Baking Soda and Baking Powder

I had no idea, a couple of years ago, how amazing baking soda truly is.  I am serious. 

I have eliminated all known harmful or carcinogenic chemicals from my household; so, I went "back to basics" (really, why did we ever stray?).  I mostly use hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and baking soda to effectively clean and disinfect my home.  Baking soda is my "go to" cleaner for my stove top and oven, for scouring my porcelain sink, and for cleaning the bathtub. I also use it to get burned-on gunk out of (or off of) my stainless steel pots and pans.  For most of these applications, I make a "paste" (baking soda with a bit of water); but for burned on gunk, it sometimes helps to just boil water with baking soda.  It is, by far, the most effective cleaner I have ever used.

It is also, thankfully, a "clean" additive in baking!  As I have stated, my family is eating gluten-free and dairy-free; and, we recently found out that my youngest is very sensitive to corn.  That is a very hard thing to avoid!

So, baking soda is actually sodium bicarbonate.  And, I unfortunately assumed that "baking powder" was something along those lines.  I did not know baking powder had ingredients! (one of them is also sodium bicarbonate).  A few months ago, I found out that most baking powder has aluminum in it (something we definitely try to avoid!).  So we found one without aluminum (Rumford); then, we found out about this corn sensitivity.  And, I only recently discovered that baking powder also has cornstarch in it (the one in the Rumford brand is non-GMO if you are OK with corn); so, I FINALLY found a baking powder with no corn (Hain Foods).  Corn is in SO MANY THINGS.  My poor son.  I hope that we can keep his tummy calm and continue to find "hidden" corn!  I just have to look at the ingredients in everything!

Parenting Choices

I have just finished reading, "Beyond the Sling," by Mayim Bialik, PhD (remember "Blossom"?).  I had not read any books about attachment parenting before.  I just knew that we were practicing this method when I heard other people talk about the principles behind it.  But, I really enjoyed Ms. Bialik's book.  I could relate so well to so many of her experiences, partly because she also has two boys.

What I most related to was the things other people say to us!  I am a stay-at-home mom who transitioned from a full-time job to working a flexible schedule between home and office, to working 3 days/week to not working at all six weeks before I had my second child.  I never knew that I wanted to stay at home.  I wanted to try to continue working; but, I felt the "tug" right away.  Needless to say, that was not our long-term plan.

And, we are not wealthy.  When we made the choice for me to stay at home, we made other choices, too (like cutting our budget and living on a lot less!).  But, no one knows these things and it is weird to ask; so, people have often told me, "it's so nice that you can do that".  That still feels funny when people say it.  I still have no response.  But, this excerpt says more than I can:

"...I hate to burst your bubble, but we don't parent this way because we can afford to; we parent this way because, like the thousands...of families who share an attachment-theory-centered holistic philosophy, we believe in it.  That means that we make choices about who works when and where based on our parenting decisions, not on our income.  Families who believe in home birth, extended breastfeeding and even homeschooling are, by and large, not wealthy.  They are making the decision to parent this way out of conviction and not out of financial comfort!"

"...be honest about your choices, and just as you don't want to be judged by those of us who choose to go without, don't assume we are self-righteous martyrs.  Everyone does this life differently, and I try to allow everyone the dignity to make their choices without my tsk-tsking them.  Usually, I succeed!" --Mayim Bialik, "Beyond the Sling".

Ultimate Faith

I am nervous writing these words down.  What do I know?  I recently had some conversations (with others) that brought these thoughts to the surface and have prompted new conversations between my husband and I (and, we have found we agree!).  I hope that this comes out the way I intend.  Here goes...

Every organized religion follows God's word in some way.  Every bible has been interpreted in some way.  Every person interprets the bible in their own way.

Let me point some things out.  It is impossible to directly translate from one language to another.  Impossible.  There are always words and phrases open to interpretation by the interpreter.  So, some intended meanings are (possibly temporarily) lost (or adjusted a bit) in translation.

Having said that, I believe that when we walk in faith (the absolute unknown) with God, there are no words to guide us, only emotion.  I believe that our bibles give us amazing insight and excellent suggestions.  But, sometimes I don't agree with the Bible (gasp!)  How can I possibly question God's word?  Well, that is not easy at all.  It means we have to have faith, not just in him, but in ourselves.

Again, this is really hard to write.  I am no better than anyone.  But, I have beliefs that are making me shake while I write these words.  I am in awe of Him.  And, I believe he resides in all of us.  He is not only within us; but, he surrounds us--in Nature, in others, in our abilities to create, but mostly in our love for each other.

So, I believe the "ultimate faith" is having the courage to walk with Him, not on someone else's path (interpretation), but on the path you create.

Anyone who is interested in furthering this conversation, I am open.  I also recommend, "Making Room" by Christine Pohl.  It has provided me wonderful insight that backs up my own beliefs.