Am I the scoby master?

In a previous post I talked about a scoby, what it is, how to obtain one, and why I wanted one. Somewhere in there, I mentioned that I had done it all wrong, but was going to see what happened anyways.

Something happened!!! With immense self control and not going to look at my jars 5 times a day, I finally got through 2 weeks of ignoring it.(as best as I could) And guess what?! There are young scobys in both jars! Even the jar that I thought wouldn’t grow one!(I used ginger Kombucha in it)

The photos unfortunately aren’t the best because my hand isn’t big enough to grip the jars so the photos had to be taken quickly.

My boyfriend is hilariously grossed out by this by the way. It’s great, he won’t even look at them, but he did say that he would test out my brew when it’s all done! I kind of get it. The scoby is not at all appetizing and when I get a tiny floaty piece in my drink, I definitely freak out.

Believe it or not, you can totally eat the scoby. If you wanted to, you could take a bite right out of it. I have read that it has the consistency of squid legs so no thank you. I don’t like that texture deep fried and dipped in whatever you dip squid in and I am not going to like it as a bacteria yeast blob.

So why the heck would anyone want to try to eat their scoby?

Well for one, they multiply everytime you make a batch so you really have nothing to lose if you messed it up when cooking. Mainly, it would be eaten for its health properties. The scoby is made up mainly of cellulose and bacterial yeast and before I lose you with technical terms, I’ll make it short and simple!

The bacteria and yeast of a scoby is what gives the finished kombucha its probiotic properties which will regulate your digestion and bathroom visits.

The cellulose of a scoby is actually an interesting one because it makes up the blob structure of the scoby. It’s an insoluble fibre and if I took anything away from highschool cooking class, I know that that is not the fibre that gives you energy, but is actually a carb… but it’s a good carb. (Yes that is a thing all of you silly dieters!) It cleans out the bowels and the gut and is claimed that enough of this type of fibre will help avoid IBS, heart disease and cancer.

So am I a scoby master? No, I’m still learning. I’m more of a scoby apprentice.

Daily Riley!

The best start to my morning is laying in bed as the sun comes up with my smiley little boy. He was up almost every hour last night and I am struggling to keep my eyes open. Thank goodness his dad is the best and stays up with him for a bit when he gets home from midnights so this mama gets a little nap! Enjoy this daily dose of cute!

Daily Riley!

This guy has been seriously grumpy! So much to see, hear, touch. All that growing and eating tuckered him right out for a nap on mama’s lap.

I can’t imagine 2 under 2

For any mamas out there with more than one young child of any age or quantity, you are amazing. To all of the mamas who don’t fit that category, you are also amazing.

Seriously.

But holyyyyyy, Riley man is 10 weeks and 2 days old and he is giving me hell! (That’a boy! I was wondering when his Irish temper would come out) I’ve read that between the ages of 8-12 weeks can be diffifult for various reasons…

The first would be the 8 week shots. Riley just got his at 9.5 weeks because his pediatrician, as praised and popular as he may be, was impossible to get ahold of. Seriously, I called at 12pm on a Wednesday one time and the answering machine was more or less “thank you for calling we are closed for the weekend. Please do not leave a message, but call back Monday morning.” There is so much wrong with that in my opinion. I get that pediatricians are often not JUST practicing in the office, but at times are on-call at the hospital, but Wednesday at noon??? Really??? And don’t leave a message? What is the receptionist even there for? Anyways, rant aside, we have an amazing family doctor here in town now.

The second would be growth spurt/development leap. For my baby at least, he will have a few days of hardly napping at all during the day and being extremely fussy at night followed by a few days of sleeping and eating like crazy and showing off new coos or babbles. During our last run-in with the growth spurt fairy, Riley had a 12-hour wake period! (A couple 15-30 min naps but come on that doesn’t count when it takes that long to feed yourself in between)

The third is actually a very interesting reason and I am 100% sure that this is why my guy is so miserable. The recent literature I’ve gone through suggests that around this age (8-12 weeks), babies’ senses are well on their way to development and sights, sounds, tastes, textures, it’s all brand new. What is not developed yet is the ability to tune out all or select stimulations and so the baby gets overwhelmed.

To me, this age has been the most challenging so far. My head starts to throb after so many hours of screaming. Not crying. Screaming. Aside from that, it’s still really not that bad. As a mother (maybe even as a father, but I can’t speak for them as I’m not a man), you just develop a sense of impenetrable calm. After about 5 minutes of screaming, my head hurts but my brain kind of just tunes it out.

Would I be as calm if I had this screaming as well as another little one to get to bed on time, bathe, feed, etc.? Who knows. I’d like to say no I would not be. But I also used to be scared of babies and now look at me!

Anyways, I salute all of you mothers of fussy babies, mothers of multiples, mothers of young children, and all other flavours of mommies. You all rock and we are all kicking butt!

This part of my life is called stockpiling sleep

There is nothing that can truly prepare you for motherhood. Believe me, being unable to work during pregnancy, I was constantly reading mommy forums, blogs, discussion boards, facebook groups and even mom apps! (Which, by the way, I had no idea existed) No matter how many people tell you, you likely won’t know what tired is until you have an infant.

