A Working Title For a Busy Mom

{this moment} - A Double Dose

2012-02-03T00:12:00.003-07:00

{this moment} - Inspired by Soulemama. In her words: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you want to participate head over to her blog and enjoy!

{this moment}

2012-01-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

{this moment}

2012-01-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Time Marches On

2012-01-03T14:00:00.006-07:00

When I graduated from high school my dad and I went backpacking to celebrate. It wasn't just any trip either, we went all the way up to Wyoming and backpacked through areas he and his friends had visited back when they were young and stationed nearby. Since I didn't have a good pair of boots and was missing some other equipment we stopped at a sporting goods store in Denver he had frequented back then and I found a pair of boots that was just right.

The boots were perfect; they fit just right and were on sale to boot.

I wore the boots for that trip as we hiked up, down and through the Wind River. I was wearing them when I saw my first moose in the wild and when we set-up my new tent in a hurry because a rainstorm was blowing in fast. I wore them for hikes with my dad closer to home and I took them with me when I went off to college. I wore them for field trips when I was studying Wildlife Science. These were the boots I wore the day my whole class woke up to sheets of ice covering our tents at a wildlife refuge in New Mexico. They were the boots I wore on a three day trip to Organ Pipe and down into Mexico. They took me over hills and down into valleys in search of birds, plants, and animals that we were studying. In college I also met a guy that I kinda liked who had been in Boy Scouts as a kid and a teen. We talked about hiking, camping and backpacking along with other things. We started dating, but he wasn't exactly great at figuring out where to take me for a date other than out to dinner. Eventually he suggested we go hiking together so he could show me some of the local trails and I wore those boots for what was probably the first date we went on that was more than sharing a meal. As time passed I introduced him to dispersed camping and we explored some of the local trails together. Eventually that guy became my husband and he learned that anytime I was having a bad day the best thing he could do was toss me my boots and day pack and take me for a hike or even send me out on my own*. I wore those boots when we were hiking every weekend even after I got pregnant with A. and they helped me keep my balance the whole time. Having kids might put a damper on the time outdoors for some, but we did our best to just bring the kid(s) along. Through the years I kept wearing those same boots my dad had gotten me when I graduated high school. They were starting to get worn, but they still did the job. I wore them for A's first camping trip and when we took her on hikes in the nearby mountains. After T. was born we haven't been as good about hiking so my poor boots have had to sit in the closet. Over the weekend the weather was beautiful so we called up some friends and met for T's first hike. Yesterday I realized just how worn my boots had gotten. The soles are as slick as tennis shoes thanks to the hundreds of miles that they have walked with me. The upper on one is torn because these are, after all, over ten years old. I have replaced the insoles at least twice, but they have lost a lot of the support they used to offer. I made a mental note to start looking for a good price on boots since new boots (at least ones that will last me another ten years) are pretty well out of my price range. Then, last night we stopped at REI on the way home because my husband needed to run in for something real quick. When he was there he noticed that they had a bunch of shoes and boots leftover from the REI garage sale preview event over the weekend including some Vibrams that he thought might fit me. Since both kids were asleep in the backseat he stayed in the car while I ran in...I didn't see any Vibrams in my size, but I did notice a nice pair of boots. I looked at the tag and they had been marked down from $175 to $65 because they had been worn outside. I checked the soles and they were dusty but brand new. I wavered for a minute because $65 was more than I was planning to spend right then, but I knew it was a good deal for the boots. After a minute I decided to at least try them on and found that they fit perfectly. They didn't have insoles, but I use prescription orthotics in my hiking boots anyway and I happened to be wearing my old boots and hiking socks since we were just coming back from a hike. Sure enough they fit perfectly and when I put the boots on they fit my feet perfectly too. I decided to bite the bullet and buy them anyway, but I knew I would have to hurry as the kids (and hubby) wouldn't be happy sitting in the car waiting for me too much longer. I ran down the the register and when they rang them up I learned the true price...you see, the sale had ended the day before and they just wanted to be rid of them. I bought a new pair of boots for $10.85 plus tax!

I love my new boots and can't wait to take them out next weekend, but at the same time I can't help feeling like it is the end of an era in some ways. My old boots are trashed, you can zoom in on the first picture and see that, but they have also been my boots for over a decade. They have served me well in times of stress and transition. They have seen me through all the major transitions in my life. They where there when I left my parent's home and made a place for myself in the grown up world. They were there when I was figuring out how to deal with a roommate I didn't like and when I met my husband (who I like rather a lot). They were there when I needed to stomp through the woods for class field trips because I decided to study wildlife science instead of engineering. They let my husband and I go on fun (and free) dates through our courtship and early in our marriage. They were on my feet when A was driving me nuts with teething. They have made it easier for me to introduce the wonders of the outdoors to my kids. Maybe I'm a little overly sentimental, but I will miss these boots...I'm looking forward to all the hikes and memories that my new boots take me on though. Here's to hoping that the new boots will see as many miles and memories as the old ones.

