What to do with all that Basil

This time of year sweet basil is overabundant in my garden.  Now what should I do with it.  After all, how many Caprese salads can I eat!!   Well if you don't know already Basil is high in vitamin K;  It also offers a reasonable amount of iron and vitamin A;  It provides anti inflammatory properties as well along with vitamin C and potassium.

So if you would like to keep a fresh supply or try to keep it fresh,  you can try storing it  in the refrigerator.  I usually wrap small branches of basil in a moist paper towel.  To freeze it I chop in first and add a little water.  Freezing it in ice cube trays will give you just the right amount to use for preparing future meals.  I also make plenty of pesto sauce which I also freeze in cubes.

My favorite use for basil is in pesto.  My favorite pesto recipe is below:

     1/4 pine nuts
     3 garlic cloves
     2 ounces (4 cups) basil leaves
     1/4 cup olive oil
     1/4 teas. salt
     1/8 teas. crushed red pepper
     1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
    
Combine nuts and garlic in a food processor until minced.  Add oil, basil, salt and pepper.  Blend all.
Add cheese;

I use this delicious pesto sauce for tortellini salads, as a dressing for salmon, and to spread on a piece of Italian bread before toasting in oven;  A hot side dish of pasta topped with pesto can be the perfect compliment to a meal.

And finally, Pesto Pizza!!  A new found favorite and perfect for using your frozen pesto cubes when the cooler weather arrives.  Thaw out your pesto and spread it on your pizza dough.  Top it off with onions, tomatoes, peppers, olives, and cheese for a fabulous pizza.  You can use Feta or Mozzarella cheese for this delightful treat.  You won't be disappointed.

So keep that basil coming.  Chop it frequently to keep your plants healthy and full.  And don't forget to share!

    

How We Sold Our Home

Selling Your Home Without a Realtor

After my husband and I raised our family in a home we loved, we decided to move to a resort style community for the next phase of our marriage.  With the concerns about the costs of moving, we decided that we would make the attempt to sell our home ourselves.  I will share with you how we successfully achieved our goal.

The months previous to the move we worked hard preparing the home.  Anything that had too much of our personal look was toned down.  Our traditional style was a fit in the neighborhood and all walls and ceilings were good condition and freshened up with paint as needed.  All plumbing was in good working order as well as a good heating system and electric box updates helped to make our home an easy sell.  The above were all part of the ongoing maintenance of the home which we enjoyed while residing there.  So here are the steps we took and the recommendations I have for anyone else selling their own home.

1. Keep your home in good working order and visually presentable.  Most homeowners prefer to move into a home in live in condition.  Sometimes having a third party walk through to give you suggestions is helpful.  Living in a house daily makes is harder to be objective and you may need to remove clutter or move a piece or 2 of furniture to make rooms look more spacious.  Be sure closets aren't too full as closet space is also highly desired.  The yard and any garage or basement spaces should be cleaned up as well.  The potential owner will get a clear message about how the home has been cared for by the presentation you offer them.
2. Study the values of homes selling in your area.  Go to a few open houses to see if you are realistic in the selling price.  I asked 3 realtors in our community to price the house.  They came up with a higher price than I planned to market it for!  They were happy to do this for us as we told them we would offer the house to their multiple listings if he house didn't sell in 4 months.
3. Now the advertising was a new adventure for us.  We have been happy with our experiences with Craig's List and our local paper which features real estate for sale very well.  The free services of Craig's List offer you substantial savings and allows you to add pictures to your description.
4. A For Sale sign in front of your home is a great way to generate interest in your home. It amazed me how many people walking by showed interest in learning more about the house.
5. We had an 3 Open Houses and showed the house 2 nights a week for the three weeks.  I did not make the house available every night as I chose not to and this didn't pose to be a problem.  The Open Houses were advertised only in the paper and were very successful.  It is very important to remember that these are strangers walking through your home and you should have all valuable items locked away.  Do not feel uncomfortable posting a person on the second floor of your home to oversee your bedrooms while folks are touring through your home.
6. The next step was to accept offers.  We had forms we received from our  real estate attorney for receiving offers and purchase and sales.  They were no charge as we used her for the closing.  The offers we received were varying from the price we really felt we would get for our house to a price even higher than projected from the realtors.  The higher prices all came with multiple contingencies and we didn't want anything getting in our way.  Contingencies for others to first sell their homes is never a good idea and can cause you to loose potential buyers.  Greed could have tempted us but we were very happy with the lower offer, which was the price we wished to receive, and no contingency.  Be sure the buyer puts money down on their offer as is important to be sure the offer is serious.  It is a great idea in this market to be sure the buyer has been approved for the mortgage amount that is need to finish the sale.
7. A Purchase and Sale signing is the next step and will really get everything in motion.  A $500.00 binder is collected and the buyer will now schedule their home inspection and work with their lending institution to arrange a mortgage.  Be firm about when you want to sell.  That date has to be agreed upon by the bank for a closing.  Some mortgage lending institutions drag their feet so stay on target with your buyers.
8. We used a real estate lawyer for the closing which was very inexpensive and it gave us the peace of mind that everything was handled properly and smoothly.  