Tired is finding the milk in the tupperware cupboard and having no recollection of putting it there. Tired is falling asleep during tummy time and waking up to curious eyes or a little scream saying “I’m done with this, like, yesterday get me up!!”. Tired is showing up at the bank 3 days early for your appointment because you genuinely thought it may have been that day of the week.(let’s be honest though you forgot to even double check the calendar) Tired is also the result of sleepy midnight cuddles and the endless late night diapers that you wouldn’t trade for a million dollars. Tired is the result of comforting the most precious, helpless, beautiful thing in your world.

While tired is the result of some amazing moments, I take advantage of every minute of sleep I can get. I got some last night though, 7 hours in one stretch. (!!!!!!!!) Now that little man has passed out on the bed in the spare room, I’m taking advantage and adding to that 7 hours. It is sooo much needed.

Daily Riley!

I took this at the end of the day yesterday with every intention to post it, but a certain amazing boyfriend of mine offered to get up with him all night (on his day off) and this mama got 7 hours of sleep! So the delayed daily Riley is definitely worth it.

Inevitably overwhelmed

When you are unable to do so many things for so long, you get used to it. I got used to not having to LEARN constantly as I would when I was at work. I got used to not having to TALK to people everyday. Really, I got used to living in a bubble. Since August of last year, when I found out that I was pregnant, I’ve been off work and for the most part, cooped up inside. (My doctor is pretty certain I had hyperemesis gravidarum a.k.a extreme morning sickness that doesn’t go away) and, of course, once Riley was born, I have had no time to think about much else outside of my home. Not to mention, we moved to a new town last summer for my honey’s work so I don’t have any friends here.

Moving on, Riley is almost 10 weeks (ahhhh!) And takes some pretty nice long naps sometimes so I signed up to be a Younique presenter as mentioned before. It’s overwhelming! There is so much to know. So many Facebook groups! (and I am not Facebook group savvy) I don’t know where to start, what to do next. Aaaggh!!

All I know is that I love this brand! I love it and I am determined! I’m not only determined because I’ve been discouraged of it so much, although I can’t wait to prove that wrong… I’m determined to be successful at something again (besides being a mom because I kick butt at that.) I’m determined to get more people behind this outstanding brand and trying some beautiful products. I’m determined to make MONEY. And I have made some commissions already! More than I even expected to be honest…

I’m diving in. I’m overwhelmingly overwhelmed, but that just makes me more excited. I’m going to make my nerves DRIVE me forward. Once I get my presenter’s kit, I’m moving ahead at full speed. I’m so excited to stop wearing make up that makes me break out like a pubescent teenager and hopefully help my fellow sensitive skinned ladies find something to help them as well.

Daily Riley!

Mr. Man got his shots a couple days ago and has not been a happy camper! Today he’s finally back to his usual grinning self.

It breaks your heart as a mother to see your baby so upset and nearly inconsolable, but the best thing to do is to stay relaxed and create a comfortable, healing atmosphere for your mini. We’ve had some long nights over the past couple of days, but it’s nothing a little patience and snuggles can’t help.

Word of the day: scoby

About a month ago, I was taking Riley for a walk and stopped in to the drugstore for a drink. After a few minutes of staring at the (overwhelmingly) abundant options, I zeroed in on a bottle of Kombucha. I remembered someone telling me about this fermented drink and decided to give the mango flavour a try.

Instant obsession! But at 4 dollars a bottle, would have to remain a treat. Okay, fast forward to the present and I have been seriously addicted. Since starting to drink it, I can think clearer, I have more energy, and feel a lot less bloated! But still…. kind of an expensive addiction.

Maybe I could make my own… off to pinterest!! After some research, I find myself absolutely set on brewing my own booch!

First off, I need to aquire a scoby. A scoby is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It looks like a slimey gelatinous blob and that magic little blob is what ferments your sweet tea into tastey, tangy kombucha. Where will I aquire this scoby you may ask? Well, a new scoby usually grows when one brews a batch of kombucha so you could get it from a friend’s batch. If you’re like me and don’t have any friends in the area, option 2 and 3 may be better. Option 2 is to buy one online and option 3 is to grow one.

I figured I’d try my hand at growing one! I went and bought my raw organic kombucha, brewed a cup of black tea, added some sugar to the mix and poured it in to 2 big glass jars covered with a tightly knit thin scarf from the dollar store.

I’ve come to realize this was wrong.

What I did wrong….

To GROW a SCOBY you literally only need to have the raw kombucha in the jar covered with a coffee filter.

Ahhhhhhhhh-ha!

My brew has an interesting film starting over the top though so I’m keeping those jars and ALSO starting a new one with just the raw kombucha.

Time to try again!

Daily Riley!

Ahhh! My baby is getting sooo big!! I just got this from my step mom. The first is St. Patrick’s day at 1 week and the second is a couple days ago at 9 weeks. He got so big in just 2 months!

At his check-up this weekend, he weighed in at 13.5 lbs. That’s a big leap from the 6lb2oz he was when he arrived!! He’s a big healthy, happy boy! (usually) As you can see, he’s always loved looking at his papa.

Side-note, I was wondering why my biceps were extra bicepy lately 😉