Everything I did on Friday, January 3, 2020
Location: Pasadena, CA
6:30am Gibson crawls in our bed and wakes me up
6:50am I get out of bed to cough and blow my nose for awhile. I've been battling a cold/laryngitis/possible bronchitis for a week. It's getting old.
7:00am Make a cup of tea. It does not taste like vinegar, thankfully. My electric kettle had a bunch of mineral deposits on it yesterday so I tried a vinegar soak. Now it's nice and clean. I find a package of Hawaiian hot dog buns in the cupboard that need to be used up so I toast two and add PB&J for breakfast.
7:15am Gibson comes into the kitchen pretending to be Gus because he wants the jelly bean Gus is owed from last night (our current bribe for using the bathroom by oneself). I feed them some generic Lucky Charms. They mainly eat the marshmallows.
7:30am the boys go back to bed to jump on Daddy. DF switched to a new job this year where the vacation time schedule is very flexible, and he was able to take two full weeks off for the holidays. We've definitely enjoyed having him home! I text our relatives in San Diego that we won't make it down to visit this weekend, since I'm still sick. We'll have to celebrate our belated Christmas even more belatedly, I guess.
7:50am Remember that it's the first Friday of the year and I need to start writing this list. DF and boys get up and play blocks in the playroom (Whomp Kings, a game they made up). I hang out with them for awhile.
8:15am Unload the dishwasher. It has been leaking lately. I clean out the "gunk" trap over the drain, which is super gross. Hopefully that will help. Wash dishes still hanging out in the sink from last year (ha ha). We had company for a week over New Years and we're still recovering. DF and kids are playing Lego Star Wars on Wii now. I take a long hot shower and inhale as much steam as I can before my California guilt kicks in about wasting water. I decide to be brave and wear contact lenses today. We had pink eye making the rounds here so I was wary of sticking my fingers in my eyes, but the kids seem to have recovered fully. Try to install the new phone screen protector I got for Christmas. Drat, it's the wrong size.
9:15am Gibson requests a cookie. More tea for me. Clean off the pile of stuff that has accumulated on the top of our dryer, the family temporary storage area. Send a Christmas card that got returned for an old address. Read the news about impending war with Iran. Try not to despair about the state of the world.
10:00am Time for more Mucinex. Watch the Wii game. Gibson is whining sooo much about the game my ears are about to explode. DF turns it off and takes a shower. The kids and I play "what animal am I thinking of?" and other pretending games.
11:00am I eat black eyed peas and greens for lunch. More good luck coming my way! The boys are playing Legos. They eat some beef jerky, apple slices, and corn muffins. Gus blows muffin crumbs all over the place. He informs me his New Year's resolution is to make more messes. <eyeroll> We have a discussion about death, the afterlife, and options for disposal of bodies. This is a fairly common topic of conversation.
11:30am DF takes the boys to a thrift store to look at toys because they want to spend their Christmas money. While they are out, I run the robot vacuum and do some laundry. I get deeply involved in making a "decade in review" post on Instagram, scouring my photo archives for images to represent the spectrum of my life for the last 10 years. I also reply to some messages that come in from a volunteer organization I work with. We are making plans for our 2020 fundraiser. Just as the boys come back, I field a call related to the fundraiser and croak out some words on the phone for 10 minutes. Doing so makes me feel like a productive member of society.
1:15pm Shoppers return home. They are loaded down with swords, light sabers, smash balls, Legos, and other things I don't recognize.
1:30pm Snack time - granola and frozen blueberries. We all play with the new toys. I trim my fingernails and convince the boys to sit on the front stoop so I can trim theirs, too. DF assembles 26 smash balls.
2:40pm all smash balls have been destroyed. They contain little rubber sports-themed figures. I drink more tea and do more laundry. The kids picked up some banks at the store and want to transfer all their coins from their previous banks to the new ones. We practice some Spanish - hola, adios, te amo - because we're planning to send the boys to a dual language Spanish program for elementary school. I send the robot vacuum to the back of the house.
3:40pm cracker snack. Watch Sponge Bob Square Pants. I install a new game on my phone because I recently got a new phone and am going crazy enjoying all the memory space, lol.
4:25pm load and run dishwasher. Fold laundry. The kids are watching Super Wings.
4:45pm turn off the TV. Attempt to get the kids out the door to a restaurant for dinner. They attack me with light sabers.
5:05pm They are finally dressed. (They had been wearing PJs all day. I let them wear PJs nearly whenever they want because soon enough they'll have to get dressed in a uniform for school every day. If they whine about it, I plan to say, "Remember when you were little and you used to wear your pajamas all day every day? That was nice, huh? Now you are big kids who go to school, so you need to wear your uniform.") We finally leave at 5:15. Stop by the UPS store to return my phone screen protector to Amazon. I don't even have to put it in a box. Whoa, such service. We eat dinner at our favorite diner that has a special with 3 hamburgers, 3 fries, and 3 drinks for $11.99. The boys share a burger (and don't even finish it) and I drink water, so it's a great deal for our family! On the way home, we try to pick up an item from our local Buy Nothing group but the family wasn't home.
6:40pm We're home. I unload the dishwasher, which did not leak on the floor. Yay! The kids are excited to see their toys again.
6:50pm Take anti-anxiety medicine, my current best friend. Drink more tea. Motivate the kids to clean up the playroom by rebuilding one smash ball for each small amount of cleaning effort.
7:45pm Snack time. Gibson requests peanut butter on a spoon. Gus ignores my repeated warnings of bedtime approaching.
8:00pm Time to get ready for bed. Gus, predictably, objects that he didn't get a snack. He scarfs down a few pretzels while Gibson brushes his teeth.
8:15pm DF tells them a bedtime story. It's still called a "Goldilocks" story and bears little resemblance to the traditional narrative. Usually, I do it but we've reached the point in the evening where my voice has faded and the coughing intensifies. I go to make a cup of (disgusting, licorice) Throat Coat tea. While I'm waiting for the water to boil, I read the ingredients and notice it has cinnamon bark. Whoops, I'm allergic to cinnamon! I'm off the hook and choose Sleepytime Vanilla instead. Write some Amazon product reviews while sipping tea.
8:35pm Children are loudly singing the rainbow song from their beds. I go in and tell them it's time to quiet down. After one last hug and drink of water, they go to sleep. DF and I watch a few episodes of Undone, a new Amazon show that is really trippy.
9:45pm I take Mucinex and vitamins and head to bed, propped up on 4 pillows.
Thanks for reading! You can check out previous days in the life here:
2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 <-- the most exhausting one
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Coconut Milk Tres Leches Recipe (dairy free)
I've been eating 100% dairy free for six months now. I decided to experiment with a dessert to take to dinner at our friends' last night. It was a success! Here's my recipe, based on one from the Pioneer Woman. Note that while she rated the degree of difficulty as "easy," I'd say it's more like "medium." I mean you have to separate eggs...that takes skill!
INGREDIENTS
Cake
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated. (Use a dairy-free cooking spray)
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. (Use the paddle attachment for Kitchen Aid). Add in almond milk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. (Use the whisk attachment for Kitchen Aid.) With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined.
Pour into prepared pan and spread to smooth out the surface.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Note: If you need to toast some shredded coconut for the topping, now is a great time to do it. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle coconut in a thin layer. Toast for 5-6 minutes, stirring once. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn!
Allow cake to cool completely. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork or toothpick all over. You're making small holes for the delicious filling to ooze into :)
Whisk together coconut milk and sweetened condensed coconut milk in a small pitcher, or a bowl with a pour spout. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture all over the cake, and don't forget the edges. Mine started "ponding" when I had about 1/2 cup of liquid left, so I stopped. Your results may vary.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least 1 hour, and preferably overnight. (Store in the refrigerator).
Just before serving, spread Cocowhip over the surface of the cake. Mix the toasted coconut and lime zest together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Cut into squares and enjoy! Best when served cold.
INGREDIENTS
Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 eggs, divided
- 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can sweetened condensed coconut milk
- 1 container Cocowhip, thawed
- 1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
- zest of 1-3 limes, depending on how limey you like things
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated. (Use a dairy-free cooking spray)
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. (Use the paddle attachment for Kitchen Aid). Add in almond milk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. (Use the whisk attachment for Kitchen Aid.) With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined.
Pour into prepared pan and spread to smooth out the surface.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Note: If you need to toast some shredded coconut for the topping, now is a great time to do it. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle coconut in a thin layer. Toast for 5-6 minutes, stirring once. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn!
Allow cake to cool completely. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork or toothpick all over. You're making small holes for the delicious filling to ooze into :)
Whisk together coconut milk and sweetened condensed coconut milk in a small pitcher, or a bowl with a pour spout. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture all over the cake, and don't forget the edges. Mine started "ponding" when I had about 1/2 cup of liquid left, so I stopped. Your results may vary.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least 1 hour, and preferably overnight. (Store in the refrigerator).
Just before serving, spread Cocowhip over the surface of the cake. Mix the toasted coconut and lime zest together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Cut into squares and enjoy! Best when served cold.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Six Months in SoCal
We arrived here in California just over six months ago. I thought I'd take the occasion to reflect on life here in my new state.
I loved it when we got here, and half a year later, I still love it! Perhaps I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase? We'll have to check back later to see how I'm feeling. What do I like about California? Glad you asked!
The Weather/Climate
I hate to be so cliché, but it's just lovely here. It's almost always sunny with a gentle breeze. We're currently going through a cold snap where it's been dipping down into the 30s at night and only hitting 60 for a high temperature, but I don't even mind because I know it'll be scorching hot in a few months. When it does get hot, it's not humid, so you can still, you know, breathe outside. There are hardly any mosquitoes either, and it cools down in the evenings so you can open your windows without inviting an insect invasion.
This is my first time living in an area that's so sunny. It is awesome! I really don't know how all the Californians who have moved to the PNW survive in the gray winters. Maybe they still have friends/family down here and escape to soak up some Vitamin D on the weekends.
Geography
Living in a region with mountains makes me smile. Sure, some days it's too smoggy to see them, but lately the full San Gabriel Range has been on display. And then there's the other foothills and such that I don't know the names of yet, but they are also scenic. Nearby us there is a place called the Arroyo, which as far as I can tell means a dry canyon. It's rugged and rocky and makes you feel like you've escaped the city when you go there.
And then, don't forget the beach! Depending on traffic, it's about 45-60 minutes for us to get to a beach. By LA standards, that's far away but by Memphis standards, it's awesome :)
I know people also talk about skiing/mountain activities here. We haven't ventured North/East yet, but when we do, I'll be sure to blog about it.
Activities
This part's a bit overwhelming, actually. In Memphis it was kind of straightforward. If you have little kids, you want a membership to the zoo, children's museum, and/or botanic garden. Around here, sheesh! There are about 1,000 options, it seems like! I mean, there are the classic big theme parks, like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Knotts Berry Farm. You've got too many museums to count, zoos, aquariums, gardens, science centers, theaters, and I don't even know how many other choices of things to do. Plus since the weather is almost always nice, you can explore all the various parks and outdoor spaces. If you ever hear me saying I'm bored, that's just crazy talk. I could live here for the rest of my life and still not do everything.
