Tag Archives: Baby

by | June 15, 2010

Writer’s Block of Chocolate

Today, I don’t feel so much like writing. I think I wrote too much at work and used up all my words.

Instead, I feel like eating chocolate. And that shouldn’t be a problem because I just replenished my stash.

I love chocolate….and it loves me, too. Know how I know? There’s a love poem inside each one of these…

Found these on clearance at the Tar-zhay for $1 each. They were in my basket before I even knew what happened. Yup, I bought ‘em all. And they should last me a good, long time since I have to watch my caffeine while nursing. Only one little square at a time for the mama.

And on my last shopping excursion, I found this strange creature:

That’s right…bread and chocolate. It’s a chocolate bar with French bread in it. I’m going to h*ll, fo sho…

I’m not opening that one yet. It’s going to wait until I get in that French bread and chocolate mood. Don’t act like you don’t know that mood…

Don’t you just love the clearance aisle? I do…but it makes me sad, too. I often find my favorites in there, or products I’ve been wanting to try, and finding them there emblazoned with a big red clearance sticker is a little rush, no doubt, but it also means that those products are most likely being put out to pasture because nobody is buying them. Then, I can’t buy them anymore either. :(

I hate that.

My latest trip to the clearance rack also yielded a box of cinnamon Clipper Tea (it seriously is a soft, fuzzy blanket and slippers in a mug)  and a bottle of strawberry basil balsamic vinegar. Fun!

So, I mentioned that yesterday was my husband’s family reunion. That might seem the perfect vehicle for blog fodder, but it just didn’t happen. I was going to put together a side dish, but I totally s**t the bed and brought drinks.

I know. You don’t have to say it. Bad blogger. Bad foodie. Bad healthy eating advocate.

But at least I brought Honest Kids juice. It’s not even sweet, and it’s the only juice I’d give my kid out of a little bag if I did, in fact, give my kid juice. 

We played some games and the husbo won a big watermelon. I was kind of stoked about that. 

Then I won. What did I win, you ask? Well, I won this:

Yes, that is a 7.5 lb bag of sugar. Ummm…….yeah. That’s what I thought, too. :?

The heat and humidity were out of control, but somehow I got talked into walking these steps carrying a 20-lb baby on my hip…

…and found this at the top! 8O

Who knew I’d find a big lake at the top of a flight of stairs? It was like finding Narnia or something. 

My husband got a hankering for a nip of wine on the way home, so we stopped at a local winery (Hunter’s Valley) that’s just a little too far out of the way to visit regularly, and picked up two bottles for home. Way to multi-task! 

I had only eaten some mixed bean salad at the reunion, so I was ravenous. I had visions of a falafel salad dancing in my head, so I got out the mix I had in the cabinet…

Did you all know about this stuff? 

It was the easiest thing ever, inexpensive, and it made really good falafel! Better than I’ve had in a lot of restaurants even.

Who knew?! 

I’ve been paying out the nose for falafel! NO MORE! Five bucks, my foot!

Falafel from scratch would be more impressive, yes. But this stuff is welcome in my pantry any time! Thanks, Casbah!

Feeling very proud of my warm falafel patties, I found them a home on top of a bed of organic greens and baby spinach, along with organic grape tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, almonds, walnuts, cranberries, fresh crumbled pepper-crusted chevre, a few artichoke hearts and a dressing I threw together with dill from the garden. (I thought it was a lot like tzatziki, until I looked it up and realized that I had, in fact, made tzatziki.)

Wow. This post is way random, and I think it has too many links. I promise to be more coherent tomorrow. 

I’m gearing up for my first giveaway in the next few days, so be sure to check back in soon!

‘Nite. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……………

________________________________________________

Have you ever made falafel from scratch? How did it turn out?

Do you ever have trouble stitching the pieces of your day together into one cohesive blog post?

and finally,

what would YOU hope to find at the top of that flight of stairs?

7 Comments

Filed under Recipes & Food, The Everyday

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 9, 2010

Burger and Fries!

I have some catching up to do!

What gets my vote for best 3pm snack this week? 

These guys, who made a surprise appearance at my desk during the afternoon slump! They arrived courtesy of my friend who happens to be a registered dietitian, so I ate one happily, no questions asked, and packed up the other for the Hus.