* Please note that it isn't a good idea to go hiking on your own unless you know what you are doing and are properly prepared. Just having a cell phone when you are in a remote area is not enough as you may not have service. Please remember to hike safely at all times.

Time Flies

2011-12-22T09:47:00.004-07:00

I've been really bad about updating my blog lately. It's sad because I have as much to say as ever, but I haven't had the time to sit down and write it out. I keep coming up with things that I want to talk about, discussions I'd love to have and pictures I want to share...but my perfectionism kept telling me that first I had to post something about the (not so) tiny baby that has invaded our family and our hearts. A good blogger would have posted a birth announcement (and probably sent them out to friends and family as well, but that's another story). I am not that blogger so this is what you get. A little over 4 months ago after a crazy fast labor we were blessed with a little boy whose name begins with a T.

He is adorable and sweet and we love him to bits. He is growing and developing faster than I feel he ought to (not complaining one bit, but he's already getting so big that I'm miss the squishy newborn he was). I have a zillion other pictures that I could force on anyone who is still reading this thing, but if you are reading this you are probably seeing them on facebook as well (or getting them via photo text in the case of my sister who refuses to use facebook).

As you can see A is having such a hard time adjusting :)

She is actually doing really well. Sometimes she is sad that she doesn't get as much of my undivided attention as she used to, but she seems to feel that having a brother makes up for it. I'm proud of my big girl and how mature she's getting too. She is turning into a big helper and is growing quite the imagination as well. Everyday she has some new story that she acts out on her own. I can't wait for T to be big enough for them to play together so I can watch what they come up with.

I am going to try to be better about updates here, but we will see...

Easy Glazed Carrots for Toddlers

2011-07-02T20:25:00.004-07:00

We tend to try and stay away from processed and pre-packaged food at our house so I've never understood the point of things like the Gerber Graduates which are basically TV dinners for toddlers. However, days like today it might have been useful, too bad we didn't have any nor did I want to run to the store to get some.

This afternoon was spent running errands and we didn't get home until late. Normally this would have meant a quick stop somewhere to grab dinner on the way home, but we'd decided to do the Eat at Home Challenge for the month of July so while we seriously considered stopping in the end we didn't. This isn't a huge issue for us grown-ups since we can grab a snack now and wait a bit for dinner, but it was pushing A's bedtime so she needed to eat and eat now and preferably a balanced meal. The solution was actually easier than I thought it would be. We cut up some cheese (lunch meat or canned beans might have been better, but I forgot to grab more at the store last night), grapes and half a roll. Not bad, but I really wanted a veggie. After a minute of thinking I invented this recipe:

Toddler Glazed Carrots:
1 carrot (sliced)
pinch of brown sugar
sliver of butter

Put the sliced carrot into a small glass bowl, top with brown sugar and butter and microwave for 45-60 seconds or until carrot is fully cooked. Stir well and blow on it until it is cool enough to eat.

Maybe not the world's healthiest dinner (especially after DH decided she needed strawberry jam on her roll), but it is tasty, filling and reasonably balanced. The best part is that it took less than 5 minutes to throw together which is a lot less time than we would have spent waiting in the drive-thru line and not really any worse than reheating a TV dinner. Plus, it is a heck of a lot cheaper than either of those other options :)

I'm posting this recipe because it would also come in handy on those days when DH and I want to have salad as our veggie because A. really can't handle the lettuce. We almost always have carrots in the fridge so I can mix her up an easy alternative and we don't have to avoid salad and other hard to chew greens.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:05:00.006-07:00

As I read my normal blogs today and check out links that friends post to Facebook I have to count myself lucky. I read of husbands and fathers that work all week and then spend the weekend or evenings out with their friends instead of with their children. I read of husbands that cheat on their wives, providing a bad example to their children. I read of fathers that don't know how to change a diaper and of dads that consider watching their own kids for an hour or two while their wife runs to the store to be "babysitting".

I am glad that my daughter has a father that will play with her, even if playing involves being used as a changing table for her doll.I am glad that she has a father who will read to her after a busy day at work while I'm busy making dinner or trying to get 5 minutes to myself.I am glad that though my husband has to work on the weekends sometimes, he still takes time to go on picnics with us when he doesn't.I am glad that my husband considers this to be the highlight of his "Father's Day":I am glad that as I am typing this I hear splashes and squeals of laughter coming from the bathroom as my husband takes care of bath-time (something that is very hard for me at this point given the size of my belly).