Food/Dietary Options
Since arriving in CA, I've decided to go dairy-free. Although I didn't test as allergic to milk, I just feel so much better without dairy. It's been a pretty easy transition thanks to all of the vegan options around here, both in grocery stores and at restaurants. And if you ask the waitstaff, "Does that have dairy?" you don't get a strange look or anything. Meanwhile, in Memphis, I once got a total eye roll for ordering enchiladas with no cheese at a Mexican restaurant.
Speaking of Mexican food, taco trucks here are legit and delicious. There are so many different types of food available here that it's impossible to list them all. Ever had Indonesian bone broth? There's a place just a couple blocks away from us with a simmering vat full! I want to go out to eat all the time. But my children aren't very adventurous eaters, so sometimes we opt for take-out for the grownups and chicken nuggets for the kids...
Closer to Relatives
My parents and siblings all live in Oregon. It's really nice to be close to them - just a quick 2 hour flight, instead of a whole-day travel ordeal, and you don't have to change time zones!
Public Services
I'm just starting to learn about this topic, but I guess all those personal income tax funds we're paying to the state are getting used for stuff! I've been attending a free weekly parent education class offered at a local community college. They have 10 or 15 different classes going every week, all free! It's my understanding that a combo of state funding and private fundraising covers the cost. The class is like a preschool where parents and children are there together. So cool!
And now, for the things that have been harder to cope with...
Huge Metropolis
I can't really explain to you how gigantic the Los Angeles metro area is. Apparently it's the second-largest metro area in the country. There are like 60 cities in the region, depending on how you define "city." I'm always having to check Google Maps to see where places are, because I'll read a blog or something about a fun weekend activity only to find out it's down in Orange County (an hour+ away). Short of hanging a giant regional map on the wall and studying it daily, I don't know how I'll ever wrap my head around the megalopolis that is Los Angeles.
Tons of People
Remember all those things I listed above that I like about SoCal? Yeah, a bunch of other people also like those things, so they all want to live here, too. Traffic is intense. You really do have to plan your trips around traffic if you don't want to spend your whole life sitting on a freeway. And then when you go places and do things, a bunch of other people are also there at the same places wanting to do the same things. We went to the zoo on President's Day and it was packed to the gills! I have never been to a zoo that was so busy before. I suppose it being a school holiday, parents were looking for a way to entertain their kids, but still, we had to wait in the members line for like 10-15 minutes just to get through the front gate!
Cost of Living
Really, this one hasn't bothered me too much because I knew what we were getting into, but I feel compelled to mention it. It is certainly more expensive to live here than Memphis. It seems more expensive than Seattle, too, though we left that city nearly 5 years ago so my mental price list is probably outdated. The cost of housing around LA is shockingly high. We keep debating if we should buy a place here. Then we look at the prices and say, "it's got to be a bubble, right? It'll pop soon." But the prices just keep on rising...!
I loved it when we got here, and half a year later, I still love it! Perhaps I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase? We'll have to check back later to see how I'm feeling. What do I like about California? Glad you asked!
The Weather/Climate
I hate to be so cliché, but it's just lovely here. It's almost always sunny with a gentle breeze. We're currently going through a cold snap where it's been dipping down into the 30s at night and only hitting 60 for a high temperature, but I don't even mind because I know it'll be scorching hot in a few months. When it does get hot, it's not humid, so you can still, you know, breathe outside. There are hardly any mosquitoes either, and it cools down in the evenings so you can open your windows without inviting an insect invasion.
This is my first time living in an area that's so sunny. It is awesome! I really don't know how all the Californians who have moved to the PNW survive in the gray winters. Maybe they still have friends/family down here and escape to soak up some Vitamin D on the weekends.
Geography
Living in a region with mountains makes me smile. Sure, some days it's too smoggy to see them, but lately the full San Gabriel Range has been on display. And then there's the other foothills and such that I don't know the names of yet, but they are also scenic. Nearby us there is a place called the Arroyo, which as far as I can tell means a dry canyon. It's rugged and rocky and makes you feel like you've escaped the city when you go there.
And then, don't forget the beach! Depending on traffic, it's about 45-60 minutes for us to get to a beach. By LA standards, that's far away but by Memphis standards, it's awesome :)
I know people also talk about skiing/mountain activities here. We haven't ventured North/East yet, but when we do, I'll be sure to blog about it.
Activities
This part's a bit overwhelming, actually. In Memphis it was kind of straightforward. If you have little kids, you want a membership to the zoo, children's museum, and/or botanic garden. Around here, sheesh! There are about 1,000 options, it seems like! I mean, there are the classic big theme parks, like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Knotts Berry Farm. You've got too many museums to count, zoos, aquariums, gardens, science centers, theaters, and I don't even know how many other choices of things to do. Plus since the weather is almost always nice, you can explore all the various parks and outdoor spaces. If you ever hear me saying I'm bored, that's just crazy talk. I could live here for the rest of my life and still not do everything.
Food/Dietary Options
Since arriving in CA, I've decided to go dairy-free. Although I didn't test as allergic to milk, I just feel so much better without dairy. It's been a pretty easy transition thanks to all of the vegan options around here, both in grocery stores and at restaurants. And if you ask the waitstaff, "Does that have dairy?" you don't get a strange look or anything. Meanwhile, in Memphis, I once got a total eye roll for ordering enchiladas with no cheese at a Mexican restaurant.
Speaking of Mexican food, taco trucks here are legit and delicious. There are so many different types of food available here that it's impossible to list them all. Ever had Indonesian bone broth? There's a place just a couple blocks away from us with a simmering vat full! I want to go out to eat all the time. But my children aren't very adventurous eaters, so sometimes we opt for take-out for the grownups and chicken nuggets for the kids...
Closer to Relatives
My parents and siblings all live in Oregon. It's really nice to be close to them - just a quick 2 hour flight, instead of a whole-day travel ordeal, and you don't have to change time zones!
Public Services
I'm just starting to learn about this topic, but I guess all those personal income tax funds we're paying to the state are getting used for stuff! I've been attending a free weekly parent education class offered at a local community college. They have 10 or 15 different classes going every week, all free! It's my understanding that a combo of state funding and private fundraising covers the cost. The class is like a preschool where parents and children are there together. So cool!
And now, for the things that have been harder to cope with...
Huge Metropolis
I can't really explain to you how gigantic the Los Angeles metro area is. Apparently it's the second-largest metro area in the country. There are like 60 cities in the region, depending on how you define "city." I'm always having to check Google Maps to see where places are, because I'll read a blog or something about a fun weekend activity only to find out it's down in Orange County (an hour+ away). Short of hanging a giant regional map on the wall and studying it daily, I don't know how I'll ever wrap my head around the megalopolis that is Los Angeles.
Tons of People
Remember all those things I listed above that I like about SoCal? Yeah, a bunch of other people also like those things, so they all want to live here, too. Traffic is intense. You really do have to plan your trips around traffic if you don't want to spend your whole life sitting on a freeway. And then when you go places and do things, a bunch of other people are also there at the same places wanting to do the same things. We went to the zoo on President's Day and it was packed to the gills! I have never been to a zoo that was so busy before. I suppose it being a school holiday, parents were looking for a way to entertain their kids, but still, we had to wait in the members line for like 10-15 minutes just to get through the front gate!
Cost of Living
Really, this one hasn't bothered me too much because I knew what we were getting into, but I feel compelled to mention it. It is certainly more expensive to live here than Memphis. It seems more expensive than Seattle, too, though we left that city nearly 5 years ago so my mental price list is probably outdated. The cost of housing around LA is shockingly high. We keep debating if we should buy a place here. Then we look at the prices and say, "it's got to be a bubble, right? It'll pop soon." But the prices just keep on rising...!
Saturday, January 6, 2018
A Day in the Life, Year 3
It's time for my annual post, "What I did all day." I started this tradition when the boys were first born and I'll keep going as long as I remember :) On the first Friday of January (that is not January 1st), I record everything I do over the course of the day. Since my kids are generally with me, it's also a log of their activities.
The rule I have for myself is that I should try to have a normal day - not doing special things just because I want everyone on the internet to know how cool I am. And I don't have to publish every single happening, especially if it involves something like bodily functions that may embarrass the children in the future.
I can tell I have more time on my hands these days and/or more functional brain cells b/c my notes from today are rather long!
January 5, 2018
Location: Pasadena, CA
12:00a All quiet on the sleeping front
6:48a I wake up, just 2 minutes before DF's alarm. This is progress! I had been waking up at 6 but just hiding under my pillow to read Facebook on my phone. Sleeping is a better use of time. Today I read a couple parenting articles while DF takes a shower, even though I've told myself I need to stop reading so much and just be a parent...
I take a shower and get dressed. The kids are still sleeping so I address our last Christmas card to send out (returned due to old address) and make some coffee.
7:43a Hear a cough from the boys' room. They've been a bit congested lately. I wonder if anyone is sick. Put away dishes and eat some breakfast. We don't have a dining room table, so I sit on the couch to eat my cereal and don't slosh milk anywhere. Yay!
8:10a Hear more coughing, so I go into the kids' room to find they are both awake. Gus immediately reports that Gibson has been coughing. Is he worried about his brother? I get them both out of their cribs.
8:20a OH MY WORD I have already heard the word "me" at least 40 times, including "me-self," "me do it," "me first," "me chair," etc.... I was thinking about recording how many times they say "me" in a day but realize I would drive myself insane so give up on that idea. They are eating frozen microwave mini pancakes for breakfast, which the boys insist on helping make (so I have to lift them up and down to reach the microwave buttons). The pancakes are driving wheels and castles today, I am told.
8:40a Start getting boys dressed and changing diapers
8:55a They are both finally clothed. Interlude there where Gus wants yells "ah! ah!" at the trains from the balcony. They start fighting over their toy cash register and want to take out the batteries. I try to explain the concept of batteries to them. They don't care.
9:00a I realize we need to go to the grocery store b/c we're almost out of bread. Then I look at the Vons ad and see all these deals I can't pass up. Vons is the only store where I'll take the boys by myself because they have 2-seater driving wheel carts.
9:20a depart for store. We get the fire truck cart today. They sing "wee-ooh! wee-ooh!" with gusto up and down the aisles and only yank one item off a shelf. Not a bad shopping trip! But I buy way too much stuff.
10:20a back home. They help me carry the groceries up from the parking garage, sort of. At least they both walk the whole way. They eat a yogurt snack while I put the food away. Gibson refuses to eat the blueberries in his yogurt, which is unfortunate as the brand I bought is advertising "now with more fruit."
10:40a I turn on the TV so I can cook in peace. I bought a bunch of ground turkey, so I'm cooking it now and will freeze it in 1 pound packs for future meals.
11:10a We go down to the leasing office to pick up an Amazon package that arrived yesterday. Along the way, we visit the pool, outside fountain, mailbox, and the dry cleaning drop off with beeping buttons on their lockers.
11:30a Home, and time for lunch. They mainly eat cantaloupe and smash up their peanut butter sandwiches. They add an extra "w" sound and pronounce it "swan-wich," which I find adorable.