With money in hand, we gave our last good byes to a home that served us well.  With tears in our eyes we were ready for the next adventure of our marriage as we moved into a new wonderful home to love and enjoy.

Balancing Career and Family

Considering that if feels like yesterday when our children were born, it is hard to believe that there is a second grandchild on the way.  The absolute joy of watching our daughter in her adult parenthood role is quite satisfying.   Our concerns for them in this economy is that they will have the ongoing resources for adequate childcare, schooling and enough time off to experience all the joys of parenthood.

So, that is were we come in.  After years of working excessive hours as a nurse midwife I have decided to step away from my career to care for family.  Although, my work fiercely competed with my family for  the past 27 years, it is my family that won in this tug of war and I feel the joy of their victory.

Raising women to understand the balance between family and career is difficult and an ongoing challenge. There were so many times that a young mother would enter my office completely exhausted and in tears as her job demanded she return to work following her 6 week post partum visit.  With daycare arrangements unsettled and breastfeeding finally playing into a perfect rhythm, the household would now be disheveled with chaos and exhaustion.  So what advise could I possibly give them.

First of all, I do understand that women deserve to have their careers.  It helps to have supportive friends and family to assist in the transition back to work.  Anyone who has had a baby knows that hidden within all the joy parenthood is the fatigue and reorganization of a lifestyle.  I applaud grandparents who can and do commit to assist the working families as mother returns to the workplace.  The efforts to assist this family get on their feet with a new daily schedule is a gift that will keep giving back.  I cannot easily comprehend the attitude of not wanting to help simply because one has already raised their own family.
Any grandparent with good health and living locally who declines to help out even on rarest occasion is probably too burnt out from raising their own children or doesn't have the compassion needed for such an important job.  Daycare is not the answer for everyone, but, when properly selected it can be a perfect match.

So now I, with a drastic reduction in income, and not yet able to collect social security or my retirement funds, will balance my days between my parents and grandson, to support those people who have always supported me.  With the good fortune of my husbands great health and satisfying career as a firefighter, I am afforded this luxury.  We will enjoy the life we now have without greedily seeking the excesses we do not need.  Looking back at all the daycare my mother provided my children, all the crazy schedules my children endured, and all the nights may husband and I have spent at our places of work, it is time for the daughter, the mother, wife and the grandmother in me to take a step away from my very successful career, to give my family what they will benefit so greatly from.

Perhaps I will one day return to practicing with a lighter schedule to continue my career, perhaps not, but by attempting to meet the needs of my family I know I am fulfilling my desire to round out my life's work.  Living a happy and satisfying life is essential for me.

The key to balancing career and family is doing what works for your family unit.  If it doesn't feel right, step back and reassess.  Work with your partner to create a budget.  Decide how best to enjoy your short time on earth while raising a happy, healthy and productive family.

Good Luck!

Breast or Bottle - The great debate

You are pregnant!  Congratulations!  You are about to embark on one of life's most incredible experiences.

Although babies are born everyday, your baby is special and this experience will be for you, your partner and your families, a life changing adventure.