In short, I am glad that I have a husband who doesn't just assume that his role as a father ends at conception. I have a husband that helps me with the chores and considers my role as a stay at home mom to be a "real" job (which, considering the hours I work it really should be). I am even more glad to know that he enjoys his role as a father. When I thanked him today for being so involved he simply remarked at how sad it would be to miss out on all of the amazing things our daughter does. Most of all, I am glad of the role model he will be for our son (did I mention we are having a boy?) and the example he will be to our daughter of the kind of husband she should expect.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's Story Time!

{this moment}

2011-06-03T08:08:00.001-07:00

Meeting the Challenge

2011-05-31T16:04:00.006-07:00

A week ago I did something crazy, I signed up for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. The challenge was based on a news article that reported that poor families were leaving their babies in wet/dirty diapers for hours or even trying to reuse disposable diapers because they couldn't afford to buy more. It sounds crazy, but considering that disposable diapers cost anywhere from $0.18-$0.31 each I can definitely see the temptation when money is tight, especially considering the fact that even toddlers A's age use an average of 6-10 diapers a day and newborns may use upwards of 15. After all, with disposable diapers you are literally throwing away money each time you change your baby's diaper. The seemingly obvious answer for these families (and anyone else who is looking for a frugal diapering alternative) is to use cloth diapers. Yes, there is a start-up cost, but if you plan ahead and start buying while you are pregnant you can get the basics you need to diaper your baby for about $20/month until you're set-up and then diaper for the cost of a few loads of laundry per week for the rest of your diapering days (including future children). This is a great solution for those of us staying home with our children and trying to make one income stretch to cover a comfortable middle-class lifestyle that includes a house or nice condo with a washer and dryer. However, many of the families that are poor enough to have honest trouble affording diapers also don't have easy access to a washer and dryer or have to pay an arm and a leg for each load at the local laundromat which will pretty well negate the savings of cloth diapering. That was the basis of the challenge. Flat diapers are the cheapest diapering alternative as well as the easiest to wash. For between $60 and $80 you diaper your child from birth until potty training and they are thin enough that they can be handwashed and hung up to dry. Plus, some of them are really cute!
Now, you are probably thinking "that's great to know, but why would you volunteer for something like that when you have a perfectly good washing machine in your home?" I have two reasons, the first is that I got sick of people telling me that they couldn't afford the "luxury" of cloth diapers so they would be "forced" to use disposables. I wanted to prove to myself that it was possible to do this affordably in spite of excuses. My second reason is basic preparedness. While if something were to happen such that we couldn't use our washing machine for cloth diapers (either it broke or we were traveling/camping) we could always just buy disposables, I have yet to find any brand that doesn't give A. a nasty rash after a few days. I wanted to see if it would be doable to still use cloth diapers to spare her the rash if we didn't have access to our washing machine. With this in mind I talked to DH to see if he would be on board or if this challenge would mean I had to change every diaper for a week. He agreed to humor me and I did my best to make it easy on him by prefolding the diapers to make the diaper changes easier...So how'd it go? Honestly, it wasn't what either of us expected. A. decided to start the challenge out with a bang and I got a "dirty" (as opposed to just wet) diaper for my very first one. I rolled my eyes and dumped the solids and continued to have an easy day. That night I washed the diapers and was shocked at how fast I was done (it took maybe 20ish minutes to wash everything). I hung the clean diapers up in the bathroom and went to bed feeling like I was on a roll. What I hadn't counted on was the lack of air circulation in the bathroom, half the diapers were still damp in the morning. I moved the drying rack into my sewing room and packed up the diapers that were dry for a daytrip of shopping, visiting family/friends and fruit picking a couple of hours away. The trip went well and we had a great time, the flats really aren't much harder than prefolds when you are on the go and that's something we've done for a while. That night I washed the diapers while DH was putting A. to bed and then moved the drying rack from the bathtub to my sewing room right before I went to bed which meant that they were pretty much dry by morning. Wednesday was a great day until my wrist started hurting so after a quick count of what was clean I decided to wait until morning and bite just bite the bullet and wash while A. was awake. Turns out that she was more than happy to play or watch while I was washing the diapers and since it was daylight I was able to hang the diapers up outside. Outside the diapers dried in less than two hours and the breeze helped make them softer, I was an immediate convert to washing during the day and the challenge seemed easy from there until Friday night when DH came home with the stomach flu...By Saturday we were all sick and Sunday morning was spent washing diapers while feeling really crummy. I have to admit it was really tempting to just throw everything in the washing machine when I went into the laundry room to get the detergent, but my stubbornness wouldn't let me. Instead I sucked it up and washed everything with the hottest water I could and some oxiclean just in case and then hung it on the line in the sun to help kill any germs that might have survived. It was a lovely, sunny, windy day and after a few hours the diapers were clean, soft, dry and all together lovely and we only had to make it through until morning to be able to say we'd done it. Comparatively the remainder was a breeze and DH actually kept using the flats after the challenge was over, though he threw them in the pail to be washed in the machine. He summed both our thoughts up pretty well when on Sunday night he said the challenge "really isn't that bad". Would we do it everyday? Probably not, unless there was a real reason not to use the washer. However, the flat diapers we were using are super cute and work really well. Handwashing, while not something I would choose, is doable in a pinch and we will definitely be keeping this in mind next time we want to go camping or travel somewhere that a washing machine isn't available. It's also nice to know that if the washing machine breaks I don't have to worry about A. getting a nasty rash in disposable diapers if it takes a week and a half for the parts to come in...I just have to budget a little extra time for washing stuff by hand.
How about you, do you think this is totally crazy or worth trying? If you have a baby (or are expecting one) would you consider flats if money was really tight? Would you consider cloth in general for that matter if you had easy access to a washing machine, but money was tight? Would the cuteness win you over even if money wasn't tight? (Just idle curiosity on that last one :)