11:50a Done with lunch, so now they are using the momentum of rocking their bodies back and forth to roll their high chairs across the kitchen floor, and cracking themselves up. After they get down, they want me to play with them in their closet where they close the door and turn on two singing toys, but not to the same song. This is not my favorite game! They pretend to fix things, ask me to read the same book 3 times, and start fighting over a bus toy.
12:35p I'm tired of listening to fights, so I turn the TV on and give them a snack while I eat some lunch, clean the kitchen.
1:05p In bed for nap time. I eat some more, start a load of laundry, and hide the fruit cups I just bought in the back of a cupboard.
1:15p Gus is squealing. I give him some books to look at. Gibson is already asleep.
During their nap, I cut up some chicken to go in the freezer, take out a precariously full sack of garbage, throw my other neighbors' trash down the chute that they leave in the trash room b/c apparently I'm the floor mom, and wash dishes. I have a weekly chore chart for myself, which I do allow myself to slack on but not this week b/c we're just back from 2 weeks of vacation and I was slacking before that :) So today is cleaning the countertops and dusting, plus laundry. Then I sweep the kitchen because of course when I wipe off the counters, I make a mess. I go down to the garage to retrieve the last load of groceries. It takes 4 minutes. I hope no one is going to judge me too harshly for leaving my sleeping children unattended... Then I eat a snack while checking FB/IG. Send some emails and make a phone call for general life stuff.
2:50p Everyone is still asleep, so I sit down to read chapter 1 of my new library book, The Cross & the Lynching Tree. It seems like a good complement to another book I read recently, Just Mercy.
3:20p Hear a creature stirring in the bedroom. Both of them are awake, but Gibson doesn't want to get out of bed for awhile. We all play trucks.
3:55p Applesauce snack, then off to the park. There's a park across the street from our apartment complex, which is one of my favorite things about our location! I pull the kids in their wagon. A drunk guy greets us at the crosswalk and tries to get high 5s from the boys. They eye him warily, as do I. At the park, they go on their favorite things - swing, rolling slide, bouncy bridge. I help them on the monkey bars, and their grip strength is improving.
5:00p Finally back home. It takes us about 15 minutes from the entry door to our apartment b/c they have to admire everyone's decorations, run up and down the hallway, spin in circles by the elevator, try to reach out a window and grab a tree...
5:15p DF arrives home. Boys have been screaming a lot the last 15 minutes. He convinces them to eat some dinner. After they are done, they crawl and DF pretending he is a car while I eat dinner. Then we switch places, except I don't know how to be a car as well as Daddy does, according to the boys.
6:20p Gibson sounds a bit hoarse. I'm worried he's getting croup. His temperature is 99.0. WebMD says to keep him calm, but the boys are currently climbing on a cushion fort. He is coughing so I nix the cushion play and tell them they can pick a movie to watch instead.
6:30p They pick Caillou...siiiiiigh. Luckily it's a video with a bunch of short episodes and they agree to switch to Land Before Time after the first little show. I clean up dinner while they watch TV and eat snacks, then we all snuggle on the couch for awhile.
7:40p Bath time. Lots of roaring dinosaur splashing inspired by their recent viewing, I suspect.
8:10p Out of the bath, try to get them to play calmly with trucks and avoid cushion chaos. Gibson still sounds like his throat is scratchy.
8:30p Bedtime. The routine includes brush teeth, read a Bible story + 2 books, songs, prayer, hugs, goodnight. Gibson's temp is 99.3 but he's not coughing very much. While I'm finishing up with the boys, I send DF downstairs to our local tap house to fill up our growler because TGIF.
9:00p Boys in bed. This time schedule is pretty normal for us, lately. While we were traveling for the holidays they kept staying up late and sleeping in. It's working ok, I guess, but sometimes we do need to get moving earlier in the mornings. Hmm, we shall see how it goes.
DF returns with a beer called White Ghost. It's a Berliner Weisse, a sour. It's different than what I usually drink, but it's pretty good.
I move a second load of laundry to the dryer, start the dishwasher, and type of this novella of my day.
I hope I don't jinx myself by publishing tonight! If anything noteworthy happens in the next 90 minutes, I'll be sure to update the post. As it is, I'm about to head off to bed, after I fold the mountain of laundry currently covering my sleeping surface...
The rule I have for myself is that I should try to have a normal day - not doing special things just because I want everyone on the internet to know how cool I am. And I don't have to publish every single happening, especially if it involves something like bodily functions that may embarrass the children in the future.
I can tell I have more time on my hands these days and/or more functional brain cells b/c my notes from today are rather long!
January 5, 2018
Location: Pasadena, CA
12:00a All quiet on the sleeping front
6:48a I wake up, just 2 minutes before DF's alarm. This is progress! I had been waking up at 6 but just hiding under my pillow to read Facebook on my phone. Sleeping is a better use of time. Today I read a couple parenting articles while DF takes a shower, even though I've told myself I need to stop reading so much and just be a parent...
I take a shower and get dressed. The kids are still sleeping so I address our last Christmas card to send out (returned due to old address) and make some coffee.
7:43a Hear a cough from the boys' room. They've been a bit congested lately. I wonder if anyone is sick. Put away dishes and eat some breakfast. We don't have a dining room table, so I sit on the couch to eat my cereal and don't slosh milk anywhere. Yay!
8:10a Hear more coughing, so I go into the kids' room to find they are both awake. Gus immediately reports that Gibson has been coughing. Is he worried about his brother? I get them both out of their cribs.
8:20a OH MY WORD I have already heard the word "me" at least 40 times, including "me-self," "me do it," "me first," "me chair," etc.... I was thinking about recording how many times they say "me" in a day but realize I would drive myself insane so give up on that idea. They are eating frozen microwave mini pancakes for breakfast, which the boys insist on helping make (so I have to lift them up and down to reach the microwave buttons). The pancakes are driving wheels and castles today, I am told.
8:40a Start getting boys dressed and changing diapers
8:55a They are both finally clothed. Interlude there where Gus wants yells "ah! ah!" at the trains from the balcony. They start fighting over their toy cash register and want to take out the batteries. I try to explain the concept of batteries to them. They don't care.
9:00a I realize we need to go to the grocery store b/c we're almost out of bread. Then I look at the Vons ad and see all these deals I can't pass up. Vons is the only store where I'll take the boys by myself because they have 2-seater driving wheel carts.
9:20a depart for store. We get the fire truck cart today. They sing "wee-ooh! wee-ooh!" with gusto up and down the aisles and only yank one item off a shelf. Not a bad shopping trip! But I buy way too much stuff.
10:20a back home. They help me carry the groceries up from the parking garage, sort of. At least they both walk the whole way. They eat a yogurt snack while I put the food away. Gibson refuses to eat the blueberries in his yogurt, which is unfortunate as the brand I bought is advertising "now with more fruit."
10:40a I turn on the TV so I can cook in peace. I bought a bunch of ground turkey, so I'm cooking it now and will freeze it in 1 pound packs for future meals.
11:10a We go down to the leasing office to pick up an Amazon package that arrived yesterday. Along the way, we visit the pool, outside fountain, mailbox, and the dry cleaning drop off with beeping buttons on their lockers.
11:30a Home, and time for lunch. They mainly eat cantaloupe and smash up their peanut butter sandwiches. They add an extra "w" sound and pronounce it "swan-wich," which I find adorable.
11:50a Done with lunch, so now they are using the momentum of rocking their bodies back and forth to roll their high chairs across the kitchen floor, and cracking themselves up. After they get down, they want me to play with them in their closet where they close the door and turn on two singing toys, but not to the same song. This is not my favorite game! They pretend to fix things, ask me to read the same book 3 times, and start fighting over a bus toy.
12:35p I'm tired of listening to fights, so I turn the TV on and give them a snack while I eat some lunch, clean the kitchen.
1:05p In bed for nap time. I eat some more, start a load of laundry, and hide the fruit cups I just bought in the back of a cupboard.
1:15p Gus is squealing. I give him some books to look at. Gibson is already asleep.
During their nap, I cut up some chicken to go in the freezer, take out a precariously full sack of garbage, throw my other neighbors' trash down the chute that they leave in the trash room b/c apparently I'm the floor mom, and wash dishes. I have a weekly chore chart for myself, which I do allow myself to slack on but not this week b/c we're just back from 2 weeks of vacation and I was slacking before that :) So today is cleaning the countertops and dusting, plus laundry. Then I sweep the kitchen because of course when I wipe off the counters, I make a mess. I go down to the garage to retrieve the last load of groceries. It takes 4 minutes. I hope no one is going to judge me too harshly for leaving my sleeping children unattended... Then I eat a snack while checking FB/IG. Send some emails and make a phone call for general life stuff.
2:50p Everyone is still asleep, so I sit down to read chapter 1 of my new library book, The Cross & the Lynching Tree. It seems like a good complement to another book I read recently, Just Mercy.
3:20p Hear a creature stirring in the bedroom. Both of them are awake, but Gibson doesn't want to get out of bed for awhile. We all play trucks.
3:55p Applesauce snack, then off to the park. There's a park across the street from our apartment complex, which is one of my favorite things about our location! I pull the kids in their wagon. A drunk guy greets us at the crosswalk and tries to get high 5s from the boys. They eye him warily, as do I. At the park, they go on their favorite things - swing, rolling slide, bouncy bridge. I help them on the monkey bars, and their grip strength is improving.
5:00p Finally back home. It takes us about 15 minutes from the entry door to our apartment b/c they have to admire everyone's decorations, run up and down the hallway, spin in circles by the elevator, try to reach out a window and grab a tree...
5:15p DF arrives home. Boys have been screaming a lot the last 15 minutes. He convinces them to eat some dinner. After they are done, they crawl and DF pretending he is a car while I eat dinner. Then we switch places, except I don't know how to be a car as well as Daddy does, according to the boys.
6:20p Gibson sounds a bit hoarse. I'm worried he's getting croup. His temperature is 99.0. WebMD says to keep him calm, but the boys are currently climbing on a cushion fort. He is coughing so I nix the cushion play and tell them they can pick a movie to watch instead.
6:30p They pick Caillou...siiiiiigh. Luckily it's a video with a bunch of short episodes and they agree to switch to Land Before Time after the first little show. I clean up dinner while they watch TV and eat snacks, then we all snuggle on the couch for awhile.
7:40p Bath time. Lots of roaring dinosaur splashing inspired by their recent viewing, I suspect.
8:10p Out of the bath, try to get them to play calmly with trucks and avoid cushion chaos. Gibson still sounds like his throat is scratchy.
8:30p Bedtime. The routine includes brush teeth, read a Bible story + 2 books, songs, prayer, hugs, goodnight. Gibson's temp is 99.3 but he's not coughing very much. While I'm finishing up with the boys, I send DF downstairs to our local tap house to fill up our growler because TGIF.
9:00p Boys in bed. This time schedule is pretty normal for us, lately. While we were traveling for the holidays they kept staying up late and sleeping in. It's working ok, I guess, but sometimes we do need to get moving earlier in the mornings. Hmm, we shall see how it goes.
