The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

DIY Taco seasoning is so easy to make, tastes better than the store bought packets and is healthier to boot! I make a big batch every time we need it and keep it in a canister on the counter. I will post two versions of the recipe if you want to make a small batch (for 1-2 lb of ground beef) or a big batch (8x that). The packets at the store are 2 tablespoons, we use between 1 & 2 tablespoons of this mixture for a pound of meat. Since I make my vegetarian crumbles just for me, i use maybe 2 tsp for my serving.



DIY Taco Seasoning - Single Portion
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano

DIY Taco Seasoning - 8x Portion
1/2 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup Ground Cumin
2 tbsp + 2 tsp tsp Sea Salt
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp Dried Oregano

Breastfeeding in Public

Just recently breastfeeding in public became protected under the law in all fifty states. This means a breastfeeding mother may nurse her child anywhere she is legally permitted to be without falling under public indecency laws. It doesn't mean that people can't ask you to move elsewhere, they still can. But you don't have to move anywhere you don't want to go, and you can't be arrested for breastfeeding in public. Some moms prefer to find a private location to feed their kid, or use a cover, pump at home and bottle feed in public, or just whip a boob out whenever it's called for. Any of these are acceptable options, and I'm so pleased to see moms taking advantage of what I've perceived as an increase in breastfeeding normalization in recent years.

Are you comfortable breastfeeding in public? After five years and three kids, I've nursed more places than you can imagine - every type of venue from churches to parks, restaurants, stores, you name it. I've never had a negative comment, only uplifting ones and a few instances of side eye or awkward attempts to cover me up. But  I am happy and comfortable with my method, and in general people are so self-absorbed, they don't even notice I'm feeding my kid or think he's asleep in my arms.

Breastfeeding in Public wearing an Undercover Mama Lace Trim Strapless Tank

The way I choose to breastfeeding in public is uncovered, but still relatively discrete. I just lift my shirt and feed the baby under it. I'm large chested, so my boobs are pretty low and the baby rests on my crossed legs. It's not the most ergonomic position but it works. It is a variation on the "two shirt" method, which allows you to have one layer on to cover your torso while the other layer covers you up top. you pull the bottom layer down (unlatch or lift your bra, depending on the style) and then lift the top shirt up - creating a sort of eyelid look with your boob as the eyeball :D

There are shelf bra nursing camisoles available to wear as the bottom layer that allow you to forgo a bra altogether. But with my large chest, those don't really work for me. So I love the new Undercover Mama strapless tank that attaches to any bra, essentially converting it to a nursing tank. They are really long, and I love the lace detail on the bottom of the one I selected to try out courtesy of Undercover Mama. I've found that shirts seem too short on me after having kids, so the extra length is welcome and it is snug and smooths out some of those postpartum lumps and bumps.

Undercover Mama has a great line of comfy and cute nursing tops and dresses as well, check em out!

[A promotional product was provided for review]

A New Natural Remedy

I love natural alternatives to medicines. I was recently given samples of a new product that delivers the same natural treatments I like to use orally in a simple patch format! Dr. Loo's Harmony Patches are a unique alternative to essential oils, gripe water, etc. The patches are designed for babies, kids, and adults to treat tummy troubles/colic as well as colds and allergies. My biggest complaint with oral medicines is that they are difficult to administer and usually contain sugar, dyes, or other unwanted filler ingredients. These patches provide similar active ingredients in a transdermal application. The adhesive is less sticky than a bandaid - it didn't irritate my skin like many adhesives do. And yes, I tested the adult versions on myself before using on the baby! So simple to use in the middle of the night for a fussy baby! They seemed to help Tom when he had a stomach bug, and I've currently got the Cough, Cold & Allergies one on my chest hoping to ward off what feels like a cold coming on. Check out the full line of products here!

Homeschool Resource

With summer here, it is important to keep kids' minds active to prevent the "summer slide" that means children forget what they learned during the previous academic year. My kids are in preschool year-round, but our homeschool co-op does not meet during the summer. I am also hoping to do a more formal curriculum with my older son this year since he will be in Pre-K. I love printing off worksheets and activities I find on pinterest and by googling the themes we are studying. One site that is a great resource is Education.com. My Kiddo enjoyed this maze off their site. I think I need to find him some trickier ones though!

Get those fine motor skill ready for spring with this fun maze! Be sure to check out Education.com for more learning fun.

Cabin for Vacation Rental and Homebirths

We have a small, rustic cabin on our property (The Lazy Duck Ranch) in Pulaski, TN that is available for short term (vacation) rentals and for home births. If you are from out of state and using one of the wonderful midwives in Tennessee, reserve our cabin and enjoy the comforts and quiet it has to offer.

Amenities include:
- Queen size wrought iron bed with bedding
- Desk and Table with plenty of seating for your family or birth team
- Bathroom with shower stall, sink, and toilet, with dedicated hot water heater and linens and toiletries provided
- Window A/C units and space heaters
- Back deck (perfect for a birthing tub) and front porch of the cabin
- View of the pond and wooded property from the back deck, as well as the resident horse, donkey, goose, ducks and chickens, dogs and cats who wander the property.
- Mini-fridge and coffee maker
- High Speed WiFi
- Pack n Play available
- Access to the kitchen in the main home negotiable
- Optional birth kit packages available (bed pads, antibacterial soaps, etc)
- Pets may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
- No Smoking
- The cabin is three rooms (a woodshop and an office share the space) but your privacy would be guaranteed for the duration of your stay.
- Parked fifth wheel on property has also been converted to guest space, but is still under renovation though can provide extra sleeping space if needed.
- Located about 10 minutes from the Pulaski, TN historic town square, 10 minutes from STRHS Pulaski Hospital, 15 minutes from Walmart, and about 10-15 minutes from Exits 14 or 22 on I-65 (about halfway between Huntsville and Nashville, about an hour from either)

- $50/night for reserved vacation stays with 2 week notice. $400 for homebirth reservation based on due date availability, dates surrounding your due date will be held.
- CONTACT tomandkatie@thewhitfields.me for more information!

A Font Nerd's Favorite Fonts

I have long had an interest in fonts and typography. When I was a kid, Iwould examine the letterpress type blocks in my mom's printer's box displayed on the wall. My mom did keyline paste-up, and I enjoyed playing around with Print Shop on our Commodore 64. Working at the college newspaper, I began to develop an appreciation for the use of different typefaces, the use of good kerning, and design.

Nowadays you can easily access tens of thousands of fonts on sites such as dafont.com. These fonts are typically free for personal use, with myriad more available for purchase. Finding just the right font for a project can be challenging. I began a document showing my favorite fonts for doing chalkboards for kids' birthdays so I could easily recall their names. When I started doing projects on my Silhouette Cameo, the list began to grow. And grow... and grow. I re-sorted it to be grouped by font type so I could compare like fonts when envisioning a project layout. I also discovered the website wordmark.it, which allows you to visualize any phrase in all the fonts installed on your computer

Please feel free to download and print the list for your own reference! Just Google the font name to download it to your computer! I will continue to update it as I find new favorite fonts. 

DOWNLOAD PDF BY CLICKING HERE
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE WORD DOC BY CLICKING HERE

last updated 2.16.17