CHOMP!

Did you ever just get bored with your ol’ standby breakfast, only to eat it and realize why it became your breakfast of choice in the first place?

Yesterday, my cup runneth over with So Delicious coconut milk (beverage) and Granbiotics granola, topped with cranberries and one date, for good measure…

…along with more Mother’s Milk tea. I think this stuff is really working! I thought all that galactagogue talk might be a bunch of hooey, but my supply is increasing nicely. I still don’t like the anise flavor, but it’s not bothering me that much anymore. Besides, I never really liked handling poop or having bags under my eyes from sleep deprivation before either, but I deal. It’s all part of parenting, right?

Breakfast was fun. Little F is getting so curious about Mommy’s food, and he intently watches as I raise and lower my spoon for each bite, not aware that he’s imitating my motions with his mouth. It’s super cute, and I love that he’s watching me eat something healthy (most of the time… ;) ) 

I just love being a mommy. Especially his mommy.

Daddy wanted burgers and fries, so I decided to oblige him, ABCGP-style!

I had a bunch of beautiful parsnips, courtesy of my favorite grocery store Produce Man (my Dad!) so I cut them up and made some parsnip fries! A drizzle of olive oil on one side, macadamia nut oil on the other, salt and pepper.

I also sprinkled a few with some chipotle powder a friend made for us out of our garden jalapenos…

400º for about 25 minutes…

A few were a little thin, but the core was really fat and I didn’t have much choice. Maybe smaller parsnips are better?

His burger: moo-cow. Mine: Sunshine!

Fresh salsa, crumbled feta, and basil from the garden, with a swipe of avo-hummus underneath.

Bruschetta Sunshine Burger, maybe? Either way, deeee-lish.

It was time to thin out the beet patch, so I found myself with these beautiful babies…

Not sure what I’ll do with them yet, but this new addition to the family sure is giving me some ideas…

I can’t think of a better present right now! Many thanks to Grammie Garden Pea!

__________________________________

Do you eat the same thing for breakfast every day? Do you get bored? (I find that limiting my options makes it easier for me to make sure that A. I actually eat breakfast , and B. I make a healthy choice at 5am. Do you agree?)

What’s your favorite way to eat beets?

6 Comments

Filed under Home & Garden, Recipes & Food

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 7, 2010

The Monday haps.

It’s a yucky Monday, but I sure ain’t complaining.

I pumped over 14 ounces before noon today! It seems that cosleeping, Mother’s Milk tea and round-the-clock pumping work wonders for a dwindling milk supply. Many, many thanks go out to my La Leche League leaders for telling me that the dip in my supply was not due to my forgetting my pump, but rather a response to my baby’s slowing down in growth, the introduction of solids, and a phase of rapid development (which causes distraction and a decrease in interest in food.) 

Thank the goddess, because I was definitely not feeling like Mother of the Year over the weekend. I didn’t realize until now how much my being able to breastfeed my son has gotten tangled up with my general sense of purpose. I’ll need to revisit that, I think.

We spent all day Sunday in cloth, which was…interesting, and pretty successful. The hardest part? His constant SQUIRMING! 

I learned that cloth diapers have to be changed a lot more often, but that only makes sense since they aren’t filled with that weirdo gel you find in disposables. I’m not so good at the folding yet, so his bum is looking a little poofy. But that’s a handful fewer diapers in the landfill! Yay for progress…

I’m totally loving the brand new Boppy cover I found on clearance! 

Today’s lunch is reliable Kashi. I didn’t have any leftovers because, to be honest, I was a mess all weekend and didn’t cook much. I feel SO much better now. I’m wishing I packed something else because I’m really hungry (that was another bit of advice from my consultant…EAT!!)

My afternoon plans:

Forget “dried plums.” I like PRUNES and I’m not afraid to say it! Go ahead. Call me grandma. I don’t care.

Found this in my Jones Organic White Tea with Cherry – a little shout out to one of my lovely bloggy friends…can you guess which one?

I detect some parsnip fries in my very near future…like dinner, tonight (I hope.) Plus, we’re getting ready to do some harvesting, and my worried mind is beginning to calm, so I’m sensing some fun homemade food on the horizon!