DF returns with a beer called White Ghost. It's a Berliner Weisse, a sour. It's different than what I usually drink, but it's pretty good.
I move a second load of laundry to the dryer, start the dishwasher, and type of this novella of my day.
I hope I don't jinx myself by publishing tonight! If anything noteworthy happens in the next 90 minutes, I'll be sure to update the post. As it is, I'm about to head off to bed, after I fold the mountain of laundry currently covering my sleeping surface...
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Action-Packed Day
I use this blog to remind myself of things that happen (example: I had totally forgotten how horrendous the end of DST was last year!), so I shall now chronicle what we did this past Sunday.
Uncle Junior Fuzzy flew down from Portland for the weekend for his birthday because he wanted to have some California fun! We did our best to entertain him. Usually on Sundays, we go to church and that's about it for the day. Instead, we decided to see how much we could get the kids to do before they lost it (or at least, that how it seems in hindsight).
The boys woke up earlier than usual due to the time change, so everyone was ready and raring to go before 9AM. First stop was Griffith Park. I did not realize how gigantic that place is! For my Memphis readers, it's nearly the same size as Shelby Farms in terms of acreage. Both parks also have numerous outdoor recreation options and are popular local attractions. That's about where the comparisons end, though. Griffith Park is up on a bunch of hills so you really can't get a sense of where anything is just by looking around. It's surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods, which means it's kind of tricky to get from one part to another.
At any rate, we decided to take in the views of the city from the highest point in the park, Griffith Observatory. Because I don't know how to read signs, I paid an unnecessary $4 for parking (meters weren't in effect yet). Oh well, it was my contribution to the parks budget. We walked around to check out the scenery.
Uncle Junior Fuzzy flew down from Portland for the weekend for his birthday because he wanted to have some California fun! We did our best to entertain him. Usually on Sundays, we go to church and that's about it for the day. Instead, we decided to see how much we could get the kids to do before they lost it (or at least, that how it seems in hindsight).
The boys woke up earlier than usual due to the time change, so everyone was ready and raring to go before 9AM. First stop was Griffith Park. I did not realize how gigantic that place is! For my Memphis readers, it's nearly the same size as Shelby Farms in terms of acreage. Both parks also have numerous outdoor recreation options and are popular local attractions. That's about where the comparisons end, though. Griffith Park is up on a bunch of hills so you really can't get a sense of where anything is just by looking around. It's surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods, which means it's kind of tricky to get from one part to another.
At any rate, we decided to take in the views of the city from the highest point in the park, Griffith Observatory. Because I don't know how to read signs, I paid an unnecessary $4 for parking (meters weren't in effect yet). Oh well, it was my contribution to the parks budget. We walked around to check out the scenery.
Those big clouds never did rain on us
The observatory building didn't open till 10:00 but by then the kids and their uncle were ready to move on. So, we didn't get to see any of the interesting astronomy stuff inside. Some other day, I guess!
Junior Fuzzy was itching to watch the Rams' football game (he's a big fan), so our next stop had to include TVs tuned to the correct channel, food that all family members would eat, and a place for the kids to run around. We found all these + bonus of beer at Golden Road Brewing. I was impressed that it was such a family-friendly brewery! They have this whole covered patio area with corn hole, ping pong, giant Yahtzee, and probably other games I didn't notice. And, they were playing the Rams game. Everyone had fun! There was a birthday party for a three year old going on at the table next to us. Our kids had fun running around and chasing birds with the birthday party guests.
At half time, we decided the kids needed a nap, so we headed back to Pasadena. I dropped off DF and JF at the Dog Haus so they could watch the second half of the game. (Now would probably be a good time to mention that we don't have cable, so that's why we were looking for restaurants to watch football.) Conveniently, they were able to walk home afterwards, then I made a quick Trader Joe's run. Well, semi-quick. The parking situation was ridiculous. Maybe that's normal for a Sunday afternoon?
The boys slept forever, so by the time they woke up, we were ready to get some dinner. JF is a big fan of beans. I decided to introduce him to Salvadorean food at a place recommended to me as "authentic LA," Las Cazuelas. We arrived just before 5 but still had to wait 20 minutes for a table. Sheesh! We entertained the kids by walking around outside and looking in the windows of nearby shops. Dinner itself went OK. I really find it stressful to dine out in a restaurant with my children. This meal was no different. They only ate chips, though Gibson did dip his in beans at least. They wouldn't even taste their bean and cheese pupusa, even though I called it a "bean pizza." (They love pizza.) Instead, they ate peanut butter cracker sandwiches that I'd tossed in the diaper bag in case dinner was a bust. By the end of the evening, they were both crawling on the floor under the table yelling "Doo dah! Doo dah!" (This is their new favorite word. I do not know what it means, only that they think it is hilarious.)
Let this be the record that we took our kids to do three different things in one day and lived to tell the tale! It helps that we had a 3 adult : 2 kid ratio going on, I'm sure :)
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
A Good Day
Das Fenster is back! Yay! He arrived home last week, and we're all glad to have him here again. The boys were kind of out of whack that first day - I think it finally hit them that Daddy had been gone so long. There was a lot of screaming and crying :( But they've recovered now and are in much better spirits.
Yesterday, DF had the day off and we spent a lovely family day together. Having to be the solo parent for so long really makes me appreciate when both of us are here. I mean, life just seems so much easier when I don't have to do everything by myself! Here's what we did yesterday.
Morning
DF took the boys to the park for more than an hour, early in the day to beat the heat. While they were gone, I was able to reorganize the boys' closet (which we are using for storage) and move some boxes out of our room into theirs. This includes some under-the-bed boxes that I'd been wanting to put under their cribs for weeks, but I just wasn't interested in doing it when they were home because they'd want to dump out all the contents, pull the boxes out from under the cribs, shove them back in again, pinch their fingers, climb on the boxes, fall off, hurt their toes, etc...
I also vacuumed under all the furniture (found 20+ Cheerios under the couch) in addition to my regular vacuuming, and swept the non-carpeted floors. They still weren't home, so I just sat on the couch and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
After they got back and the boys ate a snack, they took all the cushions off the couch and jumped/rolled around for quite awhile. DF played with them; I mainly observed and provided comfort for all the minor injuries that ensued.
I can't remember what happened during lunch, but they must've eaten something and it wasn't a total disaster. Oh, I think they mainly had cantaloupe. They like to take the chunks of melon and drive them around their trays like trucks. It's pretty cute.
Afternoon
During nap time, I went to the grocery store by myself. I was able to pick a store that does not have huge shopping carts with two kid driving wheel seats. And, I could stop and consider products for as long as I wanted to make a selection. I think that's my favorite part of shopping by myself - having my whole brain available to think about what I'm buying. I have purchased the wrong item before when the kids were literally trying to jump out of the cart so I just grabbed something and hoped it was what I was looking for.
Instead, I stood in front of the butter/alternative butter section for quite awhile deciding which non-dairy option I was going to try. (I opted for Smart Balance, even though I was skeptical since it listed fish oil as an ingredient and I'm not really interested in adding sardine flavor to my English muffins. But, good news, it's pretty tasty and not fishy!) The only other person I had to be aware of during that time was the guy stocking the shelves near me. He seemed capable of handling life without my intervention. Good, good.
After shopping, I mopped the aforementioned non-carpeted floors (although I did not want to, but given the amount of orange juice that gets sloshed around the kitchen, a once-weekly mopping schedule is necessary). Then I read an easy-breezy fiction book for awhile.
When the kids woke up, we all went up to the pool to go swimming. Can I just tell you, it is soooo much easier to take them swimming with a 1:1 ratio? Wow, how did I forget that?! There were a fair number of people at the pool, probably since the temperatures were soaring over 100. We tried a new technique for post-swim time where we brought their diapers and clothes up to the pool with us and changed them there, rather than making them walk back to the apartment dripping and shivering. It was remarkably successful! They liked lounging poolside and drying off, too.
Later, DF entertained the boys while I got dinner ready. I surreptitiously ate a burrito while they watched cartoons, so I wasn't starving while trying to feed them. Score! The boys enjoyed smooshing refried beans everywhere during their meal.
Evening
We decorated little pumpkins by drawing on them with Sharpies, and they also colored pictures of pumpkins that I drew. Then they ran around the house with their pumpkins saying, "Spooky! Boo!" They think that pumpkins are supposed to be scary, based on an episode of Bubble Guppies. We got some cute pictures of them with their gourds.
The rest of the evening was unspecified play time with blocks, books, pretend cooking, and general two year old silliness. We probably watched more cartoons, though I don't exactly recall.
They were in bed shortly after 8, and DF and I were able to have a normal conversation without any particular agenda or needing to make decisions/plans. It was like two friends talking to each other. Wowzers! I wrapped the day up by going to bed early to try and catch up on sleep after a not very restful night a couple days before.
All in all, a good day :)
Yesterday, DF had the day off and we spent a lovely family day together. Having to be the solo parent for so long really makes me appreciate when both of us are here. I mean, life just seems so much easier when I don't have to do everything by myself! Here's what we did yesterday.
Morning
DF took the boys to the park for more than an hour, early in the day to beat the heat. While they were gone, I was able to reorganize the boys' closet (which we are using for storage) and move some boxes out of our room into theirs. This includes some under-the-bed boxes that I'd been wanting to put under their cribs for weeks, but I just wasn't interested in doing it when they were home because they'd want to dump out all the contents, pull the boxes out from under the cribs, shove them back in again, pinch their fingers, climb on the boxes, fall off, hurt their toes, etc...
I also vacuumed under all the furniture (found 20+ Cheerios under the couch) in addition to my regular vacuuming, and swept the non-carpeted floors. They still weren't home, so I just sat on the couch and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
After they got back and the boys ate a snack, they took all the cushions off the couch and jumped/rolled around for quite awhile. DF played with them; I mainly observed and provided comfort for all the minor injuries that ensued.
I can't remember what happened during lunch, but they must've eaten something and it wasn't a total disaster. Oh, I think they mainly had cantaloupe. They like to take the chunks of melon and drive them around their trays like trucks. It's pretty cute.
Afternoon
During nap time, I went to the grocery store by myself. I was able to pick a store that does not have huge shopping carts with two kid driving wheel seats. And, I could stop and consider products for as long as I wanted to make a selection. I think that's my favorite part of shopping by myself - having my whole brain available to think about what I'm buying. I have purchased the wrong item before when the kids were literally trying to jump out of the cart so I just grabbed something and hoped it was what I was looking for.
Instead, I stood in front of the butter/alternative butter section for quite awhile deciding which non-dairy option I was going to try. (I opted for Smart Balance, even though I was skeptical since it listed fish oil as an ingredient and I'm not really interested in adding sardine flavor to my English muffins. But, good news, it's pretty tasty and not fishy!) The only other person I had to be aware of during that time was the guy stocking the shelves near me. He seemed capable of handling life without my intervention. Good, good.
After shopping, I mopped the aforementioned non-carpeted floors (although I did not want to, but given the amount of orange juice that gets sloshed around the kitchen, a once-weekly mopping schedule is necessary). Then I read an easy-breezy fiction book for awhile.
