Since becoming parents to two children, my husband and I have often wondered, "What the hell did we DO before we had kids with all that time we had???" Seriously, my day consists of feeding, cleaning, changing, chasing, playing, driving, working (three days a week for now), cooking and a few minutes of relaxing. Nevermind actually doing anything for me. I'm lucky to get a shower alone these days! However, when I do get that shower alone, five minutes in I start to wonder why the kids aren't in to bother me - what could they be getting into?
But today was a great Sunday. Had coffee and a park playdate with a friend I haven't seen in ages, enjoyed some time with the kids playing in the back yard, ate a delicious lasagna made by my husband - it's been awhile since we all had a day off together and I am really feeling the lack of family time with them.
I am constantly feeling guilt some days - I think it comes with the territory. I drop my kids off at daycare twice a week and for the first few weeks, our son cried as soon as he saw the daycare home. As I drove to work, I would wonder if I'm making the right choice by working so far from home. When I clean, I wonder if I should be spending time with the kids. When I play with the kids, I feel like I should do more cleaning. It's a vicious cycle! Thankfully, none of these issues are new. New to me, yes. But millions of other moms have done it and gotten through it. It's times like these a mentor is a blessing - and thankfully my mom shoulders some of the weight. When I think of what she has gone through and goes through, I know that so much can be done by one person. I can only hope my daughter grows up and can say the same of me.
But enough of this Chicken Soup stuff - today was a good day with my little family and I am glad I was able to enjoy it. Now, the kids are in bed, my husband is relaxing, and I am blogging. Maybe I should clean...or....hmmmm....
Sunday Smoothie
Get out a small blender a la Magic Bullet style.
Toss in frozen fruit. Any kind.
Toss in some plain yogurt.
Drizzle some syrup on top if you like.
Add in any healthy crunchies on hand (nuts, seeds, etc).
Spill some milk to fill in the sides.
Blend till smooth and delicious!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Almost walking...
Our son is almost fifteen months old. He climbs everything in sight, crawls at an astonishing rate of speed, and happily walks around holding our hands. Yet he does not walk by himself. I can't help but compare his development to his older sister, who had been walking for six months at his age. I've read everywhere that it's normal development at this point in time, and our doctor has no concerns. Yet my mommy brain is stressed about his lack of walking skills.
Why is it that I compare his progress to words written in a book? Sometimes I think life would be much easier if we didn't have these kinds of books around to chart weight, height, and developmental milestones. He is healthy and is progressing at his own pace.
Anyways, he climbs like a bloody monkey, has an excellent sense of humor, constantly is learning new things and has a mouth like his dad. (i.e. doesn't say much). And whatever you do, do not try to take away his food until he is done eating. Ever.
So, here's our favorite waffle/pancake recipe to date. It's yummy and the kids love it! Serve with blueberries or cut up bananas, a glass of milk, and you have a great family breakfast!
Aurora's Pancakes (taken from "Cooking with Friends")
1 1/2 cups flour (we use whole grain flour)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar (or applesauce)
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix it all together, you can melt the butter in the saucepan and dump it in the mixing bowl when it's melted, leaving a greased saucepan to pour the batter into. Once poured, do not flip pancakes until small bubbles form. Flip, then cook till golden on the other side. Make sure your temperature is low to medium/low. Slather with fruit or syrup or whip cream or whatever floats yer boat :)
Why is it that I compare his progress to words written in a book? Sometimes I think life would be much easier if we didn't have these kinds of books around to chart weight, height, and developmental milestones. He is healthy and is progressing at his own pace.
Anyways, he climbs like a bloody monkey, has an excellent sense of humor, constantly is learning new things and has a mouth like his dad. (i.e. doesn't say much). And whatever you do, do not try to take away his food until he is done eating. Ever.
So, here's our favorite waffle/pancake recipe to date. It's yummy and the kids love it! Serve with blueberries or cut up bananas, a glass of milk, and you have a great family breakfast!
Aurora's Pancakes (taken from "Cooking with Friends")
1 1/2 cups flour (we use whole grain flour)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar (or applesauce)
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix it all together, you can melt the butter in the saucepan and dump it in the mixing bowl when it's melted, leaving a greased saucepan to pour the batter into. Once poured, do not flip pancakes until small bubbles form. Flip, then cook till golden on the other side. Make sure your temperature is low to medium/low. Slather with fruit or syrup or whip cream or whatever floats yer boat :)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter!
Ok, after my last post I said I would get organized. Story of my life.
So, I figured out my password again and wrote it down so hopefully I will be able to write a bit more often than every three or four months!
