K and C all play pivotal roles for hormone production, uterine health and follicle development.

During the first trimester of pregnancy, we all know the importance of folate- it’s essential for cell division and tissue growth in baby’s early days. Kidney beans, spinach and brussels sprouts are all super high in folate that metabolizes easily. The B6 in lots of the ingredients will further support that folate metabolism! Iron supports the growth of the placenta, and while you need more in later trimesters it’s really essential at the start too. Copper helps form baby’s heart, blood vessels and nervous system, as does vitamin A. All the fiber helps fill you up while keeping things moving, as digestion can be super slow in the first trimester, contributing to morning sickness, so small, filling but quick moving meals are ideal.

If you have a really sensitive tummy and are still adjusting to high-fiber meals, you could choose to leave out the brussels sprouts, although in doing so you miss out on a good dose of vitamin K, C and folate!

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Somehow I’ve been eating zucchini the same my whole life- slice it up and sauté it, dice and roast it, grate it for fritters….and the other day, faced with an abnormally large pile of zucchini that were about to turn bad, I thought surely there must be another way…a crispier way.

I realize I’m no genius, I looked it up and saw that this recipe has indeed been done before HOWEVER- I like the way I do it. Some extra seasoning in the cheese never hurt anyone!

It’s a really easy way to bring a little surprise to the table (and encourage the kids to eat zucchini).

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The original version of these salmon bites will actually be in my cookbook and let me tell you that recipe gave me SUCH a hard time - first time I made it, bomb, but of course I didn’t write down the recipe. I immediately knew I wanted to include it in my book and figured of course I could recreate it, easy. Not so easy- six attempts later my sweet editor begged me to cast the damn salmon bites aside for the sake of my nerves but I persisted and I’m so glad I did- I nailed the recipe and it’s now on heavy rotation. This is a variation on that recipe with a different sauce and honestly I can’t choose which I like better- they’re both decadent, sweet-and-savory with a little spice (my fave).

I usually serve them bowl style with a grain, a roast veggie and a couple fresh veggies of choice. This time I made them with lemony dill Farro (recipe included here) and crispy parmesan zucchini sticks (insanely good), served with a little mixed green salad, pickled red onion and of course, a drizzle of ranch.

Nutrition Notes

Farro is the grain of choice here- I’m still obsessed, I don’t see that changing. Farro is an ancient grain super rich in minerals & vitamins, high in protein and very low glycemic index so it is great for blood sugar management. It’s nuttier and chewier than rice and takes on flavors beautifully!

Salmon skin- I beg you to leave it on. Seared skin-side down, the skin becomes super crispy in the best way, and the skin of the salmon holds SO many of those Omega 3 fatty acids that we love salmon for, as well as lots of protein, vitamins D and B and lots of minerals! That plus the flavor and texture it provides make it so sad to miss out on.

Method Notes

Timing is important here to make this meal quick and easy. Since salmon cooks so quickly, I highly recommend prepping everything first- get your grain going, get veggies in the oven, make the salmon sauce and prep any additional toppings before starting on the salmon.

As noted in the recipe, the hot honey sauce does split as it cools, so I recommend making the butter first, removing it from the heat to prevent burning, then when salmon is searing return it to the heat and stir in the honey right before you use it.

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My one big regret is not documenting it well- for my own sake and for ‘content creator’ purposes. I’m very thankful I was ‘in the moment’ but I wish I had captured more memories to keep and more details to share here! Oh well.

There was a time when I very seriously wanted to be a party planner- kids, specifically. Over time I’ve ruminated on different iterations of this- wedding planner, event planner. I’ve even gotten work experience in wedding and event photography, floral design, catering, bartending, event logistics, set building- so many random, seemingly disconnected and ‘unhelpful’ things.

Essentially, I’ve been training for this. All of my pent up creative energy comes out around the boys birthdays. Is it somewhat unfortunate that their birthdays are two weeks apart? Yes. That’s hectic. Did I tell myself I would go easy this year cus I was so busy? YES, and I kindof did. Honestly, I did, Zimri’s birthday was so so easy I just decided to put about 8 hours of extra work in on unnecessary but life giving (to me) things like a fairy stump cake and tie dye.

Anyways, I take so much joy in all of this and I know it can be overwhelming, there is so much to research, decide and sift through when trying to plan your kids birthdays so I’m just putting it all here for you in case that’s helpful- everything from gifts to food to keeping toddlers occupied.

Traditions

We are still figuring out our birthday traditions, and this may change as they get older. But we decided to start the day like Christmas morning- The house was decorated and the table laid with our celebration ring and his birthday crown.

His gifts were arranged in the play arch and we let him go straight over and begin exploring them. We had a slow morning unwrapping and playing with things, eating breakfast in between and it felt so lovely!

Birthday Breakfast- gotta be something fun and easy. I made my gluten free banana pancakes (a recipe you’ll find in my book! I cant share it yet but you can preorder Simple Kitchen Magic and it’ll be available in October wink wink)

Felt Crown- I’ve been making these since Kensa’s second birthday and they are a big hit! Kensa looks forward to them now. I’m going to make a whole tutorial post on how to make one yourself, and then I’ll link that here. Giving it at breakfast means the birthday kid is king/queen for the day!

Celebration Ring- this is a Waldorf inspired tradition that we are still develpping. The celebration ring is an open-ended wooden ring that you can use to decorate and celebrate for any number of special occasions, holidays or seasonal changes. We used it for our advent candles at Christmas, and every birthday it comes out.

Our ring is from Grimms but you can find many on etsy or make your own out of air dry clay or salt dough! You can get little ornaments for it, also from Grimms or Etsy or make your own (I have yet to do this but am determined!)

For birthdays, we place a candle for each year of their life, including the one they are about to begin. We take a moment at their party or just with family to light each candle while sharing a memory from that year of their life, or something new we learned about them. Then we light the last candle and share a wish or prayer for their next year.

I made a video about this that I will also link here when it is done!

Decorations

I have a growing box of reusable decorations that come out at lots of different events. I even reuse things that are probably supposed to be disposable!

Paper decorations- I try to steer clear of balloons (although I included a few this year and Kensa is begging for helium balloons at his birthday) and lean more towards tissue paper flowers, fans, honeycombs and lanterns. I’ve gotten them mostly from Etsy or Amazon but Papakit is a consistent favorite source. I have made super fun garlands from these before but that’s quite time consuming so this year I just hung them around! I also love using paper streamers- so cheap and effective.

Tiny Flags - I got this tiny flag bunting on etsy a couple years ago and have used it so much! It is so cute and effective and goes with everything.

Minidip Reusable Balloon Garland - this was a new addition this year and I love what it added. I will say I thought the balloons were all separate and I could use helium in them- neither of those things are true lol. But the garland was so easy, we hung it up with string and it gave such a nice focal point!!

