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Monday, June 25, 2012

Peek into the lives of the NPN Volunteers!







It's that time again! You might remember the great post in December 2011 that highlighted the Natural Parents Network Volunteer's most popular or favorite posts from the year. Or what about March 2012 post which featured Do It Yourself projects, How To's, Tutorials, Recipes, and anything related to a step by step guide or informational how-to from the NPN Volunteers? Well, we are back and this time we are bringing you a collection of posts that focus on what our lives really look like!



Yep - we are giving you a sneak peak into things like a typical day in our life, special or fun outings, or photos which show all of you what motherhood looks like for us. Basically, we are keeping it real!



There are a lot of really wonderful posts here that show that even though we blog about our parenting ideals, we really are just regular moms, getting by one day at a time! So enjoy our typical day in the trenches!


Laura at WaldenMommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door shares "Just Another Monday." This post appeared in March of 2012 and is a typical busy day with the Herd. You can also find Laura on Facebook.


Cynthia at The Hippie Housewife shares a typical day in her life, complete with a blood test, a stop at the thrift store, and lots and lots of books. You can also find The Hippie Housewife on Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.


Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares A Day In The Life: Two Years Old, a photo journal commemorating her daughter's second birthday by attempting to capture a sense of the daily routine at this busy stage. You can also find Vibrant Wanderings on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.

Laura at Pug in the Kitchen shares A Busy Day in the Life of her family. This post is a whirlwind look at life two children under the age of 3. You can also find Laura on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Momma Jorje: a slightly crunchy mommaMomma Jorje shares Typical Visit to the Pediatric Cardiologist + Results. Read her post to see what it is like to take her infant son for regular visits to a cardiologist. You can also find Momma Jorje on Facebook.

A Little Bit of All of It shares Our Last Days as a Family of Three as she, her husband and 3 year old daughter wait for baby #2. She also wrote A Day in the Life of This Mom when her daughter was 2 and she watched a 5 month old. You can also find A Little Bit of All of It on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.

Hybrid Rasta Mama: A reggae loving mama’s thoughts on Conscious Parenting, Natural Living, Holistic Health and General MindfulnessJennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares A Hot Day In The Life of Jennifer. This post appeared on a friend’s blog and is a humorous look at a typical summer day for Hybrid Rasta Mama and her sidekick Tiny. You can also find Hybrid Rasta Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.

Emily at Embrita Blogging shares an Ordinary Day with a pre-crawler from almost two years ago. You can find Emily on Facebook, Pinterest, and on Twitter.


 
Gretchen at That Mama Gretchen showcases A Day in the Life of her busy summer as she waddles around with a baby in her belly and a toddler in tow! You can also find That Mama Gretchen on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes shares A day at the Solstice Parade, a picture post about her trip to one of the local summer parades in Seattle. You can also find Shannon on Google +, Flickr, Pinterest.


Hobo Mama: A Natural Parenting BlogLauren at Hobo Mama shows what unschooling looks like in her house through Meetups and play dates. Far from staying indoors or isolated, you can find Lauren or Sam and their kids out at one or other fun and educational activity several times a week. You can also find Hobo Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.

Kat of Loving {Almost} Every Moment wrote this post after having One Of Those Days. She was pregnant, exhausted and had a lot of errands to do with her two older kiddos in tow. In the end she was reminded of a thing or two...especially to always keep her chocolate stash well stocked!


Fine and FairJoella at Fine and Fair shares A Summer Sunday in Our Life. This day in the life photo project shows a busy Summer Sunday filled with gardening, friends, family, and shared parenting. You can also find Fine and Fair on Facebook and Twitter.

Erica at Childorganics shares And The "Play" Goes On. This post takes a peek of what a whole day of play looks like at their house. You can also find ChildOrganics on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.


Visit Code Name: MamaA day in the life of Dionna at Code Name: Mama and family in downtown Independence - from 6 month old EC'ing to the farmer's market to nursing at the Main Street Coffee House. By the way, join us for the August Carnival of Natural Parenting when our topic will be Farmer's Markets!

Anktangle 

Amy at Anktangle shows
us (through photographs) a glimpse into a typical week in her world. You can also find Amy on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.



Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children shares The School Bus Comes Early. She speaks of how unschooling allows her family a flexibility in their lives to accommodate learning. You can also find Living Peacefully with Children on Facebook.


Visit African Babies Don't CryChristine at African Babies Don't Cry shares "A Week With Jesse, in Pictures." This post is one in a collection of posts, where Christine shares the weeks happenings with her son Jesse with a picture for each day. You can also find African Babies Don't Cry on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.

ourfeminist{play}school 

Lyndsay at OurFeministPlayschool shares "Day in Our Life..." This post looks at her family's day and their trip to a museum. You can also find Lyndsay on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.


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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Announcement



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Monday, June 18, 2012

Meatless Monday: Chik'n Bac'n Ranch Wrap

Last week, I had a craving for something that I'm not even sure I ever ate in my previous life as a meat-eater. I wanted one thing and one thing only, a Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap. Fortunately I had everything on hand I needed to make a vegetarian version!



  • On a tortilla of your choice, layer the following:
    • A pile of greens of your choice (I used romaine and spinach)
    • 4 slices Vegetarian "bacon" of choice, cooked per instructions. I swear by the Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon made by the makers of Tofurky. It is superior to all other fake bacon.
    • 3-4 Vegetarian "chicken" nuggets of choice, cooked per instructions and cut in half. I use Quorn Chik'n Nuggets.
    • Additional toppings of choice (I added diced tomato and avocado)
    • As much or as little Ranch dressing as you like.
  • Roll up.
  • NOM NOM NOM
It was so delicious that I made another one the next day. What are your favorite meaty memories to replicate in vegetarian versions?


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Friday, June 15, 2012

A Summer Sunday in our Life


Photobucket 
 I'm pleased to share a fairly typical Summer Sunday Day in the Life (DITL) of our little family. Weekends in the summer around here typically include gardening, baseball, time with friends and family, and of course, shared parenting. What does a summer day in your life look like?

Monday, June 11, 2012

Meatless Monday: Lentil & TVP Sloppy Joes

One of the comfort foods I used to miss from my meat-eating days was sloppy joes. I've experimented with a variety of ways to make vegetarian versions, and the Lentil and TVP sloppy joes I threw together the other night were easy, delicious, and full of good stuff like protein and fiber. This recipe takes about 30 minutes and makes at least a dozen sloppy joes (I'm guessing closer to 18, since we've eaten a total of 6 so far and there is well over half left), so consider halving it unless you don't mind eating leftovers for a few days! This would also be great to make ahead and put in a crock pot for a vegan potluck entree!

What You'll Need:





  • One cup (dry) TVP (textured vegetable protein)
  • One cup (dry) Lentils (I used red, but any lentils will do)
  • One onion
  • One tomato
  • One can sloppy joe sauce (or packet of powder seasoning, or your own favorite sloppy joe sauce recipe)
  • Additional veggies (optional-I used celery and garlic scapes)
  • Cooking oil of choice (as usual, I choose coconut)
What You'll Do:
  • Start by preparing the lentils and tvp. For the lentils, sort and rinse, then bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. (This is not how you'd typically prepare lentils, but cooking them this way makes them break up and get a bit mushier, which lends itself better to the sloppy joe texture, in my opinion.) For the TVP, add 3/4 cup boiling water (I just boil mine in the microwave) to the cup of TVP, stir well, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
  • While the lentils are boiling and TVP is sitting, dice up all of your veggies.
  • Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over Medium-High heat.
  • Add onions and cook for a few minutes. When the onions begin to soften, add other veggies (if using), except for the tomato. Cook until veggies begin to soften slightly.
  • Add TVP to pan and toss with veggie mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Drain lentils and press lightly to remove excess water, add to pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Add sauce and tomato, stir well, lower heat to low and cook for 5-10 minutes.
  • Serve on buns or in pita pockets with your favorite toppings! (As you can see, I recommend pickles and jalapenos!)

If you have a favorite (vegetarian) recipe for sloppy joe sauce, will you share it in the comments? I'd love to get away from the canned stuff! :)



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