{this moment}

2011-05-06T11:10:00.002-07:00

{this moment}

2011-04-29T10:48:00.001-07:00

Bedtime Stories

2011-04-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

When A. was around 4-5 months old DH and I realized that we really needed a better bedtime routine. She was going to bed whenever she was tired and then we'd collapse on the couch for a bit before getting up to do all those things that you can't do when you are busy holding a baby all day (like cooking dinner). At that point our bedtime routine basically entailed giving her a bath and then rocking/nursing her until she was almost asleep. At that point we'd set her in her bassinet and stay with her until we knew she was asleep. It worked, but the whole thing just felt like a chore. At the time we were also both really tired and not having much fun. We got to talking about how to make it better and decided that we really needed to start reading A. a bedtime story. (The exact details of how we decided that a lack of a bedtime story was the root of the problem are rather blurry now due to the lack of sleep...) The question became what to read her for a bedtime story. We'd tried having one book that was her standard story, but that got boring really fast so we decided to try reading her "real" books. I think we started with Anne of Green Gables because I'd been telling DH how much I liked it and how I couldn't wait until A. was old enough to read it with me. Suddenly DH and I were having a great time because he would read while I nursed A and then after we put her to bed we'd sit (or stand and work together) and talk about the book.

As A. got better at eating solid foods we expanded the routine. From the time she was able to fling food in the general direction of her mouth the routine has been to eat dinner as a family (which would frequently mean DH and I taking turns feeding A. and eating ourselves trying to finish before the food got cold). Then DH will take A. in and bathe her while I got my first real break of the day, this was especially important when she was just starting to eat solids because she would be covered in food. We were lucky in that it was warm when she started to really feed herself a lot so we would just strip her down to a diaper before dinner and then let her have fun knowing that the floor would mop and she would wash. After her bath we dress her in her PJs and then all sit on the couch and snuggle while DH reads a chapter from the book we are working on. When she was little I would use this time to nurse her so that she'd be nice and full before bed, now she likes to either play quietly or snuggle depending on how tired she is. The story gives us all a chance to wind down our day together and A. is generally ready to go to bed right after. Within a few minutes she is asleep and DH and I can enjoy the rest of the evening together.

I don't know why it took me so long to think of reading real books to A. because it is a great solution for our family. However, it also seems like it isn't something that is commonly done so maybe that's why. We don't try to force her to listen, we simply ask that she be relatively quiet while DH is reading. If she is having trouble being quiet we offer her the chance to go to bed and finish later. Sometimes she asks for bed, but mostly she quiets down and snuggles with us while DH finishes. We aren't trying to turn her into some sort of super genius or anything, but I do hope she will learn to love books and the stories they tell. Lately she's been really into having me read her picture books, I've actually had to set a limit on the number of books I'll read her each day because I want her to play on her own too. I don't know if it is because she likes the books, or the cuddling or that the love of reading is sinking in, but whatever it is she's asking for it.

All that being said, it is hard sometimes to find a good book for a toddler. She isn't old enough to really talk through dark parts of a book, but she is old enough to actually listen and understand most of what is going on. Simpler books tend to be easier for her to understand, but if they are too simple DH and I don't enjoy them as much. We are hoping to be able to continue the tradition of a family bedtime story until our kids are at least mostly grown and since we are obviously planning on more kids than just A. being there to enjoy the stories we will probably be going back to revisit old favorites at various points. At the same time it would be nice to have a good variety of books on our list. So far we have read the entire Anne of Green Gables series, Little Women, Little Men and Watership Down. We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods. We are currently debating whether or not to continue with the Little House series or if we should read Wind in the Willows next. Any thoughts from my literary friends? Also, does anyone have any suggestions on other books we should add to our list? I'd love any suggestions I can get.

