Seewalds 42: Trying to Stay Relevant

[Coconut Flan]

Continued from here:

 

[Bobology]

Wow, 20 hrs and nothing relevant to say about the Seewalds ?

[Bobology]

39 Hours and Counting... brought to you by FJ

[Bobology]

OK, OK... I'll start something. Do any of you remember the discussion here that must have been initiated by one of Jessa's instagram posts about Spurgeon and his bottle? Seems Jessa had some mommy-shamers who ridiculed Spurgeon's use of a bottle at his age. She said that Spurgeon still used it some (at that time) and enjoyed his kefir from the bottle.

I had never heard of kefir before. After thinking about it for weeks, and looking up 'kefir' and reading about it for weeks I finally ordered some real kefir grains from a goat lady in Wisconsin (or somewhere up there, sorry.)  I've been making it for my really old mom and myself since then. We do take occasional breaks, but have basically been drinking it since Oct '17. 

Since I began making and drinking it, I've had approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the number of cold/flu-type viruses that I normally had. I have a terrible immune system and I'm almost believing that regular kefir consumption with its probiotics is helping.

So I'll have to give Jessa and FJ a big thank you. In my little world, this makes Jessa still relevant. And I've wondered if Ben introduced Jessa to kefir, or if drinking kefir is a secret the Duggars have kept amongst themselves.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Bobology
needed to add a period

[princessmahina]

1 hour ago, Bobology said:

OK, OK... I'll start something. Do any of you remember the discussion here that must have been initiated by one of Jessa's instagram posts about Spurgeon and his bottle? Seems Jessa had some mommy-shamers who ridiculed Spurgeon's use of a bottle at his age. She said that Spurgeon still used it some (at that time) and enjoyed his kefir from the bottle.

I had never heard of kefir before. After thinking about it for weeks, and looking up 'kefir' and reading about it for weeks I finally ordered some real kefir grains from a goat lady in Wisconsin (or somewhere up there, sorry.)  I've been making it for my really old mom and myself since then. We do take occasional breaks, but have basically been drinking it since Oct '17. 

Since I began making and drinking it, I've had approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the number of cold/flu-type viruses that I normally had. I have a terrible immune system and I'm almost believing that regular kefir consumption with its probiotics is helping.

So I'll have to give Jessa and FJ a big thank you. In my little world, this makes Jessa still relevant. And I've wondered if Ben introduced Jessa to kefir, or if drinking kefir is a secret the Duggars have kept amongst themselves.

Kefir doesn’t contain cream of mushroom soup, so it had to come from Ben. 

[tabitha2]

I suspect Jessa wants to keep them babies for as long as possible whether she realizes it or not. Remember The Duggars crave and adore infants but when   they grow up not so much and doubly so for young boys. 

[lumpentheologie]

1 hour ago, Bobology said:

Since I began making and drinking it, I've had approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the number of cold/flu-type viruses that I normally had. I have a terrible immune system and I'm almost believing that regular kefir consumption with its probiotics is helping.

This is so interesting.  I read recently that our microbiomes are essentially a new organ in the body that we're just starting to become aware of.  I can't wait to learn more about it. 

[Daisy0322]

I love keifer I make smoothies with it for me and my son. My husband doesn't care for it! 

[mstee]

How much kefir do you drink a day? I bought a bottle once and didn’t realize you had to drink it slowly and I made a giant smoothie with it.....it was bad ? 

[Bobology]

I drink approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of homemade kefir each day, unless I am taking a 3-4 week break a couple of times a year. I started out drinking about 1/4 cup/day because I was afraid of drinking too much.  I read that commercialized store-bought kefir doesn't have nearly as many different probiotics as homemade so I decided to make it, which is cheaper. I use pasteurized whole cow milk because I have no source for raw goat milk. My mom and I have each developed a taste for it even thought it was a bit scary at first. It is extremely simple to make once you get the hang of it. Jill may be leaps and bounds ahead of me in the kitchen department, so when I say it is simple, it is. It takes me less than 5 minutes/a day to keep it going, and that includes washing jars and utensils.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Bobology

[Daisy0322]

1 hour ago, mstee said:

How much kefir do you drink a day? I bought a bottle once and didn’t realize you had to drink it slowly and I made a giant smoothie with it.....it was bad ? 