5 Comments

Filed under Cloth Diapering, Parenting & Family, Recipes & Food, The Everyday

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 6, 2010

Local, seasonal food hits the spot!

It’s been a rough week. The best medicine? Local, seasonal, freshly prepared food from Emma’s Food for Life in Selinsgrove!

You know the conversation…

“What do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t know…what do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t care. Whatever you want.”

and so on, and so on…

We were fully engaged in that back and forth last night when we drove by Emma’s and I remembered that I had seen Lemon Quinoa on their specials board outside. I figured it would feature peas and asparagus, because that is what’s in season here right now, and it did.

I just may turn into a pea with the way I’ve been eating lately, but I guess that’s what eating local, seasonal produce is all about, right? If peas are in season, you eat a lot of peas.

So Emma’s it was, and it did not disappoint.

She: Lemon Quinoa (a thick, warm, creamy quinoa in a lemony sauce that reminded me of risotto! Comfort food at its finest. It had lots of greens, peas and asparagus. Sadly, it promised to come with a side of cabbage and beet salad, which was nowhere to be found :( ) It did, however, come with a little green side salad. I chose the lemon tahini dressing (not my favorite, by far )  The husbo chose the cilantro lime dressing, so I stole that :twisted:

Accompanying my dinner is some organic Mother’s Milk tea from Traditional Medicinals…it tastes like strong anise, which I despise, but it came highly recommended and I need the help right now in strengthening my supply. It tasted just a little better in my new W mug (a gift from my thoughtful husband!)

I poached us each a piece of salmon for a little extra sumthin’, and it was pretty tasteless until we realized we could dip it in the dressing. Cilantro Lime Salmon, coming right up!

He: The hus chose the whole wheat fettucine with bacon, peas and asparagus. It was really good…I had a bite with bacon in it, and I wanted to eat the whole thing! I guess there’s just no denying the seductive qualities of bacon. The one bite was enough, though…I don’t plan on becoming a bacontarian.

BIG portion!

 

These dishes didn’t really lend themselves well to pretty pictures, but they were delicious! I inhaled mine. Just what we needed on a night when I was exhausted, still a little concerned about my health, and not wanting to settle for any kind of fast food. (Sadly, we were left with a mountain of styrofoam containers. I was surprised to see that from a restaurant like Emma’s. Surely they could find recycled cardboard…)

Our boy joined in the feast with his new favorite…avocado! I’ve given this to him a couple of times now, and he just devours it! I always seem to have just a little left over whenever I use one, so this will work out perfectly! This was the most perfect avocado I’ve ever cut into (like BUTTAH!) and he said, “Mmmmmm….” with each bite.

Mortared and pestled…

Next time, we combine the ‘cado with a nanner. 

Newsflash: I’ve decided to cave a little on my dairy weirdness and eat some yogurt. I need calories, protein and calcium right now more than ever, and you just can’t beat the nutritients in Greek yogurt, so I looked up my old friend Fage….

This sucker comes with a lot of honey! I amped it up with a little Granbiotics granola and some walnuts…

I had forgotten how good this stuff is…

I’d go so far as to call this the perfect bite!

I guess a little yogurt now and then won’t hurt anything. But no fruity-bottomed ones, and you won’t catch me with a glass of milk in this lifetime, either…

Now, off to get groceries and skedaddle home to my boys. Last time I was in the store, I heard Jive Talkin’! I hope there’s a fun playlist today…I love grocery shopping!

Have a great Sunday, all!

_____________________________________________________

What’s in season now where you live? Have you had your fill of it yet?

6 Comments

Filed under Product & Restaurant Reviews, Recipes & Food, The Everyday

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 5, 2010

Cloth Diapering: The Adventure Begins…

Yeah, baby! Our first shipment of cloth diapers has arrived! Let the games begin…

I will admit without shame that I am intimidated. No doubt. The thought of swishing these things around in a bucket full of vinegar and poop is not helping me sleep easy at night… 8O

Little did I know when I first decided to try cloth how much research it would require, and how much learning I’d have to do. These things are not cheap, and I sure didn’t want to spend money recklessly on diapers that we wouldn’t end up using. Plus, I just really like lots of information :)

My two main sources of info were, of course, the internet, and the incomparable Mothering Magazine. I found that there are several different styles of cloth diapers: flats, prefolds, fitted, wraps and covers, pockets, all-in-ones, hybrids–and they all come in a variety of fabrics: cotton, organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, polyester, etc. With each, you can opt to add additional liners, inserts, stuffers and doublers, also available in a variety of fabrics.