Making Dinner Happen

2011-04-25T14:10:00.004-07:00

Lately I've realized that I'm generally really tired by the end of the day. Maybe it's being pregnant, maybe it's chasing an active toddler or not getting enough sleep. It is probably a combination of all of these things. However, no matter the cause, the effects are getting bothersome. I haven't had the energy for blogging and even if I did I haven't had a lot of energy for doing neat things to blog about. The biggest effect though has been on dinner. I'm sure that any of you with young kids know how hard it can be to make dinner quickly with a toddler trying to get your attention or even when said toddler is "helping". My old solution was to either do some prep while A. was napping, or more often to just wait until DH got home and whip up dinner while he played with A. Since the two of them love spending time together this worked really well for a long time. However, now by the time DH is home from work I'm tired and just want to sit down and rest for a bit so we were eating more convenience foods or opting to eat out more often. On the surface these options are okay and they certainly still get us fed. However, they aren't great for the pocket book and it gets increasingly hard to combine eating out with eating healthy. This has been really bothering me lately because I feel like in some ways I am failing my family (gotta love that mommy guilt). Thankfully, I am working on some solutions. Since I figure I'm not the only one to run into this problem when life gets crazy I thought I'd share what I'm doing right now and ask for suggestions for improvement.

The first thing I'm working on is planning ahead. When I'm tired thinking comes harder for me so I tend to put it off hoping that it will be easier later. Unfortunately, before long I find that I'm in the 6pm time crunch and still don't know what to make and have to figure something out now because A. has to get to bed. In the past I've tried to plan a weekly meal plan, but something always comes up and throws off the schedule. I'm hoping to get to the point where I can have a weekly plan with enough flexibility to really work, but in the meantime I am focusing on having a plan before bed the night before. This goal is smaller and thus more obtainable which means I'm not failing at it nearly as often. DH and I will take a couple of minutes after A. goes to bed each night to look at what we have in the fridge and what needs to be used. Then I come up with a meal plan for the next day based on a combination of that and what the schedule is looking like. If I'm not sure of the next day I try to come up with a back-up plan too just in case and then pull anything I'll need that is currently frozen up into the fridge to start thawing.

The second thing I'm doing is to take advantage of A's nap to get dinner started. I don't have to have everything done, but if I have dinner started or even just have prepped ingredients by 4pm the whole evening seems to go smoother. I got this idea from this blog. It has a ton of tasty recipes that can be done in bits and pieces through out the day. Before I found it I had never thought of prepping a casserole in the morning when I had energy and sticking it in the fridge so that I could just pop it in the oven 40 minutes before dinner instead of trying to push through the end of day exhaustion.

Right now these are the two things I'm focusing on. An example of how it works would what we are doing tonight. Yesterday when I was digging through the freezer to grab out some frozen veggies to go with dinner I accidentally ripped the plastic on some ground beef. This made the dinner decision a little easier because I knew that if I left it in the freezer it would get freezer burn so I pulled up the meat. I realized that I had been craving Swedish meatballs for a while, but hadn't made them because they require you to have thawed ground beef (mine was always frozen) and the time to mix and shape the meatballs, brown them, make gravy and then simmer them. We've been on the go a lot and when you are getting home from a play date 30 minutes before dinner there just isn't time for that. Today we didn't have any plans, but I also finally realized I could use a small crock pot. This meant that after lunch I put A. down for her nap and then grabbed the (now thawed) meat from the fridge. I mixed and shaped the meatballs and then browned them in a skillet. Once they were brown I put them in the crock pot and then made gravy with the pan drippings, beef broth and some Marsala wine. I let it boil long enough to cook off the alcohol and then poured it over the meatballs in the crock pot. I set the already hot meatball mixture to low and it is now simmering away making the house smell nice. At that point I realized I really needed to sit down because my stupid ankles were starting to swell (this happened when I was pregnant with A. too, no amount of water, rest, salt, etc. ever helped much, but my blood pressure was always really low so no worries). While A. is playing this afternoon I'll wash and chop up some broccoli and throw it in the top of the steamer and put the whole thing in the fridge. That way, when DH is home we can hang out as a family for a little bit and then I can slip away to the kitchen to start some rice and boil water to steam the broccoli while he plays with A. If I'm really on top if it I'll have the water and rice measured and the pots on the stove so I just have to turn on burners, but we'll see. Worst case, if I do nothing else today, I can start some rice and put the last of the giant bin of salad on the table and call it good. We'll have a balanced, tasty meal and I don't have to feel bad for collapsing on the couch as soon as DH walks in the door because dinner will be busy making itself.

These are helping most days, but I'm still not getting a "good" dinner on the table every single night. I'd love to hear suggestions on how to improve this plan or any other tips for getting a healthy, tasty dinner on the table when you are exhausted at the end of the day. Please share.

