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.
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