Gift Wrapping

I love wrapping gifts in fabric! It’s great for the environment, it’s super easy (no tape or scissors necessary) and looks so lovely - at least I think so. I use our playsilks for this, and often get just one new one for the birthday. I also will tie dye a giant sheet and cut it up or old baby swaddles. I have reused these over and over and slowly they have been given to others, so then I just dye something else and the cycle starts again!

THE PARTY!

Logistics- Little kid parties are actually my favorite. They are easy, super cute, and short and sweet. The ideal length for a toddler party is like 2-3 hours, and I like to invite everyone over around 2:30-3 pm so everyone has had a nap and we can party before witching hour begins!

We invited 5 or 6 kids around Zimris’ age. This is a great time to make new friends- I realized that our usual friend crew is all kids our older sons age- like 5 years up mostly. We have a couple buddies with kids Zimri’s age but we don’t get to hang out often! So I invited them and then reached out to a couple of other families that I have met in the community or through others but never hung out with personally who have younger ones. They were thrilled to come and it was a great opportunity to make some more friends. It was so fun to see all the little guys interacting and really that was what I wanted for Zimri.

Theme- I didn’t do a heavy theme because it just felt like a lot of extra work and I wanted to stick to what was easy, so I went for a loosely ‘woodland friends’ themed toddler tea party!

Tea Party setup- the whole idea sprouted from seeing this Schyling Forest Friends tea party set! Childhood whimsy at its best. I borrowed a couple of low folding tables from a friend (I cant find the exact ones but something like this) and covered them with a tablecloth and runner that I already had. The flowers I bought from a friend who has a gorgeous garden!

Favors - just to add a bit of whimsy and fun I got this set of woodland animal ear headbands from etsy and found some mini pinwheels at our local hardware store that the kids loved!

Drinks- I made a giant cold-brewed jar of peppermint and elderberry tea with honey and used that for the kids tea party and for adults, and then just had some sparkling water and juice on hand too. And my friend brought fresh sugarcane juice! I wanted to have kombucha ready to go but of course it wasn’t done yet.

Food - again, I kept food super simple. Little finger sandwiches- cheese and cucumber and turkey and tomato. Bowls of berries, of course, because every toddler loves berries, and some fairly healthy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (another recipe from my book!). For adults I just set out a sandwich bar with verrrry little prep- a couple big blocks of nice cheese, a couple meats and some crispy bacon, veggies, pickles, condiments and a couple knives and cutting boards. I just said “Have at it, guys” essentially and everyone helped themselves. Perfect.

Cake- the cake was my pride and joy. It was another major factor in selecting my loose ‘theme’ - really I just wanted to try my hand at making a cake like this! It was my first time doing proper piping work and I had a lot of fun with it. I used a double recipe of this Fannie Farmer Chocolate Buttermilk Cake that has been a family favorite for years and is so easy. I iced it in a classic chocolate buttercream (I don’t have a recipe for this but any will do) and used a skewer to make rustic wood grain designs in that, then refrigerated it before doing all the greenery. I made swiss meringue buttercream for the piping and borrowed my friends decorating tips. I cant tell you exactly everything I used, but large shell tips to create foundational ‘shrubs’, lots of leaf tips, small shells to fill in gaps with little rosettes and lots of use of the grass tip for moss. I made some meringue mushroomes using this meringue recipe and followed this general guide, then went rogue and made some lions made and little fairy caps. All the meringues I didn’t use we just ate at the party! And of course, to finish it off lots of edible flowers- little violas and nigella.

Activities

I kept activities really basic. First, the tea party was a hit and the kids loved pouring tea for each other. This amused them for a solid 20-30 minutes. Then they just organically played with our toys, but when things started to get a little antsy I had a couple things ready to pull out-

Kinetic Sand- no explanation needed really. It’s always a hit. I just filled a big plastic tub with a few bags of kinetic sand, scattered in some construction vehicles we had and a scattering of tiny toy animals and just set it aside ready to pull out when needed! I set it on top of our splat mat for easy clean up and the boys will use it for a long time after.

Bubbles- if in doubt, always have bubbles on hand. I left the kinetic sand out for a while and the kids all just bumbled about but when they once again got antsy and needed a fresh distraction, bubble dance party it is. I got this sunflower bubble blower and it pumped out an INSANE amount of bubbles, and a few Fubbles No-Spill bubble tumblers. Music and bubbles was a rager.

Playdough- I planned on busting out the playdough but didn’t in the end- but Kandreas and I did spend a good amount of time making a few batches of homemade playdough. For some reason it didn’t quite turn out and was stickier than usual (I think because I subbed vinegar for my usual cream of tartar) but my usual recipe is perfection -

2 cups white flour

2 cups water

2/3 cup table salt

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Food coloring and Essential oils!

Mix everything in a big pot and heat on low on the stove, stirring continuously until it all comes together, thickens and dries. It will be really tough near the end but keep turning and spreading it. Once it has all darkened and turned ‘playdoughy’, turn it onto the counter and knead for a couple of minutes until smooth. Store in an airtight container, keep clean and dry and it will last for months!

GIFTS

I spend far too long researching and agonizing over gifts- I just love gift giving. I try to use birthdays and Christmas as the main moment to upgrade their toys for the next season so it’s really important to me that whatever I get is developmentally appropriate for the next year plus, fills a good gap in our toys but will actually be a fun surprise for them to open.

I went a bit extra this year, he definitely would have been content with less but they are all things we’ve been missing in our play room and it was time for an upgrade, so I just chipped away at them over the last few months and saved it all up for his birthday!

I do try and troll marketplace, thrift stores, ebay and mercari as much as possible for gifts. I wasn’t able to get as much secondhand as I wanted, and I spent so much time searching that I almost didn’t have time to order anything so I ended up just going for the new versions. I also have the challenge of not having many local toy shops to check out as we live in Hawai’i and things are spread across the island making finding specific things kinda hard. You may have an easier time just seeing what you can find around you than I do, which is even better!

Schleich Farm Animals - Zim is so into animals right now! I feel so strongly about toy animals being accurate and for heavens sake the right SIZE! Schleich is literally the best. I found a couple lots of farm animals on Ebay, there are so so many of these bad boys second hand because they seem to age well.

Melissa & Doug Barn - to go along with the farm animals- this is such a classic kind of toy, it gives some context for play while still being open ended, it’s wooden and sturdy. I found mine on Ebay! Schleich does a gorgeous one that I love even more but it is pricey. I would have gone for it if it wasn’t for the shipping being EVEN MORE expensive than the actual barn omg.