{this moment}

2011-04-21T23:01:00.004-07:00

Tuesday Tip: Bacon

2011-02-22T13:19:00.002-07:00

I don't know about you, but I love bacon. The only problem is that it is really expensive for a food that isn't terribly healthy and mostly adds flavor and fat. For us bacon is a "sometimes food". Most of the time I keep an eye on the sales and look for coupons, but sometimes I really luck out. You see, I don't care if my bacon is pretty, or uniform, I just like the flavor so I keep my eyes out for "bacon ends and pieces". Not every store carries them, but if the store you go to cuts their own bacon keep an eye out for it. The ends and pieces are the slices that are too short, too thick or thin, the ends from pieces that are too long, etc. The are whatever is leftover that isn't perfect, but they are still bacon and generally cost half as much as the normal kind. Sometimes you'll get bits that are mostly fat and other times you'll get big hearty bits that are more like ham than bacon. You can either eat them as is and enjoy the variety (which is my favorite way) or chop up the bits you don't like and use them on salad, in omelets, on pizza, etc.

The other tip I have is to save the bacon grease after you cook bacon. All you need is a glass jar that you can keep in the fridge. After you cook your bacon pour off the grease into the jar and save it in the fridge for later. By saving it you are saving it instead of pouring it down the drain you are saving money and your drain at the same time. This may sound silly and a little overly frugal, but bacon grease has a great flavor and can really enhance a lot of dishes and the bacon grease is free (once you've already bought the bacon) while butter, margarine and oil have to be purchased. Instead of scrambling or frying your eggs with a little bit of butter try bacon grease. Then you can get the flavor of bacon without actually making fresh bacon (or eating all those extra calories). It is also great for frying greens, the flavor of the bacon really pairs well with the more bitter greens and can help take the bite out of them. Next time you want an interesting, and cheap, side dish try using some of that bacon grease to fry up potatoes, add a little garlic powder or season salt for a dish that really says "comfort food". There are so many places that using bacon grease in place of butter or oil can enhance the flavor of the meal while cutting the cost just a bit (especially if you use real butter).

How about you? Have you heard of bacon ends and pieces? Do you save your bacon grease for use in later meals? If so what is your favorite use for bacon grease?

{this moment}

2011-02-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

To Be or Not To Be a Princess?

2011-02-16T13:33:00.005-07:00

A couple of days ago a friend linked to this article about how the "princess" culture is taking over for little girls. I shared the link and the dichotomy of the responses was interesting. I have to say, as the mother of a little girl, I feel princesses and pink really are overdone. While I think that the author goes overboard on keeping princesses totally out of her daughter's life I can see where she's coming from. When you find out you are having a little girl you can pretty safely assume that you will be given a plethora of pink clothes unless you specifically request otherwise (and sometimes even then). Your daughter will be called a "princess" by pretty much everyone.
If someone sees her digging in the dirt without a bow in her hair it will be assumed that she is a boy, even if she has pink flowers in her shirt. Random strangers (like the UPS guy) and friends alike will question why you painted the nursery blue if you are expecting a girl. This has caused many of us mothers of daughters to rebel. A part of me honestly wants to say "no pink, no princesses, and no dresses". That said, I then think back to my own childhood and I realize I could never be quite that strict. My bedroom was painted pink, at my insistence, from the time I was 8 until I was 15 or 16 when I decided to repaint it. I loved Cinderella and even dressed as her one year (though I made my own costume out of a junior bridesmaid dress I had, I didn't buy one of the premade Disney ones). While I don't wear dresses often, I will sometimes and they make me feel pretty.

This begs the question of where to draw the line. This is a line that will be different for each family, but one that should be drawn none the less. The easiest place to start drawing the line is with colors. Pink is a great color, especially on a girl like A. who has blond hair, blue eyes and a rosy complection. However, she also looks smashing in blue (to match her eyes), brown, green and even gray. In many ways these colors look even better on her than pink, but pink is the color that most little girls clothes come in. My goal with pink is not to exclude it, but to keep it equal with all the rest of the colors. With the nursery we painted the walls sky blue and did a jungle theme because we knew we were planning on keeping the theme for the next kid and switching A. to a "big girl room" when the time came. After much debate we've decided to paint the room green and have a mix of white and light wood furniture. There will be some pink and brown accents and we are really excited. (I'm hoping to make A. a quilt for her bed that will go with the floral/woodland/garden theme we are choosing, but we'll see how that goes.) Her room will have some pink, but also lots of other colors. The same goes for her clothes, some are pink, some are purple, but some are blue and brown and white too. I don't wear the same color every day so why should she? Pink can be a good color, I'd rather we not all get tired of it before her second birthday.