It's Easter! Yay! It's also 6:46am and I've been up for almost three hours. Yes, our fifteen month old son decided today was a grand morning to wake up early and chatter. Plus pee through the top of his diaper, which our daughter rarely did due to physical differences. So, shortly before 4am, I got up with a cold wet son and did the crying diaper change followed by a nursing session while checking Facebook.
I've done a load of dishes in the dishwasher, started laundry for the day, hid a dozen dyed eggs around the house and prepped the chocolate goodie bag for my husband to go hide in the back yard. Plus mentally I'm figuring out what to do with photography, art, job and all those other things that come with life. Oh, and I prepped a pineapple top for growing a pineapple. Apparently this can be done easily - http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2006/11/how_to_grow_a_pineapple_from_its_top.html. We'll see how this food experiment turns out!
I may sound pretty scatterbrained at this point, but bear with me. These days I have so much to do I am continually running on half full. I have had a cold for almost three months (yes, mom, I have been to the doctor) and am convinced that if I had two days to just sleep to baby myself then I would get better. Don't think it's gonna happen though.
My kids and husband are all snuggled up in bed. They are a tangle of legs and arms. My husband is sleeping diagonally with his legs bent because my daughter likes to sleep across the bottom of the bed lately. His arms are in that awkward position to not smother our son yet still makes sure he won't roll around. I am thinking of crawling back in for a two minute nap, but don't know how I will fit!
So, that's life in a nutshell for the moment. If anyone has ideas on how I can get cloth diapers made by seniors or community centers for distribution for low income families, feel free to get in touch. Just to digress.
So, I figured out my password again and wrote it down so hopefully I will be able to write a bit more often than every three or four months!
It's Easter! Yay! It's also 6:46am and I've been up for almost three hours. Yes, our fifteen month old son decided today was a grand morning to wake up early and chatter. Plus pee through the top of his diaper, which our daughter rarely did due to physical differences. So, shortly before 4am, I got up with a cold wet son and did the crying diaper change followed by a nursing session while checking Facebook.
I've done a load of dishes in the dishwasher, started laundry for the day, hid a dozen dyed eggs around the house and prepped the chocolate goodie bag for my husband to go hide in the back yard. Plus mentally I'm figuring out what to do with photography, art, job and all those other things that come with life. Oh, and I prepped a pineapple top for growing a pineapple. Apparently this can be done easily - http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2006/11/how_to_grow_a_pineapple_from_its_top.html. We'll see how this food experiment turns out!
I may sound pretty scatterbrained at this point, but bear with me. These days I have so much to do I am continually running on half full. I have had a cold for almost three months (yes, mom, I have been to the doctor) and am convinced that if I had two days to just sleep to baby myself then I would get better. Don't think it's gonna happen though.
My kids and husband are all snuggled up in bed. They are a tangle of legs and arms. My husband is sleeping diagonally with his legs bent because my daughter likes to sleep across the bottom of the bed lately. His arms are in that awkward position to not smother our son yet still makes sure he won't roll around. I am thinking of crawling back in for a two minute nap, but don't know how I will fit!
So, that's life in a nutshell for the moment. If anyone has ideas on how I can get cloth diapers made by seniors or community centers for distribution for low income families, feel free to get in touch. Just to digress.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Years!
I finally figured out my password for this blog. Really, I must get more organized one of these days.
So I was counting my blessings tonight while trying to sleep. For those who don't know me, my husband and I have two young children - which is part of the reason I am still awake at 12:30 am on New Years Day. The other part of the reason is because we are not big party people and prefer being together on New Years Eve. Kind of a couple ritual thing. Oh all right. We're boring. But at least we're boring together ;)
Anyways, so why I can't sleep. I am lying between my husband and son. On my left, dh is curled up to me all warm and snoring. On my right, my son is finishing nursing while farting every so often. Yup. My men. My daughter is asleep in her room and will creep into our bed anytime between 3am and 8am. For a queen sized bed, we can fit 4 people cosily. It's cramped, but cuddly. And I love it.
I have to say, I was absolutely not a cosleeping kind of gal prior to having kids. I thought it was kind of ...well...odd. Who would sleep with their kids? Wouldn't they get squished? And what about sex? However, after three months of exhaustion and sleeping for 2 hour intervals, we brought our daughter into our bed at 3 months of age and haven't looked back since. I can still remember that night. We slept for 10 hours! She nursed every few hours without crying, just waking barely enought to eat, then popping off and going back to sleep curled up next to me. I was so bloody exhausted I merely cracked my eyes when my husband headed off to work. Bliss.
