Dayenu!...Jewish Mamas Nissan Thread - Page 3

[smeisnotapirate]

DH keeps putting off steam-cleaning the carpets in the living room, and between the baby and the dog and HIM, I have the feeling that this room will NEVER be clean. We're at the point now that no chametz is allowed out of the kitchen, so I'm feeling pretty ready.

Toby is OMG, active. He HATES sitting down now, and will only stand up and walk along things. He's getting very good and barely needs to hold on for support. He also can go up and down stairs now. I'm terrified.

[Ruthla]

We got a lot done today, B'H'. But not as much as I'd hoped to get done (which is why I didnt' want to do it all in one day in the first place!) We still have more to do tonight, but we also want to watch Twilight, since it arrived from Netflix today, and DS is out with my Mom for the evening.

[tikva18]

So, I just went into the boys' room and found all of my bedika cloths strewn over the floor! gave the twins a talking about that one.

Gedalya got a big boy bed two days ago and we just got one for Tehila today. Nothing like timing LOL. Craigslist - good deals. Now I need to figure out where to store their cribs. Kind of sad about it... my babies can't be babies if they are sleeping in big beds. Gedalya doesn't want the crib anymore (I had the rail off so it was like a daybed). I'm mourning the loss of baby-hood or something. At least we still nurse.

[mombh]

that is so funny about the bedika cloths

reminds me of the time a few weeks after the baby was born.
dd 16 is holding a crying baby calling for me that the baby needs to nurse, ds 5 yrs, says to dd " why don't you just nurse the baby till ima comes to get him" dd says she can't!!! ds says " why? is it because your boobies are to small??!!!!"
we still laugh about it......probably always will

[imnottelling]

Well my 3.5 year old asked me the other day why boys have nipples if they can't nurse.
I had no idea what to answer him!

[Ruthla]

Actually, men CAN produce milk, it's just that it's not very common and it's hard for men to produce an ample milk supply (just as it's hard for an adoptive mom to produce an ample milk supply without having gone through pregnancy first.) It's not something most men are interested in doing, and it's kind of irrelevent today when donor milk and infant formulas are readily accessable. Not that donor milk is very easy to obtain, but it's not like life in pre-industrialized times when a young widower with a new baby (if he didn't live near a village with other lactating women) would have little choice but to put his baby to his breast and pray the baby survived. Today, the new widower could seek a milk donor online and use infant formula from the local grocery or drug store while waiting.

For a preschooler, I'd simply say "Actually, some men CAN make milk for their babies, but it's a lot easier for women, so most men don't want to."

[crazy_eights]

There is a medrash about Mordechai nursing Esther after her parents were killed in the siege of Jerusalem. It was long thought to be one of those midrashim, but then science showed otherwise.

[BelovedBird]

shavua tov all.

[imnottelling]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Actually, men CAN produce milk, it's just that it's not very common and it's hard for men to produce an ample milk supply (just as it's hard for an adoptive mom to produce an ample milk supply without having gone through pregnancy first.) It's not something most men are interested in doing, and it's kind of irrelevent today when donor milk and infant formulas are readily accessable. Not that donor milk is very easy to obtain, but it's not like life in pre-industrialized times when a young widower with a new baby (if he didn't live near a village with other lactating women) would have little choice but to put his baby to his breast and pray the baby survived. Today, the new widower could seek a milk donor online and use infant formula from the local grocery or drug store while waiting.

For a preschooler, I'd simply say "Actually, some men CAN make milk for their babies, but it's a lot easier for women, so most men don't want to."

Believe me, I know all about men lactating
I just really didn't want to get into this with him as I think it would be confusing to get into men nursing since it's something we view as something mommies do
(It's not just the nipple, they need the ductal tissue as well, and we're talking about his body. No way a baby could latch onto it.)

[Chavelamomela]

I just read about a tribe in africa where the man carry around the babies half the day and use their own nipples as pacifiers...

[Faliciagayle]

We are 90% done!! ::

I am exhausted and not looking forward to the 2 hour drive down to the mikvah tonight - which of course means a 2 hour return trip.
:yawning:

[tikva18]

I have the dining room left and part of the kitchen. I'm sitting here waiting for dh to take all of the kids out so I can get some work done. Our sinks are kashered, the oven is done, the pantry is done... now i have to move dishes, vacuum the lower cupboards and cover the counters. Waiting for dh who's getting the material for the counters.
I wish they'd leave already so i could get to work...not that I don't love them, but I'd get so much more done if they weren't here.