When the kids woke up, we all went up to the pool to go swimming. Can I just tell you, it is soooo much easier to take them swimming with a 1:1 ratio? Wow, how did I forget that?! There were a fair number of people at the pool, probably since the temperatures were soaring over 100. We tried a new technique for post-swim time where we brought their diapers and clothes up to the pool with us and changed them there, rather than making them walk back to the apartment dripping and shivering. It was remarkably successful! They liked lounging poolside and drying off, too.
Later, DF entertained the boys while I got dinner ready. I surreptitiously ate a burrito while they watched cartoons, so I wasn't starving while trying to feed them. Score! The boys enjoyed smooshing refried beans everywhere during their meal.
Evening
We decorated little pumpkins by drawing on them with Sharpies, and they also colored pictures of pumpkins that I drew. Then they ran around the house with their pumpkins saying, "Spooky! Boo!" They think that pumpkins are supposed to be scary, based on an episode of Bubble Guppies. We got some cute pictures of them with their gourds.
The rest of the evening was unspecified play time with blocks, books, pretend cooking, and general two year old silliness. We probably watched more cartoons, though I don't exactly recall.
They were in bed shortly after 8, and DF and I were able to have a normal conversation without any particular agenda or needing to make decisions/plans. It was like two friends talking to each other. Wowzers! I wrapped the day up by going to bed early to try and catch up on sleep after a not very restful night a couple days before.
All in all, a good day :)
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Our Southern Christmas
We decided we weren't up for traveling this Christmas with two little ones (sorry, Grandparents!). Some friends in town here were kind enough to invite us to join their family gathering. I was excited to experience my first authentically Southern Christmas!
I had so many questions leading up to the event. First, the hostess asked me if I could bring carrots. My initial thought was to bring cut up carrot and celery sticks because that's what my Oregonian grandmother always serves on holidays - in a fancy crystal dish. But then I was like, hmm, wait, Grandma is from Canada...maybe not all families eat raw veggies... So I double checked with the hostess who confirmed that I should bring cooked carrots. Glad I asked! I googled "Southern cooked carrots" and found out that as long as they were swimming in butter and brown sugar, the dish would probably pass muster.
Then on Christmas Eve as I was going to bed, I suddenly realized I didn't know what Southerners wear on Christmas. Would the kids be shunned if they showed up in their matching penguin/winter onesies instead of something smocked? Should DF wear a coat and tie? I texted the hostess who kindly informed me that any attire would be just fine; it was not a formal affair. Whew!
We made our short 20 minute drive to dinner on Sunday afternoon (sooooo much easier than flying all day!) and were greeted by our friends, their kids, and about 15 more of their relatives who had gathered for the day. The people were half from Memphis and half from Indiana, so I guess maybe it wasn't a 100% Southern Christmas but I'll take it.
Everyone was so friendly and welcoming! The boys were the youngest kids there. Once they warmed up to the big crowd, they had a great time. In this house, they don't barricade their Christmas tree behind a playpen, so the boys were very excited to touch all the ornaments and lights. I only caught Gus eating one decorative berry... They got to sit in booster chairs at the kids table to eat dinner, and they were totally entertained by all the bigger kids. After dinner, they bounced on a trampoline, played with a musical dancing dog, and even received some toys as gifts. Wow, what a treat!
As for the parents, we also had a lovely time visiting with everyone and enjoying the delicious spread. Oh, Southern food, you are the best :)
All in all, it was a very Merry Christmas indeed.
I had so many questions leading up to the event. First, the hostess asked me if I could bring carrots. My initial thought was to bring cut up carrot and celery sticks because that's what my Oregonian grandmother always serves on holidays - in a fancy crystal dish. But then I was like, hmm, wait, Grandma is from Canada...maybe not all families eat raw veggies... So I double checked with the hostess who confirmed that I should bring cooked carrots. Glad I asked! I googled "Southern cooked carrots" and found out that as long as they were swimming in butter and brown sugar, the dish would probably pass muster.
Then on Christmas Eve as I was going to bed, I suddenly realized I didn't know what Southerners wear on Christmas. Would the kids be shunned if they showed up in their matching penguin/winter onesies instead of something smocked? Should DF wear a coat and tie? I texted the hostess who kindly informed me that any attire would be just fine; it was not a formal affair. Whew!
We made our short 20 minute drive to dinner on Sunday afternoon (sooooo much easier than flying all day!) and were greeted by our friends, their kids, and about 15 more of their relatives who had gathered for the day. The people were half from Memphis and half from Indiana, so I guess maybe it wasn't a 100% Southern Christmas but I'll take it.
Everyone was so friendly and welcoming! The boys were the youngest kids there. Once they warmed up to the big crowd, they had a great time. In this house, they don't barricade their Christmas tree behind a playpen, so the boys were very excited to touch all the ornaments and lights. I only caught Gus eating one decorative berry... They got to sit in booster chairs at the kids table to eat dinner, and they were totally entertained by all the bigger kids. After dinner, they bounced on a trampoline, played with a musical dancing dog, and even received some toys as gifts. Wow, what a treat!
As for the parents, we also had a lovely time visiting with everyone and enjoying the delicious spread. Oh, Southern food, you are the best :)
All in all, it was a very Merry Christmas indeed.
Friday, December 9, 2016
Christmas Traditions (Now with Chocolate!)
For me, there are a few traditions that signal Christmas is coming.
1) Watching A Muppet Family Christmas. This late-80s TV special where all the Muppets descend on Fozzy's mom's house for Christmas is a total holiday classic. If you've never seen it, you're missing out on endlessly quotable lines like, "It's cold enough to freeze your Winnebago!" and "Mind the icy patch!" Plus there's an epic singalong at the end where Count sings "I saw three ships come sailing in." Seriously, mark out 45 minutes on your calendar to watch it sometime soon!
2) Decorating the inside of the house to some extent. Vague tradition, eh? I haven't always had a tree, but I've at least hung up lights or something to make it look festive. I've got a nice collection or ornaments that are sitting safely in a storage box this year, out of reach of inquisitive little toddler fingers/mouths.
3) Making sugary treats. This one has taken several forms through the years, from childhood cookie decorating parties with relatives to teenage gingerbread house construction as an activity with friends before our school's winter dance. In my adult years, my attention has shifted to chocolate.
It all started in the early 2000s when my cousin invited me over to make Christmas goodies. Now, as background, let me explain she grew up in a family of 7 kids and, as a result, doesn't really know how to make small batches of anything. That first year, we spent two solid days filling every surface of her apartment with cookies, breads, and chocolate creations. We made 10 batches of truffles. Ten. If you have ever made truffles before, you know that is a lot of rolling little balls of chocolate! It was exhausting, but by the end I had simply glorious little gift boxes of goodies for all my friends, family, and coworkers. And I was hooked! I mean, what says "Merry Christmas" better than chocolate?
That same cousin and I were both living in DC a few years later, and she came over for another great baking extravaganza. My roommates were duly impressed with the deliciousness known as peanut butter balls. Since then, I haven't undertaken quite an ambitious baking schedule again, but I do like to make at least a few tasty treats during December.
As I was rolling some truffles the other day to send with DF for his office's party, I reflected on all the times I've stood over my double boiler, dipping candies. Back when I worked with exchange students, it seemed someone was always having a problem around mid-December. As I stirred the melting chocolate, I would ponder their issues and try to come up with a good solution. Although I did like that job, I'm glad not to be dealing with a lot of international drama right now. This year, I hummed Christmas carols to myself and just enjoyed the moments of quiet with the kids in bed :)
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Thanksgiving Dinner
It's my first year to cook a full Thanksgiving dinner! How maternal of me to do it now, ha ha. We're having a cozy family celebration with just the four of us today. I tried to plan a meal the kids could eat. And I'm not making anything too fancy because, well, we aren't that fancy :)
I was hoping the kids would just take one long nap today because that would work best with the original eating and Skyping schedule. But they haven't been interested in doing that for the last couple days, plus my timeline just got pushed back due to turkey troubles. So we shall see what the day holds!
Complications so far:
You can check out my meal prep spreadsheet here. I wanted to be sure I remembered everything! As you can see, we like our carbs :) Everything will be dairy-free except for the Stovetop stuffing, made with butter because ewww margarine.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! May your turkeys be tasty and your celebrating be festive.
I was hoping the kids would just take one long nap today because that would work best with the original eating and Skyping schedule. But they haven't been interested in doing that for the last couple days, plus my timeline just got pushed back due to turkey troubles. So we shall see what the day holds!
Complications so far:
- 1 finger tip burned when removing pie from oven, even when wearing an oven mitt
- 1 turkey not defrosted on time. I followed the Butterball recommendation of 2.5 days of thawing for a 10lb turkey. Actually, it was in the fridge for almost 3 days, but it was still half-frozen this morning! This turkey is Kroger-brand, not Butterball. Does Kroger freeze their turkeys extra solid or something??
You can check out my meal prep spreadsheet here. I wanted to be sure I remembered everything! As you can see, we like our carbs :) Everything will be dairy-free except for the Stovetop stuffing, made with butter because ewww margarine.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! May your turkeys be tasty and your celebrating be festive.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Lunch Date with Sneezy
DF has the week off (thanks, "use or lose" vacation time!) and the boys went to MDO yesterday, so we had another exciting day date. DF stopped at Gibson's donuts on the way home from dropping off the boys, so we were sugared up and ready to go! The day started off with household chores including leaf raking, bathroom scrubbing, and searching for rechargeable batteries + the charger. It continued on with sweeping, mopping, and TV viewing. Oh yes, thrilling stuff folks.
But wait, before you lose interest, there was a tasty lunch! We went to the buffet at Golden India in Overton Square. It was great!
But wait, before you lose interest, there was a tasty lunch! We went to the buffet at Golden India in Overton Square. It was great!
Why, yes indeed, those are lamb meatballs in the picture, how did you ever guess? The meatballs were good, though I have to admit they were not as spectacular as the ones I had at a random Indian restaurant in Bellevue (WA) several years ago. Golden India's fresh naan was super delicious! I love naan. I mean, I love bread/carbs in general, and naan is especially wonderful.
Over lunch, DF and I discussed if either of us have a favorite "ethnic" food. Is it politically correct to say ethnic food? What I mean is a cuisine specific to a certain country or region. Neither of us could pick. DF said maybe his favorite is American because we have pretty much every type of food here. Fair point! I really like Indian, Middle Eastern like Lebanese, and Ethiopian. If I had to pick one type of food to eat every day, I'd probably go with Caribbean. I never get tired of rice, beans, and plantains! (This was a good thing when I studied abroad in Costa Rica, since I ate rice and beans 2-3 meals a day for the semester.)