Fagus Basic Truck - I’ve been eyeing these Fagus vehicles for a while and finally pulled the trigger- I spent months checking Ebay and found a great deal on this one! Again, such good quality, a German toy brand (always a good sign) that uses no nails, all joinery. They are chunky and sturdy and have cool steering mechanisms. These are one of those heirloom toys and I know in a few years they might age out of so I wanted to invest in them earlier than later. Zimri loves wheels and he hasn’t left this truck alone since his birthday!

Tiny Land Play Food - at two he is just getting into pretend play. We have a few super basic pretend food bits and bobs and both the boys love them so I wanted to upgrade to some good wooden ones. Particularly I was looking for wooden food that could be ‘cut’. I got the big play food combo set and am splitting it between the boys for their birthdays. I gave Zimri the Organic Fruit and Veggie pack and the Egg Combo playset. Honestly I think I could have gone with something like this thats a little more bang for your buck, and I was a little disappointed that only the carrots in the Tiny Land produce actually are cuttable (overlooked that detail) but I do like that it has a diverse mix of fruit and veggies and not just tons of one type of food.

Plan Toys Pots and Pans - we have a mud kitchen but no indoor play kitchen things! I settled on this Plan Toys set because I wanted it to look realistic (not just be wooden) but we have the Melissa & Doug ones in the mud kitchen and I didn’t want them getting mixed up and end up all being destroyed outside. I like that this set is simple, but its good quality, its lightweight and it isn’t as LOUD as the steel-on-steel pots and pans can be!

Felt Play Food- I wanted to make him some felt food to go along with the kitchen things but ran out of time and just made a single mushroom and a very skinny donut that has now been dubbed a bagel. I’ll just slowly work on more haha.

Yoto Mini & Music Cards - This is one I was going to hold off on, but he loves music and speakers SO much and is always wanting his brothers Yoto, which just seems a bit unfair to both of them as it’s something we use every day! We get him the Bob Marley card and Many Moons, celtic covers of old school kids songs.

Books & Other- we always do books, so we gave him Construction Site: Farming Strong All Year Long and Guess How Much I Love You’s Out and About in 100 Words. I also tie-dyed him two onesies (probably his last oneseis omg).

In Conclusion-

As I write this I am re-devastated over not capturing more photos of this sweet moment. Zimri just had so much fun, he was truly in his element and it was such a cute thing to witness. I guess though the fact that so little was captured is a true testament to the toddler chaos of all of it and me actually being really present- which I am so thankful for. Again, could he have been so happy and well celebrated with far less? Absolutely. But I get so much joy from creating in this way and it’s really fun to see that creativity enjoyed by others.

Now to begin preparing for Kensa’s birthday in…just over a week. Yeeeehaw!

Doner kebabs are an old comfort food of mine, from my days growing up in England where there was at least one kebab shop in every small town and they were usually the only place open til 2am. Something about those late night, slightly wobbly trips to get piles of freshly sliced kebab meat on chips with garlic sauce just soothes the soul.

However, here in Hawai’i? Not a kebabby in sight. So my craving has gone unmet until recently- and truly this is a way healthier, tastier version!

With pan roasted veggies, herby lemony yogurt drizzle, homemade harissa toum (garlic sauce) and pickled sumac onions, the flavor here is INSANE- like I at the leftovers for a week straight and am ready to make another batch.

This also makes a great thing to prep for a quick weeknight dinner- once the meat is mixed and rolled, you can freeze it and when ready to use it will defrost really quickly (which is nice if you tend to forget to thaw meat like I do).

I also love the versatility- you can use flatbread, pita or lavash to make wraps, or serve it over rice, quinoa or farro. It would be SO good in a baked potato, and even hits hard in a salad with lots of crunchy butter lettuce and fresh veggies!

I’m including separate basic recipes for the sauces and pickled onions, but you could keep it simple and serve it with some store bought hummus, roast and/or fresh veggies and pita bread and call it good.

(I’m not including a flatbread recipe because that is a whole other thing and I haven’t perfected my own YET but I generally followed this recipe and it was great! Store bought lavash bread is also ideal.)

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Welcome to my emergency preparedness list. A work in progress gathering of ideas and resources for how to increase your resilience in uncertain times and prepare your home for pretty likely power and supply shortages and price increases.

This is mostly my initial research and current immediate goals, a general overview. As I learn more about canning, get my garden going etc. I hope to share a lot more about the process so we can learn together! Wether shit hits the fan now or not, I wan’t to continue learning how to be self sufficient and bringing others along with me so we can build strong communities.

If you aren’t following the war in Iran and the action in the straight of Hormuz…at this point I don’t know how that’s possible, I think we are all aware. And no matter what you think of the why’s and wherefores surrounding this, it’s certain that we are headed for a very intense next couple of months, at least. Even if the straight opens again right now, we will already have a definite lag in oil supply and very possibly an extended shortage. Along with that comes a chain reaction of issues that will effect everything from food production to power supply, or even internet connectivity. Experts are predicting a global food emergency- this isn’t to scare you, but it’s a reality we need to plan for. The lag between oil shortages and an effect on food prices tends to be 4-6 months though, about one growing cycle, so there is time to prepare for this.

For many families, even a couple of weeks of this could be catastrophic as we tend to live pretty ‘day at a time’ with groceries and digital dependence, but it will effect everyone differently. For me, living out in Hawai’i where so many basic things are imported, I’m expecting lots more empty shelves and higher cost of basic goods.

Uncertainty is the only certainty in life, and while I have spent many hours in the past down conspiratorial rabbit holes, catastrophising about tomorrow, I have chosen to land instead on peaceful preparedness. Living in fear and obsession does nothing but steal peace, and ultimately I have to feed, clothe, and love my kids every day regardless of what comes, and will continue to do so as the world changes. But, I can also continue to improve my awareness and self sufficiency so that we are resilient to whatever comes our way.

Emergency preparedness doesn’t mean ‘doomsday prepping’, it means educating, planning and preparing for all kinds of emergencies- sudden financial hardship, unexpected medical accidents, fire, floods, or….major societal shutdown due to crazy oil prices. Whatever.

It means decreasing your dependence on external forces so that you are increasingly the architect of your own existence. It means having plans in place for reasonably imaginable scenarios. It means storing up your little acorns in the fall so that you have food to see you through til spring.

I’m honestly behind on this- it’s something I’ve been intending to be more proactive about for years but Ms Procrastinator 3000 over here loves to wait til the last second just to keep things exciting. So, even though I’ve been watching it come for so long and saying we should prepare for some kind of big, uncomfortable shift, it appears it has taken multiple invasions, a war, an oil crisis to kick my butt in gear.

Here’s how I’m prepping.

I’m preparing mainly for- food shortage, basic goods price increases and decreased power availability/higher electric bills. We’re talking analog swaps, homemade goods, cheap and lasting food supply, sustainable solutions and unplugged information.