[smeisnotapirate]

DS has slept for 6 hours (combined) at nighttime the last 2 nights. He's got a fever and something is really hurting him (all his teeth have finished cutting through the skin and are now just descending), and all he wanted to do from 6am to after 2 was nurse. Now I have a terrible sore throat. Ugh.

And the kitchen is a MESS from dinner DH made last night (with chametz, of course) that he didn't clean up because he thinks everything in this house magically becomes clean once a week.

Kill me now.:

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by imnottelling

Believe me, I know all about men lactating
I just really didn't want to get into this with him as I think it would be confusing to get into men nursing since it's something we view as something mommies do
(It's not just the nipple, they need the ductal tissue as well, and we're talking about his body. No way a baby could latch onto it.)

Then how about "Men have nipples because Hashem wants them to."?

We're about 90% done with Pesach prep. Tomorrow morning we'll be able to cook Pesach food in our kitchen (after running the oven through a self-kashering cycle tonight, with my big dairy pot and frying pans in it.) I also need to do the rest of my food shopping tomorrow- the meats, dairy, and produce. I held off until the 7th so I can use April's food stamps for Pesach food.

Last night's dinner was pizza, tonight we're going out for bagels. That's for the kids anyway- I ate Shabbos leftovers last night and homemade sausages (made on Friday) today, since I can't have dairy or wheat and I don't trust either store to be safe for me.

[SaraFR]

How can I substitute matza meal instead of potato starch in baking recipes (ie cookies and cakes) if I want to make a potato starch-free dessert?

[tikva18]

I'd imagine it's equal substitution... but why would you want to substitute?

[SaraFR]

Originally Posted by tikva18

I'd imagine it's equal substitution... but why would you want to substitute?

Believe it or not (I figured this question would come up) I want to bake for a person who is allergic to potatoes. For her, it's all gebrochts.

[tikva18]

Now THAT is wild. LOL. Poor, poor her... This is the great moment for my kids when they can eat everything!

[Ruthla]

I'd use the cake meal, rather than regular matzah meal, to sub for potato starch, for a more similar texture (regular matzah meal is rather course; cake meal is more similar to chametz flour.)

[crazy_eights]

I found a list of KLP substitutions - this might help:

1 oz. baking chocolate (unsweetened chocolate) = 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tbps oil or melted margarine

16 oz. semi-sweet cocolate = 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1/4 cup oil plus 7 tbsp granulated sugar

14 oz. semi sweet chocolate (German Type) = 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder plus 2 2/3 tbsp oil plus 4 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 cup confectioners sugar = 1 cup granulate sugar minus 1 tbsp plus 1 tbsp potato starch, pulsed in a food processor or blender

1 cup sour milk or buttermilk = 1 tbsp lemon juice in a 1 cup measure, then fill to 1 cup with Passover nondairy creamer, stir and steep 5 minutes

butter in baking or cooking - use pareve Passover margarine in equal amounts and a bit less salt

1 cup honey = 1 1/4 cups granulate sugar plus 1/4 cup water

1 cup corn syrup = 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/3 cup water, boil until syrupy

1 cup flour = 5/8 cup matzoh cake meal or potato starch, or in a combination sifted together

1 tbsp flour = 1/2 tbsp potato starch

1 cup corn starch = 7/8 cup potato starch

1 tsp cream of tartar = 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or 1 1/2 tsp vinegar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs = 1 cup ground cookies or soup nuts plus 1 tsp cinnemon

1 cup bread crumbs = 1 cup matzoh meal

1 cup matzah meal = 3 matzohs ground in food processor

1 cup matzah cake meal = 1 cup plus 2 tbsp matzahmeal finely ground in a blender or food processor and sifted

3 crumbled matzahs = 2 cups matzah farfel

1 cup (8 oz) cream cheese = 1 cup cottage cheese pureed with 1/2 stick butter or margarine

1 cup milk (for baking) = 1 cup water plus 2 tbsp margarine or 1/2 cup fruit juice plus 1/2 cup water

1 cup wine = 13 tbsp water, 3 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp sugar. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes

Soy sauce = 2 tbsp beef broth + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar + 1 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tsp oil + 1/8 tsp garlic powder + black pepper to taste + 1/4 cup boiling water - use the sauce as is or boil and reduce by half for a thicker richer sauce. Use within 3 or 4 days. Makes 2/3 cup, good for stir-fries.