You, of course, want to offer all the best to your baby.  Selecting a great crib, high chair, car seat, and baby clothes is the start.  You will decide to use Huggies, pampers, or perhaps spend a little more on the environmentally friendly disposables.  Perhaps you will choose clothe diapers.  Whatever, your choice I am sure it will be well thought out.

So you have selected your health care provider, a midwife or physician, who you have given your complete trust to.   At one of your early appointments, a conscientious practitioner will ask you how you plan to feed your baby.  If you haven't already decided, you may be reluctant to answer.  This is when a thorough provider will put down their computer, have a seat and talk with you about the benefits of breast milk and the role of breast milk substitute (formula).

Having attended over 2000 births and managing the care of thousands of pregnancies, I realize that not everyone is geared to go with breastfeeding.  Perhaps it is a certain discomfort viewing the breast as an organ other than sexual.  Perhaps it is fear of failure or fear of discomfort.  Whatever the reason, not everyone, no matter how intelligent or motivated has breastfeeding checked off on their to do list. I get it.

But, that doesn't mean I won't try my best to pursued you to try.  So here it is.....

By now you must know that breast milk is the best and most complete form of nutrition for babies.  It is not always available to babies as some mothers unfortunately carry disease that can be spread through breast milk.  Other babies may be separated from their mothers shortly after birth.  But, for most babies, mothers breast milk is readily available and at no cost.  What a deal!!

During you pregnancy you notice your breasts changing.  The nipple and surrounding area becomes darker with natural pigments, and the small bumps circling your nipple, Montgomery tubercles, enlarge a bit as they secrete a lubricant to prepare your nipples for nursing.  Your breasts may enlarge and you may, at times near the end of the pregnancy, leak a bit of colostrum.  This all part of the natural process of human life preparing for the birth of offspring.

The first 3-5 days after birth, you baby will greatly benefit from colostrum as your body is producing milk which should be in by day 5.  The more stimulation your breast receives by way of sucking or expression, the more milk will be available.  Think of this as supply and demand.  The more you nurse the more you make.  

What makes this colostrum and milk so special is the perfect blend of nutrients. Fats, proteins vitamins and minerals are all prepared by natures perfect formulation.  Even better is the presence of antibodies. These antibodies are the microscopic armies that we need to fight off disease.  Studies have proven that the human breast milk is so powerful that is will benefit the baby by:

1.  Reducing the risk of asthma

2.  Reduces the risk of stomach and bowel diseases ( gastrointestinal disease)

3.  Reduces the risk of diabetes 

4.  Reduces the risk of some types of leukemia

5.  Reduces the risk of skin conditions (dermatitis)

Breastfeeding will benefit you by reducing you risk for:

1.  Reducing your risk for breast cancer

2.  Reducing your risk for type 2 diabetes

There are many other benefits for you and your baby such as enhanced bonding.  The breastfed baby has its senses stimulated by the presence of mother holding and nurturing which is very important for the sense of security infants develop.

Breastfeeding does't require coupons.  It is free and readily available at the perfect temperature.

So what are the obstacles?  

Sometimes dads and family members don't see the point.  Well meaning folks who want help out and think it is too much work for the new mother to deal with may gently offer the bottle.  Their usual comment is, "I bottle fed my children and they are fine".

Many times a mother who is exhausted may be sabotaged in the hospital by a nurse who has no interest in helping her breastfeed.  She may be offered a pill to help her sleep (I have never seen a woman who couldn't sleep on her own after delivering a baby- Do not accept a sleeping pill in the hospital if you are nursing!!) So instead of sitting with the mother and doing her job, she tries to come across as a little angel and let mommy sleep while she brings baby to nursery for a bottle.  A bad move that I have witnessed too often.

Pediatricians who don't want to be bothered with phone calls from breastfeeding moms may simply encourage the bottle to save themselves from being disturbed.

So the great debate breast or bottle is what will you do.  Educate yourself with every piece of literature you can.  As you scan the pages for the best crib you can afford think of the best nutrient for you baby you can't afford to dismiss.  If you have terrible anxiety over putting you baby to breast seek professional counseling during your pregnancy because this is not a normal healthy response.  If you can't get support from others who want to help you feed the baby, then pump milk into a bottle for them to offer baby.

