I co-create new life... I am blessed.

© unfurl

When we are pregnant, we are the co-creators of life. Never in our lives can we feel so close to the divine as during these nine months. From the positive pregnancy test to the first little flutters of life, and the beginning pangs of labor on the threshold of birth...

Treasure each and every day of your pregnancy. Honor and celebrate yourself and your baby. Each little movement your baby makes is an amazing, everyday miracle. A blessing.

Feel blessed, and know you are...

Postpartum Recipe: Wild Mama Chicken Soup!

One of the best things you can do to prepare for postpartum while you're pregnant and nesting is to make some freezer-friendly meals beforehand. Soups, stews, lasagne, chili and beans are all good choices. I'll be posting some of my favorite postpartum recipes over the next little while, and this first recipe is an easy-to-make, simple nourishing soup that freezes really well. I make it at least once-a-month (twice-a-month in the cooler months) and always have some on-hand in individual portions in the freezer. It's perfect if someone gets sick, or just wants something hot and satisfying. My children all love it! Serve with buns, crackers or fresh-made bread (made by someone else during postpartum, of course)...

Wild Mama Chicken Soup

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 TBS  olive oil
3 cloves garlic (less or more to your taste)
1 yellow onion
4 medium carrots
3 celery stalks (preferably with leaves)
1/2 TBS olive oil
2-3 chicken breasts - skinless, boneless cut in small cubes
8 cups chicken stock (your own or low-sodium organic)
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup dried macaroni or 2 cups rotini

1. Cook the brown rice in 2 cups water (bring to a boil, add rice, turn heat down to minimum and cook for approximately 45 minutes).
2. Mince the garlic, and chop the onion, carrots & celery into small pieces.
3. Saute the veggies in the olive oil in a large soup pot until the onions are soft - about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add a bit of stock if needed to prevent the veggies from sticking to the pot.
4. Cut up the chicken into tiny cubes, and add to the cooked veggies. Stir as the chicken turns white and cook about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock, dill and salt & pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. 
6. When the rice is finished cooking add it to the pot.
7. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook the pasta according to the directions.
8. At the end of the 30 minutes of simmering, add the cooked pasta & simmer 10 more minutes and then serve or cool for freezing.

Makes approximately 12 servings (3 quarts) of soup that is almost stew-like thick. If you like thinner soup, add another 3-4 cups of stock while cooking, but you can always add extra stock after freezing. Enjoy!

My baby is the perfect size for me.

© InnocentEyez

Ask any new mama about her baby and after boy or girl, the next question is almost always: how big was your baby? While the average baby is about 7 to 8 pounds, remember that you can give birth to almost any size baby because that is what your body was meant to do!

Did you know that ultrasounds at the end of pregnancy are notoriously incorrect for accurately estimating baby's size? They can be wrong by as much as 1.5 pounds or more! A skilled caregiver who palpates your belly is often way more accurate at estimating the weight of your baby.

But no matter what size your baby is, he or she is the perfect size for you...

Red Tent Tips...

It's Moonwise Monday, so I gathered a few of my favorite Red Tent Tips to share...

• Make a Moontime Tea of equal parts dried chamomile, lemon balm and passionflower. Use about a tablespoon of herbs per cup and steep for 10 minutes, add a dab of honey (or not). Delicious!
• Buy yourself a luxurious thick, deep red, cotton bath towel to use just during your menstrual bleed.
• Try washable cloth pads instead of environmentally and body-unfriendly disposables. If you're hesitant, try just one for a few hours and see if you can feel the difference. Soft cotton or bamboo beats the heck out of sticky tabs & that horrid plastic-feel.
• Take a mini-retreat each cycle - lock the door, read a book, light candles, take a bath & renew yourself. Even if it's only for 20 minutes.
• Try the chocolate & raspberry PMS Potion. Yummy!
• Moon Cycle Oil: 10 drops of geranium, 12 drops of lavender, 8 drops of mandarin & 5 drops clary sage in 4oz (125 mls) of almond oil. Use as a massage oil or a few teaspoons in the bath. Enjoy!

Do you have any Red Tent Tips to share? Please feel free to post yours in the comments! Have a Moonwise Monday...

I am powerful, pregnant and proud!

Kristie Moore finally took to the ice Monday night in Women's Curling at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. She's nearly six months pregnant and is the alternate or fifth member of Canada's Women's Curling team. The Canadian team won that game 6-2, defeating Sweden in their quest for a gold medal.

Moore is only the third woman in Olympic history to have competed while pregnant and is the furthest along. Figure skater Magda Julin of Sweden skated to gold in her first trimester back in 1920. And in Torino in 2006, Diana Sartor competed in the scary-looking sport of Skeleton and placed fourth overall.

While you may not ever compete in the Olympics while pregnant, take some inspiration from the soon-to-be mama who rubs her belly for luck before each match, and feel powerful, pregnant & proud...

Go Mama! Go Baby! Go Canada!

I am ready to blossom with new life!

There is just something magical about the very beginnings of spring ~ birds can be heard just before dawn, crocuses and daffodils slowly make their way into the sun, and one day suddenly blossoms are everywhere! This was taken yesterday while taking my daughter to school and was too lovely not to share. Reach deep into the earth, feel the sun and prepare to blossom with new ideas or new life...

Moonwise Mondays

Blue Moon with Eclipse ©Jeanette Verster Photography

In Old English, most Germanic, Norse, Dutch, Japanese, Korean and in many other languages, the word Monday literally means Day of the Moon. Monday is traditionally for new beginnings, healing and the feminine mysteries. Thus, I've decided to devote the blog entries on Mondays to all things Moonwise...

Moonwise Mondays will offer ideas for embracing and celebrating your cyclic nature, nurturing yourself, tracking your fertility signs, and following as the moon waxes and wanes. One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves & our daughters is a healthy, positive attitude towards menstruation. 

Are you in tune in the moon?