Crafty Thursday

I'm finally getting Leo's playmat finished (hey, it's still Christmas). While the pattern doesn't call for satin blanket binding, my mother picked some up in case I wanted it. I fought with it, but it does make it look more finished. I had used a soft, fuzzy blue fabric folded double for the backing, so it's quite thick and soft. Now I need to get working on the animals, and put Velcro the barn door.

Eating Out with Food Intolerance

Not being able to eat dairy, eggs, beef, pork, soya, tomato, and alcohol make cooking interesting at times. It also means that eating out/getting take-out, something I only rarely do anyway, is stressful and nigh impossible. I have found one place thus far that is completely accommodating and delicious: The Mellow Mushroom.

We went there one evening after I saw that they list all the allergy information for each ingredient they use on their website. I was then able to determine if I could eat there, and what I could eat. When we went, I explained that I couldn't have any dairy, so the server made a note of that. We had to wait a bit because the chef got it wrong the first time, but the manager came out to talk to means they even gave us a discount. The pizza was delicious and worth the wait. I loved that I could completely customize my pizza to avoid all the problem foods. My only complaint is that they don't offer goat cheese. They do, however, have Daiya vegan cheese, but since I wasn't sure about that, I omitted cheese. I would definitely recommend Mellow Mushroom, though, food allergies or not. It's a little pricier, but very tasty.

Soy, Soy Everywhere!

I knew soy was a common ingredient, but I had no idea exactly how common it is. Because Leo cannot tolerate me eating even tiny amounts of soy, I've had to purge it from my diet. I didn't have it much anyway because of how it affects my chart (soy mimics oestrogen; because the cervical mucus pattern is determined by oestrogen and progesterone, soy can affect the mucus observations) but I didn't care too much about checking labels to see if soy was hidden.

Once I knew soy adversely affected Leo, though, I started checking labels. Every so often, though, I forget to check a label until I notice Leo's discomfort after I've eaten. I'm finding that soy really is everywhere. It's in some breads. Many vegan alternatives to dairy and meat are soy-based. Standard vegetable oil is actually soybean oil. I've yet to find packed tuna that is soy-free - I'd thought tuna in water would be safe, but it isn't. Even vitamins contain soybean oil! While it is possible to avoid soy, I'm realising just how difficult that is. Eating out is a complete nightmare. It's a good thing I like making everything from scratch, even if I'm having to adapt some things.

Sunday Snippets - a Catholic Carnival

Happy 6th day of Christmas! Check out the full carnival at RAnn's.  My posts this week:

- the feast of the Holy Family
- Crafty Thursday
- you know you're AP when
- my Christmas gift

Feast of the Holy Family

Today is the feast of the Holy Family. The Bishop celebrated the vigil Mass last night, and since my husband sang at that Mass, I decided to go to that one instead of our usual Sunday morning Mass.

Mass was, of course, beautiful and holy. Given the feast day and the fact that our Bishop is very welcoming of families and breastfeeding mums, I wasn't at all nervous about Leo's screaming in pain, then feeding and cooing.

Our Bishop spoke of the importance of the family and how all aspects of family life should be supported and encouraged by the parish. He quoted Pope Bl. John Paul II on that, too. What struck me the most, though, was him talking about Jesus' hidden life of obedience to his Mother and foster father, a life wherein He preached the Gospel simply by living family life. We don't have to go to the ends of the earth to live and preach the Gospel, but should be doing this in our own families (of course some are called to be missionaries, like St Paul, but most are called to live the Gospel in a more ordinary way). This is something good for me to remember as a mother. And I ask Jesus to help us live as we should, leading each other to holiness, and I ask Mary and Joseph to pray for us.

Crafty Thursday

I've not been able to do as much craft-wise since Leo's birth. His digestive issues mean that he wants me to hold him most of the time. While I love the cuddles, it does make it difficult to knit or sew. Nevertheless, I have been able to work a little of late. I've been using the newer knitting machine for the plain bits of Kieran's backpack. The machine is broken, so I have to feed the yarn by hand, but for this project it's ok.

The robot parts have all been knit separately by hand, to give a 3D effect. I sewed it on upside-down at first, unfortunately.

You Know You're AP When. . .

You find yourself analyzing Christmas carols and critiquing them for their views of children. Take "Away in a Manger", for example:

Away in a manger,

No crib for His bed,

The little Lord Jesus

Laid down His sweet head;

The stars in the heavens

Looked down where He lay,

The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing,

The poor Baby wakes,

But little Lord Jesus,

No crying He makes.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus;

Look down from the sky

And stay by my cradle

Till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus;

I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever

And love me I pray!

Bless all the dear children

In Thy tender care,

And fit us for Heaven

To live with Thee there.

When we came to the line about Jesus not crying when disturbed from His sleep, my thought wasn't "how sweet!", but "ugh, again with the association of a "good" baby not crying. I bet this carol is Victorian!"  I therefore had to look it up and found that it was composed in the US in that time period.  

I suppose I should just listen to it as a sweet little song, but the idea that a "good" baby being one that doesn't cry has always irritated me.  People ask me if Leo is good, and I say "what else would he be?" Once, when I said that, a lady retorted that she got the criers, molding that her babies hadn't been "good".  I would argue that point.  Of course Leo cries - he has gallstones and is in pain!  But he is also good, because he cannot choose otherwise. Jesus, of course, has always been good, but I'll also bet that even He cried as a baby.