The next question, in order of ease to answer, is dresses. Dresses are pretty, but they are rarely practical. This is especially true when you are a toddler. I will let A. wear dresses when she wants, but right now she climbs so much that they would be a hindrance (hmm, maybe I should encourage more dresses to make chasing her easier). Right now she likes to run and climb and dig. Dresses are great for more formal occasions, church or other places where she will be sitting still and we have a few just for that, but mostly she wears clothes that she can move and get dirty in.

Now it's time for the hard question, princesses. As a kid I loved the Disney princess movies. I watched Cinderella so many times that I could sing the whole soundtrack and quote most of the words. I loved Beauty and the Beast and wished I was a brunette so I could look like Belle (sometimes I still do). However, this was all when I was older, I was old enough to understand the difference between real life and storybooks. Many of the "princess" themed things on the market today are aimed at toddlers and preschoolers. Little girls that are just beginning to figure out who they are and how the world works. They are just learning how imagination works and pretending to be a character in a story can stifle that. After all, which is more open ended, pretending you are the fairy princess trapped in a tower and playing through the act to see what happens or pretending you are Cinderella going to the ball to find your "happily ever after"? In the first example the prince might rescue the princess, or the princess might get bored waiting and slay the dragon herself, or maybe even rescue the prince. In the second you are pretty much following along with what happened in the movie, sure you might embellish some, but the main plot is already established. The second issue I have with the Disney princesses in particular is the assumption that "happily ever after" is automatic just because you met your prince. In the movies the princes are all one dimensional creatures that have little more than a title and looks to recommend them. Is this the kind of man you want your daughter to marry? Do you want her to assume that simply because she is married that she will never have to work on her relationship, that they will live "happily ever after" no matter what? Should she assume that her "prince" will take care of everything and she'll never have to lift a finger or do her share in the relationship? That's a good way to wind up unhappy and divorced. If you want to point your daughter towards a princess to emulate, why not point her to some of the real life princesses? Many of them have been very strong women who have put duty, honor and country ahead of themselves. They have had their share of sorrow and tragedy along with the pretty dresses and giant parties. They have worked and sacrificed and been strong for themselves and others. Their stories might not be all glitter and gowns, but many of them are wonderful role models for older girls. While we are at it, why not teach our daughters about the many other strong, intelligent women in the world. The women mathematicians during WWII that spent their days calculating the ballistics tables for the army or working on the Manhattan Project. How about the women who were off flying planes or working in factories so that the men could be freed up to fight. Or the many brave women, even today, who keep the home fires burning and the children safe, fed and well mannered while their men are off serving in the military. Why not teach our daughters about Marie Curie, Jane Goodall or the women's rights movement? Princesses are alright in their place (once girls are old enough to understand what that place is), but why should they displace so many better things? I love escaping into a good, fun or just plain fluffy story as much as the next person, but that doesn't change the fact that at the end of the book I have to be fit to return to real life.

I want my daughter to be an intelligent, strong, well rounded, insightful, honest, hardworking, loving women. I want her to be able to earn her daily bread, care for children if she chooses to have them, support herself and her family as needed or be content in the knowledge that staying home can be just as important. I want her to be able to find a good man, or to be able to live life contently on her own if she can't find one that meets her high standards. I want her to be able to act like a lady, while still retaining her own strength. Most importantly, I want her to figure out who she is, not who someone else thinks she should be. Princesses and playing dress-up can help her in this, but I am not convinced that blindly following the princess trend will.

My goal is to push off her exposure to Disney princesses, Dora the Explorer, Barney and Friends, Lightning McQueen, Thomas the Tank Engine, or any other "licensed" characters as long as I can. This isn't to say that I think that these shows and movies are bad (many of them a lot of fun), just that I don't like the idol worship that goes along with them. I hate that toys are sold to the kids instead of the adults. I hate that the goal of marketing is to convince children to pester their parents until the parents give in and buy the latest "it" toy. I also hate the peer pressure that is associated with this. The idea that you are somehow not as good as the next kid if your parents don't buy you a certain thing. This is not what I want to teach my daughter. I don't want her to value things more than people or good character. At some point we will watch Thomas and Friends (assuming I can get over the fact that Ringo Star isn't Mr. Conductor anymore). We will also sit down together and watch Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. But I'd rather wait until she's old enough to understand that it can be just a story on the screen and doesn't need to be a way of life.

Tuesday Tip: A Place For Everything

2011-02-15T12:16:00.005-07:00

A few weeks ago I realized that my living room was never clean. It felt like every time I would pick up the toys A would throw them all over the place again and I'd be back where I had been. Before long I stopped being as careful about picking up my things and putting them away so shoes, water glasses, books, etc were added to the toys. Before long I was overwhelmed and in many ways gave up on a clean living room. I was always stressed and A wasn't terribly happy about it either because with toys all over the floor there wasn't room to play. Finally I realized what was going on and that I needed to get her toys under control. I got DH to help me and right before she went to bed one night we grabbed all of the toys and books out of her room and put them in the living room along with all the toys, books, etc that were out there.