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Everybody stay calm, I love a good food prep- having homemade snacks ready to go, a couple of dinners I don’t have to think about? Literally priceless. But elaborate social media videos, with mountains of neatly matching containers full of creative and perfectly portioned meals can honestly start to feel….daunting. In general, cooking can feel overwhelming when we are so oversaturated with Pinterest board meal ideas and it feels like theres an unspoken pressure to be making new, interesting food all the time.

Honestly I even get overwhelmed by it all- and I’m the health-food-food-prep girlie (so I’m told) and in crazy hectic seasons it often falls through the cracks.

My grounding point for cooking from scratch without overwhelm is, for the most part, simplicity. I think we forget that generations past, when everyone cooked three meals a day, were most often eating simple, repeated food that was mostly just ingredients. Meat and two veg, bread and cheese, eggs and fruit. Removing the mental load of reinventing the wheel every day works wonders for demystifying cooking from scratch (as does a well stocked pantry with go to ingredients you can always rely on, see my pantry staples post for that side quest).

Food prep can and absolutely should be a part of that, but doesn’t have to mean coming up with a full range of fantastic meals at the start of every week. Spending hours every week prepping breakfast lunch and dinner can absolutely pay off, but you have to look at your lifestyle and your season and figure out what works for you. Once you figure that out, you can repeat the basics every week and only add new things when you have the time and energy.

Meal vs Food Prep

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Of course, you can eat this during any phase of your cycle or season of life, but for women, it’s going to be extra supportive in the couple of weeks before menstruation. The main nutritional goals during this phase are progesterone supportive foods, magnesium and B vitamin rich foods, and complex carbohydrates.

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Life is tumbling forward at breakneck speed and it feels like society is too. It feels too easy to get caught in a mindless lurch and not take note of all the things we experience and learn. And really, maybe one of the best things we as humans can practice in an increasingly digitized, automated and AI generated world is presence and awareness. How human of us!

I want to figure out how to format this all cute like a little newspaper but alas, technical difficulties and I didn’t want to waste any more time trying to make it happen this week so bear with for now!

Table of Contents:

Books

Highlight of my Week

Kitchen Witchery

Accounts I’m Loving

Lil Snackies

Articles

World News

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This is going to be a short series on stocking, storing, crafting with and using your home apothecary. Pt. 1 we will look at where to source herbs, how to store them, the best basic herbs to begin with and what you can use them for. If you have any particular questions on the subject, leave them in the comments!

This isn’t something that has to be put together all at once- in fact, just like filling your kitchen spice rack I would recommend buying things slowly, as and when you need them or can afford it, but trying to purchase more than you need so you can build a stash. The upside of this is you can also slowly learn the herbs and their applications and hopefully get more use out of them, rather than them just sitting there because you aren’t sure what they’re good for. If you want to get a good start though, at the end I will leave you with my shortlist of herbs that I would personally initially purchase if I was starting from scratch.

Where to get herbs

When sourcing herbs for medicinal use, it is VERY important to get organic, good quality and well stored herbs. You don’t want pesticides, mold or other contaminants.

Online Retailers

Mountain Rose Herbs - probably my favorite source. Bulk organic herbs at good prices. They have a really wide range of herbs and almost 20 years in business. They are trusted by many practitioners and are known to have great quality. They are often cheaper than some of the other listed brands, and are always expanding their list of US grown, fair trade and wild sourced product. Truly a bulk source, as the lowest weight option they have for many herbs is 4 oz. They also have a podcast, a youtube channel and a ton of learning resources on their website!

Frontier Co-op - a really accessible source, slightly more expensive than Mountain Rose, depending on the product, although they do offer smaller bags of many herbs than MR. They are available in lots of health food stores, and on Amazon as well as iHerb, making them pretty easy to find, and they offer free shipping on orders over $39 which is a lower threshold than most. They also offer lots of spices, spice blends and other cooking goodies. They also seem pretty trusted re:quality, and I think have more Fair Trade certified products.

Anima Mundi - a beautiful, aesthetic and intentional brand that I have a major soft spot for. They are definitely pricier than the others listed, particularly when it comes to bulk herbs, but their strong suit is in tinctures, elixirs and blends. They have lots of cool powder blends and elixirs that are really intentionally put together, as well as personal care and beauty products. The company was started by a very broadly educated herbalist with roots in Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and South American tribal herbalism, all of which informs their products. They source as many wild gathered herbs as possible, or from indigenous and small ethical farmers. They also have tons of great information, recipes and resources on their website and socials!

Banyan Botanicals - a source for mostly ayurvedic products and bulk goods. I haven’t personally ordered from here yet but have heard great things! They have lots of more niche herbs and spices. Most of their products are powders rather than whole herbs, but they also carry a lot of oils, extracts and cooking ingredients, all with an ayurvedic focus. I haven’t delved deeply into ayurveda but they have some great basic learning resources on their website! They have an intentional focus on sustainable, regenerative agriculture farms for their sourcing, which is mostly from India and their partner farm in Oregon.

In person retailers

Most local health food or bulk goods stores will have either loose herbs in a bulk herbs or tea section, or in the bulk spices section. It is also worth looking for larger bags of herbs among the cooking spices, in a superfood section, with the teas or in supplements.

Check farmers markets and boutique apothecary shops for locally grown, harvested or blended herbs and teas. If you chat with people you run into at these spotts you may be able to get connections with local herbalists or growers and purchase direct from source which is always ideal- the closer to home you can get anything, the better!

Foraging and Drying herbs

If you are able to grow, forage, harvest and dry your own herbs- ideal!

Growing herbs- if you find the right herbs for your climate, many will grow like weeds, far better than any fruiting plants if you just chuck them in the ground. Basic cooking herbs (like cilantro, parsley, rosemary, sage) are generally really easy to grow, even indoors, and are all more medicinal than we usually give them credit for. Many herbs in general can usually do well in containers on a porch or in garden beds, although some prefer dry soil and lots of sunlight, other prefer it moist and partially shaded. This is a great article on growing your own herbs, with lots of extra info and harvesting tips etc.

Foraging herbs- so long as you can properly identify your herbs to confidently forage, you can find so many in the wild. Most are easy to identify and only a few have similar looking plants that you wouldn’t want to eat. Some foraging guidelines-

• Always prioritize safety - 100% certainty in regards to identification

• Always prioritize legality- ensure you aren’t on private land

• Always prioritize sustainability- take only what you need and leave enough to regrow

• Never forage from beside a road or busy highway. Fumes and pollution are not things you want on your medicinals

Drying herbs-

While fresh herbs are great for teas, for most medicinal purposes like tinctures & salves, dried herbs are ideal. And of course, thats the best way to store them.