I usually drink about a half glass in the mornings. Initially we started though because of the anti inflammatory properties. I have asthma and my son has allergies and both of those have been helped a lot. 

[mollysmom]

6 hours ago, Bobology said:

OK, OK... I'll start something. Do any of you remember the discussion here that must have been initiated by one of Jessa's instagram posts about Spurgeon and his bottle? Seems Jessa had some mommy-shamers who ridiculed Spurgeon's use of a bottle at his age. She said that Spurgeon still used it some (at that time) and enjoyed his kefir from the bottle.

I had never heard of kefir before. After thinking about it for weeks, and looking up 'kefir' and reading about it for weeks I finally ordered some real kefir grains from a goat lady in Wisconsin (or somewhere up there, sorry.)  I've been making it for my really old mom and myself since then. We do take occasional breaks, but have basically been drinking it since Oct '17. 

Since I began making and drinking it, I've had approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the number of cold/flu-type viruses that I normally had. I have a terrible immune system and I'm almost believing that regular kefir consumption with its probiotics is helping.

So I'll have to give Jessa and FJ a big thank you. In my little world, this makes Jessa still relevant. And I've wondered if Ben introduced Jessa to kefir, or if drinking kefir is a secret the Duggars have kept amongst themselves.

I saw you with Keiffer! 

High! High! You're both high! 

Said in my best Barbara Evans voice (janelle from Teen Mom's mother) Lol that's all I could think about when I read this because apparently I'm 14. 

 

What does it taste like?  

Oh! Is Kefir that white drink next to the yogurt at the grocery store? 

[Bobology]

Homemade is a completely different taste from store bought... I can't compare them. My 5 y.o. grandson says the homemade smells a bit like ranch dressing, my 93 y.o. mom says it reminds her of buttermilk to an extent. Closest I can say is like the unsweetened yogurt I've had with some eastern Indian cuisine. Maybe somewhat but not exactly like a drinkable, unsweetened Greek yogurt. The taste grows on you pretty fast. I read that some people add flavorings, like the refrigerated coffee creamers/flavors.

[Melissa1977]

5 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

I suspect Jessa wants to keep them babies for as long as possible whether she realizes it or not. Remember The Duggars crave and adore infants but when   they grow up not so much and doubly so for young boys. 

I think she's "lazy" (in the good sense), so she's not going to force Spurge to quit his bottle, the same way she didn't pottytrained him early and just waited to him being ready. But it doesn't equal to keep him a baby, in fact she made him memorise Biblical sentences and teached him letters when he was still a toddler.

There are a lot of parenting ways and of course Jessa is not perfect, but there is a relaxed vibe in her motherhood style. It will be good for her children. At least, while there aren't too many.

 

[raspberrymint]

A lot of SAHMs have this kind of relaxed parenting approach.

[HurricaneBells]

9 hours ago, mollysmom said:

I saw you with Keiffer! 

High! High! You're both high! 

Said in my best Barbara Evans voice 

Ha ha, you're not the only one (wave!). I have everyone in my house going "oh hiiiii insert name here" the way she tends to greet Jenelle... except we're aussie and suck at accents. LOL

[Tenyari]

One of my family members made kefir for us for years and it really did wonders for my immune system and other things. It's been a while since I last had it and I've only just realized how much of a difference it made. The taste is so-so, but it is so healthy that I was always willing to ignore that.

[PumaLover]

@Bobology please share more! I have a shitty immune system and am always looking for ways to improve it. I seem to catch every little sniffle that comes along even though I'm a germophobe and wash my hands constantly.

(Also I am now reading everything in Babs' voice, LOL). 

[HarleyQuinn]

I always associated Kefir as being a very boujee drink.

Re: Spurge and his bottle, I always just took that as laziness on Jessa's part to not wean her kid off of it. Yes, I know - I'm sure there's plenty of people here whose kids were on them longer too but considering some of her cleaning posts, I feel like she just puts things off to make it easier rather than putting the effort into taking it away.