I'm sure I could find some food I would enjoy in any culture. One of my favorites is the multitudinous variety of "bread/grain product filled with meat or veggies then fried or steamed" morsels. Think Indian samosas, Argentinian empanadas, Polish pierogis, Japanese gyoza, Ghanaian fufu dumplings, Mexican tamales...ok, I'm getting hungry now :)
One thing that limits my enjoyment of other cuisines, unfortunately, is my sensitive palate. Well, not so much my palate as my nose/mouth combo. (Is that my otorhinolaryngological system?) Big words aside, the issue is that I tend to have sneezing attacks when I eat spicy food. And not just hot-spicy, but also big-flavor-spicy. So yeah, that means after lunch yesterday I went to the restroom and spent 5 minutes coughing, sneezing, and blowing my nose. In my opinion, it's worth the overactive sinus reaction to enjoy flavorful food. But are there any medical professionals in the audience (or informed lay people) who can tell me if that's a problem I should be worried about? It's not a new phenomenon; ever since I started eating more adventurously in college, I've been a sneezer when it comes to spices. In fact, I sometimes do myself in when cooking at home by adding too much pepper to my own dishes!
Friday, November 4, 2016
Health At Every Size
I'm going to tackle an American phenomenon that irks me. (It probably happens in other countries, too.) Today's topic: commenting on people's weight. Specifically, assuming skinny = good, fat = bad.
Why am I thinking about this now? Because lately, I've been fielding unsolicited feedback about my own weight. (In case you don't know me IRL, I'm on the slim side.) Just the other day, I was taking the boys for a walk when someone I've never met in the neighborhood looked up from her flowerbeds to comment, "You're so skinny! How can you have twins?" I just said, "ha ha" and kept walking.
What did she know about my situation? Maybe I'm the nanny, not the mom. Maybe I adopted. Maybe my twins were born via a surrogate because I couldn't carry a pregnancy. Maybe I developed an eating disorder, triggered by post-partum hormone changes. Maybe I'm fighting a disease that causes weight loss. (None of those things are true, btw!)
The truth is that yes, about a year after giving birth to twins, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. (Though not my pre-pregnancy shape...) I don't say this to pat myself on the back or to make anyone else feel bad about their size. Mostly, I think my weight is genetic. I come from skinny stock. In elementary school, I was usually the class "shrimp." Then you add in the reality of chasing around two active kids + not always having time/remembering to eat, and I guess the baby weight just disappeared. Also, remember that I delivered at 30 weeks, so I didn't gain as much as I could have if I'd gone full term.
What if I lived in a parallel universe where I was a lot bigger before, during, and after pregnancy? What kind of comments would I field then? People might see me walking with a stroller and say, "Trying to lose that baby weight, huh?" Or maybe worse...
My point is, I just don't understand why some people feel the need to point out to me that I am slim. I suppose they are trying to compliment me, but actually, it makes me kind of uncomfortable. It's not like an accomplishment I feel I should be proud of. I'm just trying to survive over here, keeping myself and my two little people fed. (Oh yeah, and my husband...good thing he likes frozen burritos.) My genetic predisposition towards slenderness is not under my control.
So, guess what, if someone else has a genetic predisposition to be on the larger side, that's not something they can control, either! I am no dietitian and can't begin to understand, let alone explain, the complex interplay among genetics, diet, and activity level that impacts a person's weight. But what I do know is that in the U.S., people who are overweight experience bias and discrimination. Some people are saying that size discrimination is becoming the new socially acceptable discrimination, as overt racism falls out of favor. (Note that I am not saying that and really don't want to wade into the murky waters of ranking/comparing the badness of various forms of discrimination...)
How then shall we live? Well, in my case, I do not talk about people's weight, whether it has increased or decreased. If they bring it up, fine, but I don't introduce the subject. I want to advocate for people being healthy at every size. HAES promotes, among other things,
I can support that! I find joy in going for walks in the park with my kids. I am learning to eat more intuitively, listening to my body's cues. I'm finding it's especially important that I eat enough protein and that I eat before I'm famished. Both of those help me have more energy and patience, which I need in abundance in this season of life.
So, readers, get out there and be kind to those you encounter today across the full spectrum of humanity. As the song I learned in elementary school goes, "Friends come in all shapes and sizes!"
p.s. If you're one of the people who has commented about my skinniness, please know that I really don't hold it against you and am not trying to pick on you by writing this post! You're just living out what your culture has taught you. All I'm trying to do is point out where that culture may have gotten us off track and encourage a bit of thoughtful reflection.
Why am I thinking about this now? Because lately, I've been fielding unsolicited feedback about my own weight. (In case you don't know me IRL, I'm on the slim side.) Just the other day, I was taking the boys for a walk when someone I've never met in the neighborhood looked up from her flowerbeds to comment, "You're so skinny! How can you have twins?" I just said, "ha ha" and kept walking.
What did she know about my situation? Maybe I'm the nanny, not the mom. Maybe I adopted. Maybe my twins were born via a surrogate because I couldn't carry a pregnancy. Maybe I developed an eating disorder, triggered by post-partum hormone changes. Maybe I'm fighting a disease that causes weight loss. (None of those things are true, btw!)
The truth is that yes, about a year after giving birth to twins, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. (Though not my pre-pregnancy shape...) I don't say this to pat myself on the back or to make anyone else feel bad about their size. Mostly, I think my weight is genetic. I come from skinny stock. In elementary school, I was usually the class "shrimp." Then you add in the reality of chasing around two active kids + not always having time/remembering to eat, and I guess the baby weight just disappeared. Also, remember that I delivered at 30 weeks, so I didn't gain as much as I could have if I'd gone full term.
What if I lived in a parallel universe where I was a lot bigger before, during, and after pregnancy? What kind of comments would I field then? People might see me walking with a stroller and say, "Trying to lose that baby weight, huh?" Or maybe worse...
My point is, I just don't understand why some people feel the need to point out to me that I am slim. I suppose they are trying to compliment me, but actually, it makes me kind of uncomfortable. It's not like an accomplishment I feel I should be proud of. I'm just trying to survive over here, keeping myself and my two little people fed. (Oh yeah, and my husband...good thing he likes frozen burritos.) My genetic predisposition towards slenderness is not under my control.
So, guess what, if someone else has a genetic predisposition to be on the larger side, that's not something they can control, either! I am no dietitian and can't begin to understand, let alone explain, the complex interplay among genetics, diet, and activity level that impacts a person's weight. But what I do know is that in the U.S., people who are overweight experience bias and discrimination. Some people are saying that size discrimination is becoming the new socially acceptable discrimination, as overt racism falls out of favor. (Note that I am not saying that and really don't want to wade into the murky waters of ranking/comparing the badness of various forms of discrimination...)
How then shall we live? Well, in my case, I do not talk about people's weight, whether it has increased or decreased. If they bring it up, fine, but I don't introduce the subject. I want to advocate for people being healthy at every size. HAES promotes, among other things,
- Finding the joy in moving one’s body and being physically active;
- Eating in a flexible and attuned manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite, while respecting the social conditions that frame eating options.
I can support that! I find joy in going for walks in the park with my kids. I am learning to eat more intuitively, listening to my body's cues. I'm finding it's especially important that I eat enough protein and that I eat before I'm famished. Both of those help me have more energy and patience, which I need in abundance in this season of life.
So, readers, get out there and be kind to those you encounter today across the full spectrum of humanity. As the song I learned in elementary school goes, "Friends come in all shapes and sizes!"
p.s. If you're one of the people who has commented about my skinniness, please know that I really don't hold it against you and am not trying to pick on you by writing this post! You're just living out what your culture has taught you. All I'm trying to do is point out where that culture may have gotten us off track and encourage a bit of thoughtful reflection.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Date Night in Memphis
This is a reader-suggested post. What do DF and I do for "date night"?
LOLOLOLOLOL
Ahem <cough>, sorry, let me catch my breath here. People, we have two babies, er, toddlers. Two VERY ACTIVE little toddlers who would love to destroy your house/store/restaurant/pet store/etc and giggle while doing it. Hence, we very rarely take them anywhere that isn't super baby friendly, unless they can be constrained in their stroller.
We live approximately 800 miles from their nearest grandparents. We do have some very nice friends here who have offered to watch the boys, but we know how exhausting watching the boys can be, so we try not to wear people out too much. (Also, see note above about their destrucive tendencies to explain why we don't really want to bring them over to someone's house for babysitting.) The kids take some time to warm up to new people. They are also very skilled at screaming to delay bedtime. If you let a volunteer babysitter listen to too much screaming, they may not be so eager to volunteer again...
Hiring a babysitter to come over to our house is a possibility, and we actually have done so before. The going rate around here seems to be at least $10/hour. So if we're planning a traditional dinner + movie date, we have to decide if it's actually worth it to tack on an extra $30-$40 to the cost. I know, I know, everyone says you should do it, that hiring a babysitter is money well spent. And we can afford it if we want to. But we have to reeeeally want to do something. Plus I tend to worry about the boys a lot when I'm not with them, so I have a hard time actually relaxing and enjoying myself.
All that being said, DF and I actually do get some time to ourselves once in a while. We send the boys to Mother's Day Out twice a week. They stay for 5 hours, and they always seem to have fun. DF is usually off work twice a month on MDO days. Since we're already paying (a very affordable rate) for childcare, we've tried to make the most of these day dates! We tend to go out to breakfast and/or lunch and maybe do something else fun. One day we went to the Rock 'n' Soul museum. Another time we went shopping at Babies R Us and had lunch at Red Lobster. I felt very suburban that day, haha. This week, we voted then caught up on DVR'd episodes of The Big Bang Theory.
Here's my latte from one of our recent breakfasts - at Tamp & Tap
LOLOLOLOLOL
Ahem <cough>, sorry, let me catch my breath here. People, we have two babies, er, toddlers. Two VERY ACTIVE little toddlers who would love to destroy your house/store/restaurant/pet store/etc and giggle while doing it. Hence, we very rarely take them anywhere that isn't super baby friendly, unless they can be constrained in their stroller.
We live approximately 800 miles from their nearest grandparents. We do have some very nice friends here who have offered to watch the boys, but we know how exhausting watching the boys can be, so we try not to wear people out too much. (Also, see note above about their destrucive tendencies to explain why we don't really want to bring them over to someone's house for babysitting.) The kids take some time to warm up to new people. They are also very skilled at screaming to delay bedtime. If you let a volunteer babysitter listen to too much screaming, they may not be so eager to volunteer again...
Hiring a babysitter to come over to our house is a possibility, and we actually have done so before. The going rate around here seems to be at least $10/hour. So if we're planning a traditional dinner + movie date, we have to decide if it's actually worth it to tack on an extra $30-$40 to the cost. I know, I know, everyone says you should do it, that hiring a babysitter is money well spent. And we can afford it if we want to. But we have to reeeeally want to do something. Plus I tend to worry about the boys a lot when I'm not with them, so I have a hard time actually relaxing and enjoying myself.
All that being said, DF and I actually do get some time to ourselves once in a while. We send the boys to Mother's Day Out twice a week. They stay for 5 hours, and they always seem to have fun. DF is usually off work twice a month on MDO days. Since we're already paying (a very affordable rate) for childcare, we've tried to make the most of these day dates! We tend to go out to breakfast and/or lunch and maybe do something else fun. One day we went to the Rock 'n' Soul museum. Another time we went shopping at Babies R Us and had lunch at Red Lobster. I felt very suburban that day, haha. This week, we voted then caught up on DVR'd episodes of The Big Bang Theory.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Snacks, Snacks, and More Snacks
I decided to write down everything the boys ate yesterday. I thought it might be interesting. What I realized is that they are basically subsisting on a variety of crackers! I mean, I was aware of their fondness for crackers, but I guess I didn't quite notice how much it's become the centerpiece of their diet...