First wash herbs gently- there shouldn’t be need for soap, warm water will do.

Air dry the herbs on a clean towel. You don’t want wet herbs when beginning the drying process or it will take longer and they will be more susceptible to mold.

For drying, you can either-

Use a dehydrator on a low temp (95-110 F) for 1-4 hours, depending on the herbs. Keep checking until they are just crisp. You can also use your oven for this if it has a low enough temp, in which case place the herbs on a wire rack on a baking tray.

Hang them to dry, the old folk way. To do this they must be totally dry to the touch, then remove the lower leaves so you can bundle stalks together neatly. I make a little loop with some string for hanging, leaving a long tail to wrap around the stalks and tie securely. Make sure to hang them out of the way of steam and grease, although they should be fine in the kitchen in general (just not above the oven or by a window). I literally just use push pins straight in the ceiling although you may want to do something fancier. They should be taken down to store once thoroughly dried.

Storing Dried Herbs

Herbs can be stored in well sealed jars (like mason jars) for 1 to 3 years. Soft leafy herbs like basil and parsley are good for 12-18 months, woodier herbs like rosemary and sage 18-24 months and roots, seeds and barks last up to 4 years or more if well stored. Herbs are still usable after this but will be less potent.

Ideally, all herbs and their subsequent medicinals (tinctures, salves, etc) should be stored in the dark- either in dark colored amber containers or just a cupboard sheltered from light.

Building your Repertoire

What herbs you choose to begin with will depend largely on what your particular needs are. If you know you get headaches a lot, you may want Feverfew, or if you want something safe for littles, chamomile. Most herbs have many overlapping applications, with just slight differences in how they address similar issues. This list should cover most basic needs one way or another and are safe for most people to use (contraindications listed below).

I won’t go deeply into the science behind all their uses etc now, but here is my shortlist of favorite herbs, beginning with the four that I would absolutely recommend everyone have in their home. As with anything, investigate for yourself, do your own research and choose the herbs that are best for you. I’ll leave you with this list for now, and next time we will get into the basics of herbal medicine and preparations!

My Core Four- gentle enough for the whole family & widely applicable

Chamomile- one of the most gentle and widely useful herbs. Good for sleep, anxiety, relaxation, skin health & soothing, muscle cramps, pain relief, inflammation, digestion.

Mint - peppermint and/or spearmint. Spearmint particularly for PCOS. Either for digestion, nausea, fever, IBS, gas, headaches, muscle soothing, colds & congestion

Nettle - a nutritive herb. Rich in minerals and vitamins - A, C, K, calcium, iron, fiber. Healing, strengthening, anti inflammatory, allergy relief, womens health, blood sugar.

Raspberry Leaf - another nutritive. Vitamins C, E, magnesium, potassium, iron, antioxidants. Uterine health, menstrual health, cramp relief, hormone support, postpartum healing, digestive aid.

The Next in Line- the ones I would pick and choose depending on your needs and interests

Lemon Balm - another very gentle one. Calming, soothing, stress relief. Mild depression and stress. Mental clarity, focus, memory, mood. Antimicrobial, skin care, wound care, cold sores. Digestive health, mosquito repellent.

Thyme (or Oregano, very similar) - a kitchen herb but strong medicinal properties. Respiratory health, coughs, colds, sore throats, antibacterial & fungal - fights candida, gingivitis, skin infections. Immunity, vitamin C, heart health, digestive health, dandruff and scalp health, skin.

Elderberry- mostly used for immune support. Shortens colds & flus, lessens symptoms, high in antioxidants and Vitamin C. Anti-inflammatory, headaches, nerve pain, constipation, diuretic.

Yarrow - wound healing- blood clotting, antiseptic, cuts, rashes, breaks fevers & chills, skin soothing, circulation, heavy bleeding, digestive aid.

Lavender- burns, bites, bumps. Stress relief, sleep aid, pain relief, headaches, hair and skin, antibacterial, topical infections,

Calendula- mostly topical use but can be ingested. Wound healing, sun burn, eczema, rashes, acne, fungal infections, anti aging. Stomach ulcers, leaky gut, liver health, lymphatic support, antimicrobial.

Holy Basil - the most accessible adaptogen, plus so much more. Across the board stress support and relief, anxiety, fatigue, mood, sleep, blood sugar, cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, digestive health, heart health.

(Contraindications)

Pregnancy/TTC- just avoid very large medicinal doses. Some avoid raspberry leaf before second trimester.

Blood Thinners- Chamomile, Nettle, Yarrow, Thyme, Holy Basil, Calendula, Lavender

Sedatives/CNS Depressants - Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Calendula, Holy Basil

Autoimmune Disease/Immunosuppressants - Elderberry

Thyroid disorders and medications- Lemon Balm, Thyme (in medicinal doses)

Ragweed Allergy- Chamomile, Calendula, Yarrow

Diuretics/BP Meds/ Lithium- Nettle, Thyme

CYP3A4 / Cyclosporine- Peppermint (oil/extract)

Blood Sugar Meds- Holy Basil

GERD/Gallbladder/GI sensitivity- Peppermint

This is an epic choice for the Follicular and Ovulation phase- light, energizing, and all that fiber is super supportive to the elimination pathways i.e. keeps things moving through your body and the fiber carries out excessive hormonal waste with it to keep you more balanced.

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I definitely lean towards fewer, higher quality gifts, so you will see lots of things on this list in the $30-$100 range, but many of those things can be sought out second hand as they are mostly wooden and made to last. There are also certian toys where I’ve given options- there are super classic higher end versions that I’m personally still only dreaming of, and then more accessible options.

I haven’t included any links to Amazon, but you can absolutely find lots of these things there, and cheaper. I’m trying really hard to do an Amazon free Christmas this year so I’m not personally sharing links to those but seriously- do what you must. I encourage you to divert what you can elsewhere but there is no judgement at all- it’s super hard to completely avoid using it, and every little bit makes a big difference! I’ve used Ebay, Mercari and Facebook marketplace a lot this year!

This list is lots of my personal favorite kids things that we have used and loved, as well as things I have had my eye on for a while. It’s not gendered, I feel like all of these gifts would be awesome for girls and boys.

I’ve tried to organize it by category and age to help guide you through, although there is lots of age overlap. It is super simply formatted though literally just for SPEED sake, I had to get this to you!

All Ages

Sarahs Silks - beautiful fabrics for creative play, fort making etc. and sweet dress up things.

Yoto Player - screen free entertainment, best for ages 2.5-3 and up but a daily user for us! Get cards with classic stories, education, songs, make your own cards and listen to the Yoto Daily podcast.

Nugget Couch - I had no idea we would end up using this every day, for sitting, lounging, fort making, obstacle course building.