Most importantly, find a knowledgeable health care provider who will support you, a pediatrician who is known for fully supporting the breast feeding mom and a lactation consultant who you can work with as nursing does take a bit of trial and error and although natural there can be a little learning curve for some to overcome.  Be patient and know you are offering your child the best.  An expensive private education is a wonderful option for a child but it doesn't compare to he importance of mothers milk.

When babies are not offered mothers milk, there are several breast milk substitutes which are highly regarded and best used.  These babies should be held frequently, bottles should be held in place by the person feeding the baby and eye contact should be offered during feedings.  

Most hospital have certified lactation consultants.  Others offer free drop in centers like the Baby Cafe in Melrose MA.  There is the National Breastfeeding Hotline as well as LaLeche League.  

I may not be ready to mandate all mothers breastfeed their babies but I do say "Go for it".  If it doesn't work out for you at least you can say you tried it.  If it ends up being the best thing you ever do for your baby, you will be very proud and the health of your baby will astonish many.

Choose happiness with positive thinking

The events of life beginning at birth offer us multiple opportunities for happiness as well as sadness or as I will call it negativity.  Understanding the importance of controlling ones disposition with conscience awareness is a lesson best learned early.  The emotional strength and ability to withstand obstacles which keep one from achieving happiness is quite powerful as it allows us to experience all the joys which add many wonderful dimensions to the human spirit.
Why then would anyone choose to be negative when they can choose happiness?
Negativity feeds off of weakness and a lack of consciousness.  Like an evil demon, negativity works to diminish the spirit of happiness by slowly penetrating the presence of positive thinking.  This demon is overbearing yet very cathartic for a person living a depressed life as it is pumped like blood through their  veins to sustain life.  It demands a full audience as it dramatically plays out its desperate stage performance.  This demon is very unhappy to spend time on its own and cherishes the company of others.  It seeks out others who will not challenge with strong positive views.  It prides itself with the ability to permeate the naive bystander who was unconsciously living with happiness.   The more the merrier after all doesn't misery love company?
Happiness is toxic and avoided by negative unhappy people.  They cannot seam to acquire a taste for happiness.  So how then do you help a negative person out of their misery?
Happiness is omnipotent and this is a very important lesson of life if you have not learned it yet.  Your inner spirit and strength will get you to a better place if you choose to do so.  Spending time in a third world nation watching families in complete poverty, I observed a true pure happiness that is very hard to find in this world of must have material wealth.  Sadness appeared to be off their radar.
A seriously, clinically depressed person will require professional psychological guidance and treatment, but for so many of the women I have meet over the years, a good reality check is all that is required to beat this demon of negativity.  Negativity fights for its space to exist but you must simply keep the door closed and state it is not welcome.  Negativity is harmful to the body as well as the mind.  Unhappy people live shorter less healthy lives than those who support happiness.  From the way your blood flows to the daily cellular changes that occur, happiness supports life while negativity works to diminish it.  If you have ever spent time with an unhappy person you are aware of all the physical ailments they have developed.  You're aware of how repelling they are.  They seek to make you miserable with them but you must choose happiness and avoid their courtship.  This of course makes them more miserable.  So if you are unhappy and miserable but are consciously choosing to be happy here are my golden rules:

1.  Be aware of who you are and what you really want for yourself (I do not mean material goods).
2.  Do not expect too much from others.  Only you can make yourself become a happy positive person.
3.  Do not take yourself too seriously if mistakes are made; just move on.
4.  Have an imaginary goddess within you that you can talk to if the feeling of negative thinking arises.  Tell yourself you are the goddess of positive thinking and happiness and you have the power to stay that way.
5.  When the demon of negativity comes knocking, perhaps through another person or triggered by a circumstance, tell your goddess of happiness to come out and take over.  Keep the door closed tight to demons.
Have a mental image of a sign that states "No Negative, Unhappy Demons Allowed".
6.  Develop are strategy.  Never allow another persons choice for misery to invade your choice for happiness.  eg:  "Friends complain there are so many weeds in the garden they can never get all the weeding done"  You state, "The flowers in the garden are quite lovely and I am enjoying their beauty".  Use your goddess powers.
7.  Lastly, have a daily affirmation:  "Happiness loves company :)" !!