This is what they ate together. In general, Gus eats more than Gibson, though they both take delight in throwing food on the floor.
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Yes, Another Snack
Dinner
Snack
This is what they ate together. In general, Gus eats more than Gibson, though they both take delight in throwing food on the floor.
Breakfast
- 1 1/2 bananas
- 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter & honey
- 1 kiwi (that was all Gus)
- almond milk
- Amount thrown on floor = minimal
Snack
- Cheerios, mostly thrown on the floor
- water
Lunch
- 2 slices of deli turkey (a lot on floor)
- steamed sweet potatoes - not sure of quantity, let's say one large mommy-sized handful (a lot to the floor as well)
- 9 blackberries
- 1/2 a strawberry soy yogurt
- copious amounts of Ritz crackers
- almond milk
Snack
- Cheerios, ate about 3 off the tray then threw the rest overboard. Later ate most of them off the floor/high chair footrest
- a lot of animal crackers
- water
Yes, Another Snack
- 10 saltine crackers, eaten while walking around, leaving cracker crumbs all over the kitchen
- water
Dinner
- 3/4 cup pasta with tomato and meat sauce
- 12 green beans
- 3 small mommy-sized handfuls of blueberries
- rest of the yogurt from lunch, mostly smeared around tray/flung on self/wiped in hair
- almond milk
- Amount thrown on floor was pretty low this meal. Maybe they were hungry for something other than crackers! Or perhaps it's because I gave them forks and plates - usually we just do finger food, but I heard I'm supposed to teach them to be civilized at some point.
Snack
- 1 Three Musketeers fun-size bar, cut up into little pieces and surprisingly not thrown on the floor :)
- a mountain of Ritz crackers
- they also begged for noodles out of the soup I was eating, then dropped them on the floor
Monday, May 23, 2016
Cost/Benefit Analysis
To repeat a constant theme, life sure has changed since we became parents. Getting out of the house happens more often now than it used to, but it still feels like a monumental task at times.
For comparison, before kids...
As dinner time approached, maybe I'd look around the kitchen and decide I didn't really want to eat any of the food we had on hand. So DF and I would hop in the car and go out to eat somewhere. We might not even choose before leaving the house. That new taco place looks good - screeech - let's pull in there. So crazy and spontaneous!
Last night...
It was 5:30pm. I looked around the kitchen and didn't feel much like eating anything we had available. But the babies were in a weird mood after having an irregular nap schedule, so we scrounged up a meal of leftover Chinese food and frozen burritos. Then I took the kids for our nightly stroll around the neighborhood.
Dinner Decisions
Here's the cost/benefit analysis we went through, briefly, of "One of the parents goes to pick up takeout."
Pros:
Cons:
And that's just the daily dinner dance! Sometimes I am better about planning ahead for meals. Not so much lately. Working on that...we have a dinner menu on the whiteboard for this week!
Choir Considerations
How about something more complicated? Like, say, should I start singing in the church choir regularly again?
The facts:
Childcare options for Weds.
Sunday AM thoughts
After all that, we look at our situation and wonder, is it even worth it? What is to be gained by me participating in choir regularly? Singing is supposed to be good for your brain; maybe it will prevent me from getting dementia in my later years. DF and the boys would appreciate that, I'm sure! Also, it's fun and I like chatting with my fellow choir members. But is the social outlet for me worth all the extra hassle and potential stress with the kiddos? Then I ask myself, does anyone else in the choir have young children? I can't think of anyone...perhaps that is a sign.
Visiting Brazil, Briefly
Sometimes, we weigh the pros and cons and decide that, indeed, we will leave the house and try to do something. Everything is just so different when you do it with two babies. I think I'm still adjusting to that reality.
Example: a couple weekends ago, there was a Brazilian festival happening at Overton Park. You know DF and I are all over the festival scene! (Or at least, we used to be.) We have been itching to get out and flap our festival wings again. So we decided to attempt it with the babies. They stay awake for a good chunk of time in the middle of the day now between naps. After they woke up from their morning nap, we gave them a bottle then hopped in the van. We managed to find a parking place without too much effort. Ooh, must be a good sign! Things were going our way! We got the boys all settled in their stroller and set out to enjoy the festivities.
Within minutes, we realized it was a lot different than going to a festival by ourselves. It's hard to navigate with a long double stroller through crowds over bumpy grass. There was lots of noisy music going on, which the babies did not like. They also did not approve of the weather - it was sunny and hot without much of a breeze. We found a shady area and let them crawl around on a blanket while we ate some Brazilian food. Then we walked around and looked at the booths. Since none of the activities involved rolling around on the ground or eating Cheerios, the babies weren't really interested in the options provided. After maybe an hour, they were looking really grouchy and growing increasingly discontent. We headed home. I sang "The Girl From Ipanema" to entertain them in the car, or at least as much of it as I could remember. They were not impressed. I sang "BINGO" instead. They liked that one better.
So, was it worth it for us to go to this festival? On the one hand, we did get to try some new foods and hear interesting music. The babies didn't necessarily enjoy it, but they didn't have a total screaming meltdown, either. If we want them to be adventurous kids who like trying new things and learning about other cultures, we have to start somewhere, right? But I couldn't help but think, they probably would've preferred staying home, crawling up and down the hallway and chewing on their old, familiar rattles. Hmmm...
For comparison, before kids...
As dinner time approached, maybe I'd look around the kitchen and decide I didn't really want to eat any of the food we had on hand. So DF and I would hop in the car and go out to eat somewhere. We might not even choose before leaving the house. That new taco place looks good - screeech - let's pull in there. So crazy and spontaneous!
Last night...
It was 5:30pm. I looked around the kitchen and didn't feel much like eating anything we had available. But the babies were in a weird mood after having an irregular nap schedule, so we scrounged up a meal of leftover Chinese food and frozen burritos. Then I took the kids for our nightly stroll around the neighborhood.
Dinner Decisions
Here's the cost/benefit analysis we went through, briefly, of "One of the parents goes to pick up takeout."
Pros:
- One parent gets to escape the squawking
- We eat something more exciting than what's in the fridge/freezer
Cons:
- The other parent is stuck home with two squirrely babies
- The leftovers will still be waiting for us to eat them later
- If I don't eat now (Salmonista), it's going to mess up our walk schedule, and Baby A is already on the verge of a meltdown
And that's just the daily dinner dance! Sometimes I am better about planning ahead for meals. Not so much lately. Working on that...we have a dinner menu on the whiteboard for this week!
Choir Considerations
How about something more complicated? Like, say, should I start singing in the church choir regularly again?
The facts:
- Choir practice is each Wednesday evening, 6:15-8:00pm
- Early arrival to church required on Sunday morning for choir rehearsal & warm ups
Childcare options for Weds.
- At church (not even sure this is an option in the summer?). The boys would then go to bed at least an hour later than usual, and who knows, they might be too hyper to sleep till super late. Could result in unpleasant Thursdays...
- At home, which means DF is doing the bedtime routine solo. I know he's already tired after a long day at work, and the evening hours are usually the most intense with the babies.
Sunday AM thoughts
- Can we really manage to get ourselves out the door even earlier than usual on Sunday morning?
After all that, we look at our situation and wonder, is it even worth it? What is to be gained by me participating in choir regularly? Singing is supposed to be good for your brain; maybe it will prevent me from getting dementia in my later years. DF and the boys would appreciate that, I'm sure! Also, it's fun and I like chatting with my fellow choir members. But is the social outlet for me worth all the extra hassle and potential stress with the kiddos? Then I ask myself, does anyone else in the choir have young children? I can't think of anyone...perhaps that is a sign.
Visiting Brazil, Briefly
Sometimes, we weigh the pros and cons and decide that, indeed, we will leave the house and try to do something. Everything is just so different when you do it with two babies. I think I'm still adjusting to that reality.
Example: a couple weekends ago, there was a Brazilian festival happening at Overton Park. You know DF and I are all over the festival scene! (Or at least, we used to be.) We have been itching to get out and flap our festival wings again. So we decided to attempt it with the babies. They stay awake for a good chunk of time in the middle of the day now between naps. After they woke up from their morning nap, we gave them a bottle then hopped in the van. We managed to find a parking place without too much effort. Ooh, must be a good sign! Things were going our way! We got the boys all settled in their stroller and set out to enjoy the festivities.
Within minutes, we realized it was a lot different than going to a festival by ourselves. It's hard to navigate with a long double stroller through crowds over bumpy grass. There was lots of noisy music going on, which the babies did not like. They also did not approve of the weather - it was sunny and hot without much of a breeze. We found a shady area and let them crawl around on a blanket while we ate some Brazilian food. Then we walked around and looked at the booths. Since none of the activities involved rolling around on the ground or eating Cheerios, the babies weren't really interested in the options provided. After maybe an hour, they were looking really grouchy and growing increasingly discontent. We headed home. I sang "The Girl From Ipanema" to entertain them in the car, or at least as much of it as I could remember. They were not impressed. I sang "BINGO" instead. They liked that one better.
So, was it worth it for us to go to this festival? On the one hand, we did get to try some new foods and hear interesting music. The babies didn't necessarily enjoy it, but they didn't have a total screaming meltdown, either. If we want them to be adventurous kids who like trying new things and learning about other cultures, we have to start somewhere, right? But I couldn't help but think, they probably would've preferred staying home, crawling up and down the hallway and chewing on their old, familiar rattles. Hmmm...
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
10 months
The latest from baby-ville, in honor of their 10 month birthday. They are almost at the 8 month "adjusted" mark. I try not to compare them too much to other babies, though it's hard!
Moving
B has mastered the army crawl. He thinks it's cool to drag himself across the floor to knock down towers of blocks I build for him. When A is on his stomach, will sort of wiggle forward about a foot, but he still prefers rolling as his means of transportation. I've seen both of them get up on their hands and knees briefly.
They will both sit up for a minute or two, but then they flop backwards dramatically, so I can't leave them sitting unattended.
Eating
We've fed them all sorts of new foods. One that they both hated was ground turkey. Not sure if it was a texture or flavor thing, but it was definitely not a winner! Ok, good thing I only cooked about a cup of it for them. They both love yogurt, and they're pretty fond of all fruits so far. A will eat most vegetables. B acts like I'm trying to poison him with green foods, though I can usually convince him to eat a few bites.
The pediatrician told me to let them try more finger foods. They are both figuring out the "pincer" grasp (using thumb + finger) to pick up small items like Cheerios. But, they prefer it when I feed them from a spoon. That's fine with me because then they actually eat a bit, rather than just smooshing food everywhere.
Perhaps this is where I should note that A has 2 teeth and B has 1. It's a quick way to tell them apart now if I get them mixed up :)
Talking/Making Noise
They love to giggle, laugh, sing, and make sound effects. Neither of them make any noises that resemble words. A recently figured out how to click his tongue, so now he does that non-stop.