3 in 1 Play Kitchen- I’ve had my eye on this- diverse use as a play kitchen, shop or workshop with accessories

LCD Etch-A-Sketch - great mess-free drawing for littles, car ride entertainment, writing practice- we probably have 5 of these hanging around

Babies first Christmas

Personally, I use this year more as a keepsake/memory year or to get things that are long lasting that they may use before next christmas.

Wooden Push Walker - I like ones like this that have a little cart so as they get older it still has a use!

Name Art- either a puzzle version like this or a beautiful piece of wall art which you can make yourself if you’re into it!

Keepsake Blanket - a customized embroidered one like this or if you can crochet you could whip one up pretty fast!

Nesting Cups - one of our most used toys to this day, we have these

Dragon Teether Rattle - a must have for every fantastical babe

Clay Handprint Kit - either give the kit as a gift or make it first and gift that!

1-2 years

Open Ended & Pretend Play

Senger Weighted Stuffies - each of our boys got one of these for their 1st birthday and sleep with them every night! Organic, with a removable insert that can be heated.

Classic Wooden Blocks- we have these lovely bugs blocks from Uncle Goose, or Melissa & Doug does these classic ones in a little cart!

Wooden Tractor Trailer/Dump truck - a chunky something with a fillable trailer that can be used for years. A good one to get secondhand, or go for something natural like this or this lovely painted one from Odin Parker. Or if you want a real forever lasting hand-me-down top tier wooden truck- splurge on a Fagus

Grapat Wooden Characters - gorgeous wooden open ended toys, we have these little gnome nins but these baby nins are cute as are these fancy nins with interchangeable hats (although they may be better suited starting from 2-3 years). Grapat has TONS of beautiful wooden open ended play pieces.

Color Sorting - wooden color sorting ball and cups are on my list this year, or something like these wooden bowls to sort colored objects into, or these Grapat nesting bowls for something fancier that will have endless play possibilities.

Creative

Chunky Beeswax Crayons- so if they chew on them it wont matter too much- practically unbreakable and they last forever! Also Stockmar is GOAT for art supplies.

Wooden Music Set- gotta have one, might as well get a solid one that will last a while - this Montessori one is a good compromise between quality and value!

Baby Safe Finger Paints - cus they will end up in their mouth.

Outdoor & Movement

Wooden Balance Bike - you can splurge in a Kinderfeets 2-in-1 Bike that will transition to a strider bike (or try and find one on Ebay!) or go for a simple B-toys classic- we had this one with kensa and it stood the test of time!

Water Table- KiwiCo has an interactive version with cogs and tubes that adjusts for different types of play or go for a sleeker option that will like cute on the deck. This is also an easyish thing to make if you or your partner are hand with a skill saw- just drop a couple plastic tubs into a piece of plywood on some legs!

Kitchen Sink - a slightly smaller commitment than a water table but with a working tap this is just as much fun!

Development & Education

3-in -1 Sorting Cup- this is great for color & shape recognition, posting & coordination & focus.

Simple Peg Puzzles- find cute vintage ones on Etsy, a set of nature themed ones or an old school chunky set like these from Bella Luna.

Wooden Shape Sorter- a classic. Hours of fun with this one

Montessori Climbing Frame - something you can add to over the years. Use may be slow at first but great for physical development, fort making and adventure fun.

2-3 years

Open Ended & Pretend Play

Grimms Rainbow Stacker- such a beautiful toy, and surprisingly diverse for play! You can finder cheaper versions on Etsy

Dinkum Doll - the most adorable and well made dolls. The classic Dinkum can be dressed up and bought accessories, or the Dozy Dinkum is a perfect starter doll for cuddling.

Building Blocks - to add to the basic square blocks and encourage imagination play! This cute colored castle set from Plan Toys, this natural wooden architectural set or splurge on this stained ancient city set by Sabo.

Duplo - this is just a starter set but this is another toy that you can add to over the years for literally endless play. We use it every day!

Play Kitchen Things - you don’t even need a play kitchen if you have some pots and pans. Food can be imaginary (or playdough) or there are tons of felt foods available on Etsy and elsewhere, or get a cuttable wooden set.

Hotwheels Car Track - you can get a long way with this super basic set, but if you like you can add a start gate clip to easily hold the track or a loop kit!

Loose Parts - this is pretty vague but little wooden parts for sensory, creative, color sorting and counting play. Theres tons of cute themed ones on Etsy like this Enchanted Garden set, or classic rainbow pieces from Grapat like this mushroom set.

Creative

Sidewalk Chalk - a great stocking stuffer that never goes amiss

Non-Toxic paints & Brushes - these honeysticks naturals were our first watercolors! With these easy to hold brushes you could honestly use these with a younger one too if they’re into it!

Mini Djembe Drum - percussion is a great intro to music and a nice little djeme will last a long time.

Wooden Tool Set - probably comes into play closer to 3 years but we’ve gotten lots of use from this one!

Outdoor & Movement

Balance Beams - go fancy and wooden or something this cute one from B Toys is super cheap and would be waterproof!

Tonka Dump Truck- this giant dump truck is super impressive and STEEL so it can hold up to some rough play

Strider Bike - the precursor to training wheels. We got ours literally free off marketplace and gave it a coat of spraypaint!

Mud Kitchen - this is something you would have to put together yourself but easily enough- a low outdoor table made of scrap wood or pallets, with various old or thrifted ktichen items. Again if you’re handy with a skillsaw you can cut a hole and drop a tub down into it.

Giant Bubble Kit - everyone needs more bubbles

Development & Education

Chunky Wooden Puzzles - the next puzzle level up. We love this Elsa Beskow frame puzzle ( I cant find it on the original site we got it but I think this is the same one) and this enchanted forest floor puzzle that isn’t wooden but is super sturdy. This set of frame puzzles is super great value and cute!

Kitchen Helper Sets - they love to help at this age. Encourage it! We love the Melissa & Doug cleaning set and its so worth getting some kid safe kitchen tools that they can actually use, maybe with their own little apron set? So cute.

Haba Games- we LOVE Haba- great first board games with developmental awareness. We have this Fishing game and the First Orchard looks great too.

4-5 years

Open Ended & Pretend

Magnatiles - a great toy to go deep on- start with a small set and add to it.

Maileg Mice - a sweet one to start collecting- little matchbox mice for every interest and occasion with all these cute little accessories. We haven’t delved into them yet but I swoon!

Costumes - I start costumes as early as possible honestly but as they get older it gets more fun! Sarahs Silks has really simples, whimsical ones, Jack Be Nimble has really high quality wings & hats, although limited stock (we have their monarch wings and love them) and Chasing Fireflies has SO many options!