Once you choose the style of diaper you want, there are no less than a billion different makers, including: Bummis, Bumkins, Fuzzibuns, Mother-Ease, BumGenius, Flip, Imse Vimse, Gdiapers, Smartipants, Thirsties, the list goes on and on and on…

And then, you have to decide where to order them, because you can’t just go to the store and pick them up. I did a search of the entire Central PA area, and the only ones I found without a minimum of a 2-hour drive were Gdiapers (a hybrid), sold at the Babies R Us about an hour away. You may have more luck if you live in a more populated area. (Wal-Mart offers a few options through their site-to-store feature, and they don’t make you pay shipping, but I prefer not to shop at Wal-Mart.)

(Just FYI: We started out by registering for Gdiapers when I was pregnant. I got several from a friend who buys the best gifts, but we found that the snaps and waistband irritated our baby’s skin. I wish we could have figured out the problem, because they’re super cute. They are currently for sale on eBay, and I’m sure someone who uses them will gets lots of use out of them. So we did actually have reusable diapers since he was born, but found ourselves not using them in favor of disposables. That’s why we are considering NOW to be our first real foray into the world of cloth…)

I found way too much info to share it all, so I’ll share what we decided on. Because cost is an issue, we decided to go the old school route and try prefolds (the type used by diaper services) in organic cotton. We purchased 8. Pros of these seem to be affordability, proven track record and durability. Cons seem to be bulkiness, the fact that they have to be carefully folded, and, well, I haven’t used them yet so I don’t really know what else…

This is what they look like. They have to be washed 3-5 times before use to quilt them up and establish absorbancy. I will use the dryer to shrink them up as directed, but after that they will be dried on the clothesline!

As soon as I noticed how soft these were, I felt reassured that I had made the right decision for my baby’s bum. They are big, though. I’m a little nervous about how I’m going to make that fit…

Now we needed something to fit over the prefolds. After weeding through the mountains of options, I chose one Flip cover in Moonbeam (Blue), adjustable so one size fits all, made of polyester. :? We also got one Imse Vimse cover, size large, in organic cotton with a cute farm animal print. 

Personally, I’m rooting for the organic cotton cover for obvious reasons, but I’m keeping my mind open. I would love to love both.

I ordered from BananaPeelsDiapers because I stumbled upon a $5 off $50 and free shipping code in Mothering Magazine, and that was the best deal I found. Customer service was great and shipping was prompt, so I would definitely order from them again.

They included a free sample of Punkin Booty Bits in Breezes and Sunshine scent. How nice to get an added bonus! (LOVE FREE SAMPLES!) You just melt them in hot water and add them to a container full of reusable cloth wipes or folded paper towels for soothing, homemade, all-natural wipes that smell lovely and keep your baby’s butt soft and clean. Perk: They don’t contain any sulfates or phthalates, and are made with essential oils. Yummy butt! 

I want to try different online sellers, and Kelly’s Closet is offering a free All-in-One diaper with a $25 purchase, so our next order will be placed with them!

I’m currently in laundry mode, but I’m anxious to start diapering in the next few days. I plan to use the jelly roll fold to start. Ha ha, I love the way it sounds like I know what I’m doing!

I’m starting to hate even looking at those yucky old  ’sposies. 

Stay tuned for our Adventures in Cloth…this could be entertaining… :P

____________________________________________________

Do you use (or plan to use) cloth diapers? Were you as clueless as I am when you started? How is it working out?

Please feel free to share any tips or recommendations! I would appreciate the help of any and all seasoned cloth users out there, mommies OR daddies!

***Giveaway notice! The Progressive Pioneer is giving away a gift certificate to the Vintage Pearl here. Beautiful stuff!

3 Comments

Filed under Cloth Diapering, Parenting & Family, The Everyday

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,