Making Friends
They've gone to the church nursery three times now! I'm not sure if they've made any baby friends yet, but the nursery workers seem to like them, ha ha. Both A and B are starting to exhibit stranger anxiety. I have never seen them look so scared/sad! Their little lips start to quiver and they cry huge tears. Ack! I mean, it makes me feel special that they are so attached to me, but I also want them to be able to experience their own lives. Hopefully they will get more social with time.
Brain Development
Not sure if this is the right category, but just in the last couple weeks I have noticed that they actually seem to pay attention when I'm reading them a story. Before, they did not really look at the book. Instead, they tried to yank out each other's pacifiers or fling themselves off my lap. But now they will sit and look at the pictures while I read. Wow! I wonder if they are starting to process language differently or something.
Finally, here's a sufficiently anonymous picture that I don't mind posting it for the world to see :) This is one of A's favorite activities - pulling the linens off the changing table shelves and wrapping himself up like a mummy. It might be time for a new storage system...
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Grilling Out
With the arrival of spring, we hauled our (new-to-us) grill out of the garage and fired it up!
What we've cooked so far:
I'm the prep chef, and DF is the grill master. I realized that, although I think of myself as an enlightened woman of the 21st century, I still expected DF to just know how to use a propane grill - like, it's a skill that resides on the Y-chromosome or something.
In reality, neither of us have ever really grilled much before. It's a learning experience which, to date, hasn't resulted in any explosions. Yay! I think we probably need to try smoking something to be authentic Memphians :)
What we've cooked so far:
- Burgers
- Hot dogs (they were fancy hot dogs, really!)
- Beef kabobs
- Potatoes
- Asparagus
- Pineapple
I'm the prep chef, and DF is the grill master. I realized that, although I think of myself as an enlightened woman of the 21st century, I still expected DF to just know how to use a propane grill - like, it's a skill that resides on the Y-chromosome or something.
In reality, neither of us have ever really grilled much before. It's a learning experience which, to date, hasn't resulted in any explosions. Yay! I think we probably need to try smoking something to be authentic Memphians :)
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Cooking, on Occasion
I'm a big fan of baking. Cooking, not so much. It takes a lot of effort to cook, but you only get to enjoy your labor for a meal or two. When you bake, the rewards last longer!
Now that I'm a mom, though, I feel like I should probably cook real food more often. When DF and I first got married, I tried to cook dinner fairly frequently because I thought that's what good wives did. Ha! Over the years, we've started going out to eat more and more. We like exploring new restaurants and eating a variety of flavors. Plus I got super lazy when I was pregnant.
Since the babies were born, I have hardly cooked at all. I mean, literally, I maybe cooked something for dinner like 10 times since June that wasn't a frozen pizza or similarly easy to make. I just haven't had it in me to plan a menu, buy the ingredients, cook, and clean up.
Some readers might be saying, "But Salmonista, why doesn't DF make dinner instead?" He is even less a fan of cooking than I am. He is in charge of going to pick up our take-out orders :) And he's also a good grocery shopper. He also has been known to load the dishwasher.
One of my New Year's resolutions was "Try to cook something once in a while." Yes, I made it vague on purpose so it would be easy to accomplish! Well, I'm happy to report that I successfully made dinner last night, and I have tonight's dinner cooking in the crock pot now. I also made a weekly meal plan and wrote it on our message board in the kitchen so that I'm not left scratching my head every day saying, "What should we eat tonight?" Seriously, I was feeling like dinner kept sneaking up on me, and I was like, what? didn't we just eat dinner yesterday?
Now that I started a Pinterest recipe board, I'm hoping this will spur me on to action. I can save the recipes we like and put them into a rotation. After all, I don't want my kids to think that dinner always comes in a styrofoam container or a pizza box.
All this being said, in the last few months, I have managed to cook for other people a few times - friends from church who've had medical issues, new babies, etc. There were so many people who were kind enough to bring us meals while I was recuperating that I feel compelled to pay it forward. I certainly appreciated everyone's generosity, so I hope my friends appreciate my attempts as well! (even though I think I did overcook the chicken one time...)
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thanksgiving
(Be sure to pronounce it THANKSgiving if you're in the South!)
I'm once again just squeaking in under the wire with today's post.
I'm too tired to write anything witty or profound. Today, I'm giving thanks for my family - extended and immediate. I'm also thankful for good friends in Memphis who invited us to share in their feast today and then held the boys so we could actually eat our food. It was marvelous!
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 26
I'm once again just squeaking in under the wire with today's post.
I'm too tired to write anything witty or profound. Today, I'm giving thanks for my family - extended and immediate. I'm also thankful for good friends in Memphis who invited us to share in their feast today and then held the boys so we could actually eat our food. It was marvelous!
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 26
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
What I Like(d) About Seattle
Since I gave Memphis a shout-out last week, I figured I'd note some of the things I liked about living in Seattle. I lived there two different times from the late 90s till we moved south two years ago.
Greenery
The PNW is full of evergreen trees so no matter the season, it's always green somewhere. Winter is especially green as a layer of moss starts to grow on damp surfaces like sidewalks. I didn't appreciate the greenery until I lived in DC for a few years where everything dies in the winter.
"Green"-ness
Seattle is an eco-friendly city. Recycling is required by law! Restaurants have to use compostable to-go containers (no styrofoam!), and people in general are into reducing and reusing as well.
Diversity
It seemed like there were people from nearly every country who called the Seattle area home. It's a big area for refugee resettlement, in addition to being an immigration magnet for jobs because of the tech industry. The city has as Asian influence that I definitely miss. I feel like I hardly ever even see Asian people in Memphis.
Food and Drink
Just a few of the things I miss include: Ivar's salmon and chips, good teriyaki (made with that thick, syrupy sauce), Hawaiian food, coffee snobbery being a common and accepted way of life, Mac & Jack's African Amber, and wineries nearby.
Landscape
I love that you can see the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges from Seattle. I can still picture driving west on 50th Ave with the Olympics in front of me and the Cascades in my rearview mirror...ahh, so glorious. One of my favorite views in the city is at Sunset Hill Park. If I had millions of dollars, I would totally buy a view house in that neighborhood.
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 24
Greenery
The PNW is full of evergreen trees so no matter the season, it's always green somewhere. Winter is especially green as a layer of moss starts to grow on damp surfaces like sidewalks. I didn't appreciate the greenery until I lived in DC for a few years where everything dies in the winter.
"Green"-ness
Seattle is an eco-friendly city. Recycling is required by law! Restaurants have to use compostable to-go containers (no styrofoam!), and people in general are into reducing and reusing as well.
Diversity
It seemed like there were people from nearly every country who called the Seattle area home. It's a big area for refugee resettlement, in addition to being an immigration magnet for jobs because of the tech industry. The city has as Asian influence that I definitely miss. I feel like I hardly ever even see Asian people in Memphis.
Food and Drink
Just a few of the things I miss include: Ivar's salmon and chips, good teriyaki (made with that thick, syrupy sauce), Hawaiian food, coffee snobbery being a common and accepted way of life, Mac & Jack's African Amber, and wineries nearby.
Landscape
I love that you can see the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges from Seattle. I can still picture driving west on 50th Ave with the Olympics in front of me and the Cascades in my rearview mirror...ahh, so glorious. One of my favorite views in the city is at Sunset Hill Park. If I had millions of dollars, I would totally buy a view house in that neighborhood.
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 24
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
What I Like About Memphis
Now that I've lived in Memphis over 2 years, I'll share with you some things I've come to appreciate about this city.
The food
Oh, the food! Southern cuisine has a delicious reputation for a reason, y'all. So much fried goodness! And even some non-fried options. Among my favorite restaurants are Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, Casablanca (Mediterranean/Middle Eastern), and One & Only BBQ. Since moving here, I've also discovered banana pudding, fried okra, and boiled greens, and they are all wonderful! I'm often glad that I'm not a vegetarian because so many items here are made with pork (ham), including veggie side dishes.
Fall
I can't say I like the weather year-round in Memphis (summers get a bit oppressive), but fall is pretty much the perfect season. The days are pleasant and sometimes crisp, the leaves change slowly and artistically, and most of the time, the sun shines brightly. There are lots of festivals and outdoor events in September/October, plus football games galore.
Southern Culture
I've really enjoyed living in a new culture within the United States. Before I moved to the South, I didn't know that many southerners and the ones I did know I mostly met in DC nearly a decade ago. Now that we've lived here for awhile I feel like I understand the South a lot better. I'm not saying I understand all of it or the centuries of history that exist here, but I've figured out how to leave a gathering, that I shouldn't try to rely on public transportation, and the many uses of y'all. I like how people are so friendly here. It's not strange to make small talk with random passers-by; in fact, it's kind of expected.
Music
We haven't gotten out to many live shows in Memphis, but the music we have caught has been great. I also love the musical heritage of this city with BB King, Johnny Cash, and all the other legends who've made a name for themselves here. We've got tons of museums to document this part of history.
Positive Attitudes
This one certainly is not universal across the region, but I like the people who have a can-do, pro-Memphis attitude. Sure, the city has its issues, but it's not without hope and bright spots. Some of my favorites are the I Love Memphis blog and Choose 901. Once I emerge from the fog of newborn-hood, I hope to get back into volunteering and do my part to help improve the city, too.
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 17
The food
Oh, the food! Southern cuisine has a delicious reputation for a reason, y'all. So much fried goodness! And even some non-fried options. Among my favorite restaurants are Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, Casablanca (Mediterranean/Middle Eastern), and One & Only BBQ. Since moving here, I've also discovered banana pudding, fried okra, and boiled greens, and they are all wonderful! I'm often glad that I'm not a vegetarian because so many items here are made with pork (ham), including veggie side dishes.
Fall
I can't say I like the weather year-round in Memphis (summers get a bit oppressive), but fall is pretty much the perfect season. The days are pleasant and sometimes crisp, the leaves change slowly and artistically, and most of the time, the sun shines brightly. There are lots of festivals and outdoor events in September/October, plus football games galore.
Southern Culture
I've really enjoyed living in a new culture within the United States. Before I moved to the South, I didn't know that many southerners and the ones I did know I mostly met in DC nearly a decade ago. Now that we've lived here for awhile I feel like I understand the South a lot better. I'm not saying I understand all of it or the centuries of history that exist here, but I've figured out how to leave a gathering, that I shouldn't try to rely on public transportation, and the many uses of y'all. I like how people are so friendly here. It's not strange to make small talk with random passers-by; in fact, it's kind of expected.
Music
We haven't gotten out to many live shows in Memphis, but the music we have caught has been great. I also love the musical heritage of this city with BB King, Johnny Cash, and all the other legends who've made a name for themselves here. We've got tons of museums to document this part of history.
Positive Attitudes
This one certainly is not universal across the region, but I like the people who have a can-do, pro-Memphis attitude. Sure, the city has its issues, but it's not without hope and bright spots. Some of my favorites are the I Love Memphis blog and Choose 901. Once I emerge from the fog of newborn-hood, I hope to get back into volunteering and do my part to help improve the city, too.
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 17
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