Fort Kit- this silk beauty from Sarahs Silks comes with lovely wooden clips, or something like this can be used a ton of ways with blankets!

Wooden Train Set - another classic to collect over the years, Brio is the OG brand but lots of other brands are compatible- this epic set is super great value,

Felt Play Mat - great for imagination play! I’m going to try and make one this year but Tara Treasures has a few cute options like this mushroomy stream!

Felt Figurines & Animals - to go with the felt mat! Another that can be homemade a couple at a time, or find them on the Wooden Wagon or Tara Treasures

Dollhouse - something I want to splurge on one of these days! This cute treehouse seems to be on the cheaper end (I guess dollhouses are just expensive??), this classic one from Maisonette comes with furniture, or if you’re going all out I DREAM of something like this

Creative

Craft Kaboodle - find one anywhere, fill it with fresh craft supplies, could even personalize it with their name!

Watercolors - if they’re getting into art, some Stockmar watercolors are so vibrant and last forever

KiwiCo Koala Crate - a gift that keeps giving! We thrifted a few of these boxes and they are full of easy crafts and fun activities. Each box has multiple crafts with everything you need, along with additional resources- so worth it.

Take-Apart Dino Set - the drill in this set was a big hit for us and they can put these dinos together and take them apart again and again.

Outdoor & Movement

Bug observation kit - teach a love for nature and a gentle hand

Ninja Line - way cooler than a regular swing set and gets the wiggles out better!

Stomp Rocket - I don’t know what it is about this thing but we have gotten insane amounts of play time out of it.

Kite - a little pocket kite is so classic, or this cool DRAGON

Sensory Swing- can be used as a hammock, swing, acro-silk, so much. Great for sensory feedback and regulation!

Huckleberry Kaleidoscope - fill it with bits and pieces you find in nature to create your own patterns.

Development & Education

Bilibos - wasn’t sure what category to place these- a great oepn ended toy made for movement and development? Get the classic Bilibos that can be used for anything or the Bilibo game box - an open, creative board game with mini Bilibos!

Shop Register - pretend play with a side of counting and personal responsibility. This wooden one is gorgeous.

Haba Dino Memory Game - this cute little game combines memory/matching and numbers!

Magnetic Creation Station - so much creative possiblity using the shapes to make different things.

Earth Science Kit - a nice collection of classic earthy experiments- make a crystal, erupt a volcano etc!

Learning Puzzles - this alphabet match puzzle or this Eric Carle counting and matching one is epic!

6-10 years (I haven’t finished this section yet, I wasn’t sure wether to add it as I don’t have kids this age yet but I figured I would just leave the ideas I had here anyways!

Open ended

Lincoln Logs

Lego

Mechano

Creative

Pottery Wheel

Potholder Loom

Hey Clay Kits

Educational & Developmental

Highlights or Nat Geo Kids Magazine

Classic Jacks

Microscope

Outdoor & Movement

Huckleberry Hideaway Tent

Bijou Build

First whittling knife

Bow and Arrow with Target

Hula Hoops

Giant Piano Mat

Education & Development

Herbal Crafting Kit

Think Fun Rush Hour

This took WAY longer than expected so I may well add to it as there are just so many beautiful, mindfully made goodies I would love to share. But we have to get the word out in time for Christmas so, here you go- essentially a list of my favorite things and things I would really love to receive.

Books

Vintage leather or cloth bound books - trawl through Etsy and Thriftbooks (or even better, your local hole in the wall bookstore) for whimsical titles like Alice in Wonderland, A Girl of the Limberlost (secret underrated fave) or classics like Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables or extra points for childhood favorites.

Herbalism books- for the tincture-interested and medicinal tea obsessed - some faves are The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, The Home Herbal, The Herb Book

Whimsical Books- these are just for fun but will get major points- any of the Flower Fairies books, Brambley Hedge, Botanicum or any other ‘Welcome to the Museum’ books, Faeries or other similarly pretty books.

Cook Books- these ones are beautiful as well as informative- Root and Nourish, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Ottolenghi Simple, Rooted Kitchen

New leather bound/special edition books- if you want to be really fancy, get a favorite of hers newly leather bound from etsy (like these gorgeous Fourth Wing bindings) or a decorative special edition like these special edition Harry Potters

Kitchen/Practical

Mortar & Pestle - every whimsical herbaceous person needs one. You can go fancy handmade pottery like this beauty or a basic, hard working baddie like this one from but either way they should be strong, and made of solid uncoated stone.

Cute Mugs/Pottery- with all this tea one can never have enough vessels. My personal faves have come from Mushroom Root and Haleys Pottery but those are pricey works of art- well worth their value but an investment! Some more budget friendly options are this mushroom handled cutie from Natural Life or these rustic vibes from Etsy - and there are so many more there to choose from!

Baskets - one can also never have too many baskets, by the way. Thrift these literally anywhere - an assortment of vintage, various sized baskets under the tree would do me in. You can also find bundles of them on facebook marketplace, or get a sturdy, beautiful, brand new bolga basket like these - you can find them often in health food stores, or a ton of places online.

Dutch Oven - you may not have heard her mention a dutch oven but trsut me, she needs one. If you want to be super fancy, get a Le Creuset and begin a lifelong obsession (but you’ll always have an easy gift idea to add to her collection) or if like me you aren’t prepared to take that leap yet, opt for a good old fashioned Lodge

Our Place Non-Toxic Air Fryer- honestly anything from Our Place is gonna be hit but the wonder oven is on my personal list this year!

Kitchen Aid Mixer- another high ticket item that you almost cannot go wrong with, and with all the accessories you will have easy gift options for years.

Homey Goodies

Candlesticks & Beeswax Candles - simple dipped candles like these with some candlesticks cant go amiss, or go for some cute decorative ones that you wont want to burn like these.

Art Prints- prints from favorite artists, books, music or poems never get old. For nature lovers, Saga Mariah has the most beautiful fungi prints or literally search whimsical art prints for endless funky options.

Pottery & Ceramics- handmade wall sconces and altars for little candles and trinkets like these, trinket trays and little dishes for goodies around the home, or funky oddities like these little incense holder gremlins

Throw Blankets- another great thing to thrift! You can look for chunky knits or find a classic fringed blanket thats on a personal theme- you can have these printed yourself with favorite art or photos or find beautiful artist made versions like this

Antiques- go trawl some antique and thrift stores for little shelves, stools, picture frames, chairs. Either gif them as is or give them a little makeover- a fresh layer of stain or if you’re feeling creative, a funky paint job.

Plants- literally real, alive, fresh plants in nice pots or baskets. If they’re new to the plant world, cant go wrong with a Pothos (so easy to take care of) or if they’re experienced plant parents, a fern or monstera is dope.