And it's still bliss. My little guy is still sleeping with us at almost a year of age. He loves to sleep on his back with his arms spread out. Every once in awhile he'll curl up to me, but mainly sleeps in his own half of the bed. Yup, it's amazing the wingspan on these little ones. Which leaves me curled up to my dh, which is how we slept anyways, so that's ok.
So, Happy New Years to the one or two people who may or may not read this. If you have a babe on the way, consider cosleeping. Do your research - it's safe, it's so good for your child's development, and might even reduce the risk of sids. Plus, you get a warm little body to snuggle up to, which is priceless.
So I was counting my blessings tonight while trying to sleep. For those who don't know me, my husband and I have two young children - which is part of the reason I am still awake at 12:30 am on New Years Day. The other part of the reason is because we are not big party people and prefer being together on New Years Eve. Kind of a couple ritual thing. Oh all right. We're boring. But at least we're boring together ;)
Anyways, so why I can't sleep. I am lying between my husband and son. On my left, dh is curled up to me all warm and snoring. On my right, my son is finishing nursing while farting every so often. Yup. My men. My daughter is asleep in her room and will creep into our bed anytime between 3am and 8am. For a queen sized bed, we can fit 4 people cosily. It's cramped, but cuddly. And I love it.
I have to say, I was absolutely not a cosleeping kind of gal prior to having kids. I thought it was kind of ...well...odd. Who would sleep with their kids? Wouldn't they get squished? And what about sex? However, after three months of exhaustion and sleeping for 2 hour intervals, we brought our daughter into our bed at 3 months of age and haven't looked back since. I can still remember that night. We slept for 10 hours! She nursed every few hours without crying, just waking barely enought to eat, then popping off and going back to sleep curled up next to me. I was so bloody exhausted I merely cracked my eyes when my husband headed off to work. Bliss.
And it's still bliss. My little guy is still sleeping with us at almost a year of age. He loves to sleep on his back with his arms spread out. Every once in awhile he'll curl up to me, but mainly sleeps in his own half of the bed. Yup, it's amazing the wingspan on these little ones. Which leaves me curled up to my dh, which is how we slept anyways, so that's ok.
So, Happy New Years to the one or two people who may or may not read this. If you have a babe on the way, consider cosleeping. Do your research - it's safe, it's so good for your child's development, and might even reduce the risk of sids. Plus, you get a warm little body to snuggle up to, which is priceless.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Dying Fish
Today I headed out to Goldstream Park for the Salmon Run. I knew it was almost over, so was not expecting to see much. I bundled my little ones up in muddy buddies, grabbed some snacks and the baby carrier (love love love my ergo) and off we went for a drive. Once we got there, the parking meter was not working. I looked in another parking lot, ran into a park attendant and he said not to worry about paying. Now how often does that happen in Victoria? The city that is queen of pay parking??? Needless to say, I was happy and off we wnet in search of giant puddles to galosh in.
We got to the stream and it was severly full. Of water that is, not salmon. The banks were a bit flooded over, but nothing too major. There were dead white salmon floating here and there, a reminder of the life cycle for all of us. My little one did not mind seeing the fish in the water as some of them were still alive, and she could not tell which ones were dead. There were a few on the ground around us, and I decided to not show them to her. Mainly because I was kinda creeped out looking at the eye sockets that were eaten out and crazy pointy things coming out of the gill areas. I'm not too big on dead things (I am petrified of zombies and all that jazz), probably stemming from growing up on a farm and having to deal with dead animals now and then.
Anyways, we wound our way up to the Nature House and enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate, watched a great dvd projected big screen about local parks (which we bought because my 3 yr old said she really liked the smiley white haired man who likes eagles...) and I'm trying to encourage watching shows that are more informational rather than...Cars or Dora or Pocoyo or... you get the idea. We got back to the car - and this was after I discovered that I can, in fact, carry a 10 month old in my ergo carrier on my back AND carry a 3 year old on my shoulders at the same time. We were warm, dry and ready to have snacks on the way home while we talked about the park. Not too bad in my opinion!
And for the cooking portion - I made baked beans as per my husband's request from scratch. They were ok. But I used cayenne pepper instead of chili pepper. Oops. Dh and I thought it was good, but the kids ended up having bacon and veggies for dinner instead :) I do have another recipe that I just got for baked beans from a family friend that I'm going to try out next month!