[Bobology]

@PumaLover, I'd suggest you just start reading up on it from different sources. They will also say something a little different, but it all comes down to the live probiotics in this cheaply-made drink are good for our guts. Making kefir from raw goat milk (apparently the way it should be done) has been going on for centuries. I'll still be happy to answer questions from my experience.

[SassyPants]

47 minutes ago, HarleyQuinn said:

I always associated Kefir as being a very boujee drink.

Re: Spurge and his bottle, I always just took that as laziness on Jessa's part to not wean her kid off of it. Yes, I know - I'm sure there's plenty of people here whose kids were on them longer too but considering some of her cleaning posts, I feel like she just puts things off to make it easier rather than putting the effort into taking it away.

It’s the Duggar way...short cuts, unsafe hacks and Duggar Time. Her parents role modeled that behavior quite well as they had too many kids to otherwise adequately  care for. Most people stop the insanity when they can’t provide decent care.

I recently started drinking Califia Farms plain, unsweetened,  almond yogurt. It also has a unique, but quite tasty flavor ( also comes in fruit flavors, which I have not tried). They have a website and ship directly to your home. I agree the Kefir had to be Ben’s idea. 

[VelociRapture]

3 hours ago, HarleyQuinn said:

I always associated Kefir as being a very boujee drink.

Re: Spurge and his bottle, I always just took that as laziness on Jessa's part to not wean her kid off of it. Yes, I know - I'm sure there's plenty of people here whose kids were on them longer too but considering some of her cleaning posts, I feel like she just puts things off to make it easier rather than putting the effort into taking it away.

I kind of get the same feeling from Jessa’s posting to be honest. I don’t think the homes and cars of SAHPs need to be spotless constantly (mine isn't) or that every kid is going to have an easy time giving up something like a bottle, but sometimes Jessa does give me the feeling that she just doesn’t want to be bothered more than anything. Her kids appear healthy, loved, and relatively happy though. If they would only get away from their fundamentalist beliefs... 

[AtlanticTug]

1 hour ago, VelociRapture said:

I kind of get the same feeling from Jessa’s posting to be honest. I don’t think the homes and cars of SAHPs need to be spotless constantly (mine isn't) or that every kid is going to have an easy time giving up something like a bottle, but sometimes Jessa does give me the feeling that she just doesn’t want to be bothered more than anything. Her kids appear healthy, loved, and relatively happy though. If they would only get away from their fundamentalist beliefs... 

I just don't think any of them have any work ethic or understand what it is to be working hard, and I don't mean necessarily outside of the house, but generally.

I work 60-70 hrs a week (corporate lawyer), my husband works 70-80 (i-banker), we order in 1-2x per week but otherwise I cook all our meals, we have 2 young kids and have never and I mean EVER had dirty diapers anywhere other than in the Diaper Genie, I don't have sister moms or young siblings to help out, etc. Basically we get up at the crack of dawn and maximize our hours. The Duggars wouldn't last a week with that sort of lifestyle. It's a hell of a lot easier to grift.

[OyToTheVey]

I'm so amused kefir has become a hipster/trendy thing. I'm Russian. You won't find an Eastern European refrigerator without a bottle. We all grew up on it. It's considered very good for you. It has a ton of probiotics. Kefir became a trend a few years ago with the whole avocado toast thing and we all laughed. I will say tho because of the tart flavor( of the original) not every Russian is a fan. I usually like the original or the blueberry or pomegranate flavors. Peach isn't that bad either. 

[feministxtian]

Kids and bottles. My kids (and grandkids) kept their bottles until they learned not to take the tops off sippee cups and spill shit all over the place. They were all probably 3-ish or so. I was SO not into cleaning up their damn messes. Lazy? You betcha. I was the same with potty training. When shitty britches bothered them enough to go shit in the toilet, then they were "potty trained". I had 3 kids in diapers at one time and I was fucking TIRED of wiping shitty asses. It wasn't worth the effort to try to force the little shits into something they did not want to do. I'm happy to say they all started kindergarten without shitting their pants.