Wall & Hanging Decor - little mystical goodies like this chime or this moon wall hanging, moth and nature shadow boxes, or other unnecessary things like these tota bird bells, mushroom shelves or star lanterns

Wearables

Whimsical clothes- cant go wrong with a kimono or really anything from Gardenbelle, a cozy knit sweater from Amano or something upcycled and one of a kind like these kantha pieces from Renew Vintage

Jewelry- always a good bet but often overwhelming. Som faves are Sable, Botanical Stone, Boho Magic and gorgeous witchy aesthetics from Dixi.You can find tons on Etsy like these cuties andthis epic shop and always look in thrift and antique stores.

Mystery Jewelry Jars- I am DYING to get one of these- sold on depop or etsy, or some websites like Xiyajiya where you can choose a premade one or order a fancy pants custom version

Dr Martens- duh. these 90s Flower sandals? I would die.

Hobbies

Flower Press- trust me, every crafty nature lover needs one. Make one yourself if you’re feeling crafty or go for something like this cute little Pocket flower press

Painters- for the artists, a travel watercolor set, some good quality paint like Grabie or these fancy Winsor & Newton paints in a wooden case. For the earthy ones- small batch made earth pigments from the Art of Soil

Gardeners- an heirloom seed collection in a nice box or this whole container garden kit with seeds!

Bookworms- a blind date with a book box like this is a super fun way to make things fun for a book lover and it comes with tons of extra goodies.

Foraging- a guide to local edible plants or a comprehensive version like this, or this gorgeous harvesting bag or a similar basket.

Sourdough - if they’re on the bread journey- this sourdough baking set has all the necessities and more, or these decorative stencils or a nice sourdough cookbook

Crochet & Knitting- for the crochet baddies, some really nice ethically hand dyed yarn from Symphonie Yarns or theres tons on Etsy like Embery Fiber. A yarn tension ring or a yarn spinner are helpful accessories!

Misc Fun stuff-

Year of Growth Journal - gorgeous mindful manifestation journal by Dreamy Moons

Anima Mundi Herbals - gorgeous apothecary vibes, anything would be a great gift but particularly their elixirs, kits, teas, and these cute brass spoons

Herbal Astrology Oracle Deck- a personal favorite, incredible art and cool herb info

Curiosity Box- this ones just for the weirdos who like weird little things, a mystery box of curiosities.

Subscription Boxes - the dream gift

Mindfulness Box- monthly box for an hour of unplugged time. Includes a beeswax intention candle, letters-to-self prompts, crafts or new skills from small businesses

Tamed Wild Box - for the witchy ladies, a monthly box with seasonal goods, herbs, candles, rituals and all kinds.

The Mindful Box - Not to be confused with the mindfulness box, this one is for self care, wellbeing and spiritual growth

Apothecary at Home - a monthly herbal classroom in a box, curated by certified herbalists.

LoveGoodly- nontoxic and clean beauty box

Plant of the Month Box - a deep dive into different medicinal plants, with dried herbs, art, a 30 page zine and more

Honestly it’s late, I should be sleeping, and tomorrow is thanksgiving eve eve so I’m just gonna cut straight to the chase and give you the goods.

Read more

Dal bhat quite simply means lentils with rice. Thats all it is, but it’s also so much more than that!

‘Dal Bhat power, 24 hour’ is the slogan you will hear time and again in Nepal. It’s on t-shirts, bags, signs. But for good reason, the country runs on lentils and rice and so did we the 3 months we lived there! My husband and I were building houses in Nepal during the aftermath of the huge earthquakes that occurred in 2015 and we ate this every day (alongside other things, but often just Dal Bhat!) and felt the healthiest and strongest we ever have, truly.

Lentils (as well as beans and some vegetables like cauliflower and carrots, surprisingly!) make a complete protein when paired with rice. Lentils are also super mineral rich, high in folate and fiber making them great for your Follicular and Ovulation phases, and can even help combat the onset of PMS (!!).

Plus, all the spices and herbs are great for you, and the simplicity of this dish makes it really easy on the stomach and healing.

So this is not only a super cheap meal but truly nutritious, filling and super delicious.

It’s also one of those beautiful recipes that once you learn you can mess with- switch up the ingredients to use up what’s in your fridge or create different flavor profiles! This recipe is not perfectly traditional but I like it this way.

Sometimes I pair this with some curried chicken or other vegetables, and sometimes we eat it simply- classic Dal with rice!

Note:

-if you don’t have a pressure cooker, lentils can be cooked on the stovetop. Once the aromatics have sauteed, add the soaked and drained lentils to the pot, stir and saute them for a minute and then add the water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer for about 20 minutes or until lentils have softened (this can vary dependent on lentil variety or how old they are, which is why I like to use the pressure cooker, it’s a bit more predictable)

-if you prefer your lentils to hold their shape more, pan fry them for 3-4 minutes before adding water and make sure not to overcook. If cooking lentils on the stove, you can do this when you add them to the pan of aromatics, just turn up the heat for a minute and keep a good eye not to burn the other ingredients.

-you can sub 4 or 5 teaspoons of garam masala for the whole spices…I cant tell you exactly as I haven’t measured that but go with y9our heart and how strongly spiced you usually like things!

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils, rinsed

6 cups of filtered water

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil

1 medium onion, any color, finely chopped

1 1/2 - 2 inches of ginger, grated

3 to 4 cloves of garlic, grated

1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)

2 small red chillies, seeded (optional)

2 inch cinnamon stick, broken up

4 cloves

6 peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or powder

1 teaspoon coriander seeds or powder

2 cardamom pods or 1 teaspoon powder

1 13.6 oz can of coconut cream

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the lentils in hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or ideally, in cold water overnight).

2. Drain and rinse the lentils, then add them to a pressure cooker or instant pot with the 6 cups of water and turmeric. Pressure cook for 10 minutes for slightly firmer lentils and 15 for softer. (to cook on the stove, see note above)

3. Using a coffee grinder, grind up the cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander, seeds and cardamom until a fine powder.

4. Next, melt ghee in a large pot on medium-low heat and add the onion & jalapeno (if using) with a large pinch of salt. Stir and saute until onions are translucent, stirring often- up to 10 minutes.

5. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.

6. Throw the spices into the pot, stirring to combine everything and saute for another 3-4 minutes until spices are fragrant.

7. Add the cooked lentils to the spice mixture, stir really well and salt generously- start with 1/2 a teaspoon and keep adding until it tastes right, probably around a teaspoon. Gently simmer for 5 minutes or so until the flavors are blending and it smells yummy.

8. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream and chopped cilantro, reserving some of each for garnish if you like.

9. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of cilantro and if you wanna go really wild, a dollop of ghee or grass fed butter.

10. Serve over rice with