We got to the stream and it was severly full. Of water that is, not salmon. The banks were a bit flooded over, but nothing too major. There were dead white salmon floating here and there, a reminder of the life cycle for all of us. My little one did not mind seeing the fish in the water as some of them were still alive, and she could not tell which ones were dead. There were a few on the ground around us, and I decided to not show them to her. Mainly because I was kinda creeped out looking at the eye sockets that were eaten out and crazy pointy things coming out of the gill areas. I'm not too big on dead things (I am petrified of zombies and all that jazz), probably stemming from growing up on a farm and having to deal with dead animals now and then.
Anyways, we wound our way up to the Nature House and enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate, watched a great dvd projected big screen about local parks (which we bought because my 3 yr old said she really liked the smiley white haired man who likes eagles...) and I'm trying to encourage watching shows that are more informational rather than...Cars or Dora or Pocoyo or... you get the idea. We got back to the car - and this was after I discovered that I can, in fact, carry a 10 month old in my ergo carrier on my back AND carry a 3 year old on my shoulders at the same time. We were warm, dry and ready to have snacks on the way home while we talked about the park. Not too bad in my opinion!
And for the cooking portion - I made baked beans as per my husband's request from scratch. They were ok. But I used cayenne pepper instead of chili pepper. Oops. Dh and I thought it was good, but the kids ended up having bacon and veggies for dinner instead :) I do have another recipe that I just got for baked beans from a family friend that I'm going to try out next month!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ode to the Rain
It's November in Victoria. For those who do not live here, let me tell you that this means it's raining right now. Doesn't matter what time you are reading this, or what day. It's raining in Victoria now. Funnily enough, I actually don't mind the rain. I don't work outside, I have boots and a rain jacket, my kids have muddy buddies, and I don't melt in the rain. And it's not even cold out, just wet. So what the heck is the big deal? I guess people don't like the rain if not prepared. I've been caught in a downpour sans a decent jacket or shoes. That lovely squelching feeling of cold wet feet when wearing lovely little flats is not new to me. But that doesn't even really phase me. I love to get home and put on fluffy dry warm socks and wrap myself up in a blanket.
One thing I do not like about November in Victoria is the wind though. I have an absolute irrational fear of a tree falling on me while I'm in bed. To the point where I have made my husband get out of bed at 2am to make up the sofa bed in the living room for us to sleep in, all because the living room is at the other end of our house and has no tree to fall on it really. Silly? Well, have you ever woken up at 2 or 3am with a fear? Yeah. Thought so.
Anyways, my 3 year old is getting her full share of puddle jumping and carrying her lovely little pink umbrella outside. She loves the rain. Puddles are amazing right now. I went and bought my own pair of rubber boots so I could jump too. It's more of a gentle hop though, as I usually carry my 10 month old on my back in his carrier. The only thing we need to complete our outer outfits are waterproof gloves. I'm sure they are available somewhere - mec anyone?
Anyways, on another note. I made stuffed tomatoes for dinner. I loved them. My 3 year old loved the melted cheese on them. And my husband remarked that I must be getting domesticated if I'm making stuffed tomatoes. Hmmmmm. Funny how men can be so damned funny when meals are made for them every night practically, hey? Maybe I'll plan a meal for him to cook on his nights that requires multiple steps while he's taking care of two kids...... hmmmmm. Escargot, homemade bread, and maybe a dish that requires fine chopping and dicing? lol
One thing I do not like about November in Victoria is the wind though. I have an absolute irrational fear of a tree falling on me while I'm in bed. To the point where I have made my husband get out of bed at 2am to make up the sofa bed in the living room for us to sleep in, all because the living room is at the other end of our house and has no tree to fall on it really. Silly? Well, have you ever woken up at 2 or 3am with a fear? Yeah. Thought so.
Anyways, my 3 year old is getting her full share of puddle jumping and carrying her lovely little pink umbrella outside. She loves the rain. Puddles are amazing right now. I went and bought my own pair of rubber boots so I could jump too. It's more of a gentle hop though, as I usually carry my 10 month old on my back in his carrier. The only thing we need to complete our outer outfits are waterproof gloves. I'm sure they are available somewhere - mec anyone?
Anyways, on another note. I made stuffed tomatoes for dinner. I loved them. My 3 year old loved the melted cheese on them. And my husband remarked that I must be getting domesticated if I'm making stuffed tomatoes. Hmmmmm. Funny how men can be so damned funny when meals are made for them every night practically, hey? Maybe I'll plan a meal for him to cook on his nights that requires multiple steps while he's taking care of two kids...... hmmmmm. Escargot, homemade bread, and maybe a dish that requires fine chopping and dicing? lol
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Ways of Waldorf
Right now we are taking our preschooler to a Waldorf School. I haven't read too much about Steiner's philosophy, which is key to this school. I am gong through a very basic intro type of book right now to his works and I'm trying to twist my head around a few concepts. I'm hoping a Waldorf student or knowledgeable parent might email me to enlighten me a bit more (although I have very few readers as yet...ahem.)
So, kids don't start reading until they are like seven....that's right. 7!!! Seven years with no alphabet. I grew up with Sesame Street....I wrote "Jen is a mutt" when I was like four or something. (Thanks sis! lol) I always assumed that learning to read was the basic stuff of kindergarten. Not according to Waldorf. Their teachings encourage the use of play and freedom of growth, if I had to try and explain. (the two chapters I read put it much more succicently). I'm having a hard time twisting my thoughts around that. It makes sense when I read about it, but when it comes to application to my children....I don't know. I'm so used to a mechanical world where a plus b equals ab. Not how to form lines to learn how they feel. I am feeling a bit out of the loop still, but am going to learn more.
Waldorf is certainly still on the top of our list though. I do understand a bit of what they are aiming for, but I am not sure how to encourage it in our home life. No plastics are used there, toys are quite simplified to encourage imagination, and it's very hands on in all activities. I love love love that all, but when it comes to the curriculum, I am still stuck on the idea that kids learn things according to the rules. It's hard to let go of that idea I guess. I hope I am explaining things right - please correct me or help me understand if you are reading this and have some insight.
So, no reading till 7 in school. My daughter loves books. She absolutely loves to look at the pictures and pretends to read. Maybe it's a form of escapism for her too, as she doesn't watch much tv (dvd's). Which are, of course, not recommended to Waldorf students.
Anyways, there's my ramble for the night. Here's a great bread recipe that I did get from our friend Miss Polly :)
Acorn Hill Whole Wheat Bread (from Waldorf school)
1-2 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup warm water
-mix these in a small bowl to sit until bubbly
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp salt
6 cups (approx) whole wheat flour
-mix together the top four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture plus three cups of the flour. Stir well, then add remaining flour, one cup at a time until dough is stiff enough to turn out onto work surface. (*I just knead it in the bowl, but whatever!) Knead for about 8-10 mins adding more flour as needed utnil dough is smooth and elastic. place in greased bowl to rise until doubled. punch down and shape into loaves or rolls. let rise until double and bake at 350 for 45 ins for loaves and 20 mins for rolls.
***tastes awesome with homemade butter!!! I have a super easy recipe for that too if you like!
So, kids don't start reading until they are like seven....that's right. 7!!! Seven years with no alphabet. I grew up with Sesame Street....I wrote "Jen is a mutt" when I was like four or something. (Thanks sis! lol) I always assumed that learning to read was the basic stuff of kindergarten. Not according to Waldorf. Their teachings encourage the use of play and freedom of growth, if I had to try and explain. (the two chapters I read put it much more succicently). I'm having a hard time twisting my thoughts around that. It makes sense when I read about it, but when it comes to application to my children....I don't know. I'm so used to a mechanical world where a plus b equals ab. Not how to form lines to learn how they feel. I am feeling a bit out of the loop still, but am going to learn more.
Waldorf is certainly still on the top of our list though. I do understand a bit of what they are aiming for, but I am not sure how to encourage it in our home life. No plastics are used there, toys are quite simplified to encourage imagination, and it's very hands on in all activities. I love love love that all, but when it comes to the curriculum, I am still stuck on the idea that kids learn things according to the rules. It's hard to let go of that idea I guess. I hope I am explaining things right - please correct me or help me understand if you are reading this and have some insight.
So, no reading till 7 in school. My daughter loves books. She absolutely loves to look at the pictures and pretends to read. Maybe it's a form of escapism for her too, as she doesn't watch much tv (dvd's). Which are, of course, not recommended to Waldorf students.
Anyways, there's my ramble for the night. Here's a great bread recipe that I did get from our friend Miss Polly :)
Acorn Hill Whole Wheat Bread (from Waldorf school)
1-2 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup warm water
-mix these in a small bowl to sit until bubbly
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp salt
6 cups (approx) whole wheat flour
-mix together the top four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture plus three cups of the flour. Stir well, then add remaining flour, one cup at a time until dough is stiff enough to turn out onto work surface. (*I just knead it in the bowl, but whatever!) Knead for about 8-10 mins adding more flour as needed utnil dough is smooth and elastic. place in greased bowl to rise until doubled. punch down and shape into loaves or rolls. let rise until double and bake at 350 for 45 ins for loaves and 20 mins for rolls.
***tastes awesome with homemade butter!!! I have a super easy recipe for that too if you like!
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