Once A. was safely sleeping we piled up all of her books in one place and all of her toys in another and started sorting. We started with the books because they were the easiest. She has a ton of wonderful books, but many of them have paper pages and she's already torn a couple while looking at the pictures. We sorted out the books that she might hurt from the board books. The books with paper pages we set aside for times that we are reading with her and stacked the board books on the coffee table to be put back in her room so that she could look at them on her own. We then started in on the toys. The toys were harder and really overwhelming. We have always tried to follow the idea of just having a few nice toys instead of a bunch of junk, but the pile was huge. It took up half the free space in the living room!?! We started sorting, first we put all the toys that she had outgrown in a box to save for the baby. At first I worried about this because I hold regular playdates and some of the kids that come are much younger. However, I realized that some of the toys like the felt balls are fun for kids of all ages so the tiny ones would still have something to play with (I was right, at the next playdate the babies loved playing with the balls almost as much as the toddlers). We then set aside the toys that I know A will love when she's a little older, but shows no interest in yet. Every month or so I'll get that box out and see if her tastes have changed, but in the meantime those toys aren't acting as clutter. Also, because they won't have been out the whole time, when she is ready to play with them they will be new and novel so I know she'll love them all the more for it. At that point, with a pile we still felt was giant DH and I went to bed. I figured we'd finish the next day after we'd had a chance to sleep on it.

The next morning A woke up in a great mood and was having a great time playing in her crib so I ran to the living room and started grabbing toys. I started with the books followed by the toys I knew were her favorites and started putting them away in her room. When I was done I pulled her out of her crib and she was enthralled. She would pull toys off the shelves and then put them back!!! I was in shock, I was also surprised how much smaller the pile in the living room looked so I set to finding places for those things as well. In the end we didn't really have to get rid of anything, we just had to set aside the toys she isn't playing with. After we are sure we are done having kids we will obviously give away the toys that our children have outgrown, but right now we know that they will be used again in a few months. In the meantime, one evening of organizing has made a world of difference in our lives. Now that everything has a place A. can help me put away her toys before her nap and before bed. She likes helping us do it and our living room looks a lot nicer now too. The nicest thing though, is that now that all of her toys are accessible and most of the floor is clear at any given time A is happier to play by herself which give me more time to get stuff done. As new toys come into the house old ones will have to be put away or given away so that there is always space, but in the meantime we are all happier and didn't have to make any of the hard decisions I was fearing.

How about you, do you organize your toys or let them take over? I used to let them take over figuring that it would help A find what she was looking for easier if she could see them all. Now I know that, for her at least, it is easier to find something if it is where it belongs. I never expected that of so young a toddler.

Unconditional Love

2011-02-14T13:26:00.002-07:00

I know that for Valentine's Day everyone has love on the mind. I had been thinking about what I wanted to write about, but couldn't think of anything that was really different. I can say "I have the best husband", but I think that most women would say the same of their hubby (at least today). I can tell about how much I love A and the love I have already for the tiny being growing inside me, but those emotions come standard with being a mom. I could even talk about how much I love my pets, how nice it is on a cold night when the dog moves down from the warms spot he's created on the bed next to my pillows to the foot of the bed and then snuggles my feet keeping them warm. I could talk about how our younger cat used to snuggle against my belly when I was pregnant with A. and how he has been enamored with her ever since. But instead of any of those ramblings, I'll tell you about yesterday and thereby get a chance to brag on my little girl. :)

Yesterday afternoon I was tired so I laid down for a nap. My DH, knowing how exhausted I've been lately did a great job of playing quietly with A so I could get some sleep. That was until, about an hour into my nap, A. realized that I wasn't around and after checking the house reasoned that I must be in my room. She ran to the baby gate yelling "Mommy, Mommy", and DH explained that "Mommy is sleeping, let's let her sleep and go play over here." (The yells of "Mommy" had woken me up so I got to hear the whole thing.) A. turned around and went into the kitchen where DH was doing some dishes and started pulling things out of one of the cabinets she's allowed to play in while I rolled over to go back to sleep. Suddenly I heard a squeal of joy and renewed shouts of "Mommy". I cracked an eyelid to see A. running across the living room with a pizza pan which she then proceeded to bang against the medal baby gate in an effort to make as much noise as possible. At that point I couldn't hold back the laugh and she realized that her plan had worked. I got up and came out to pick her up amid squeals of joy. I have to admit that part of me was a little sad to have my nap cut short, but the look of pure joy on her face at seeing me was so amazing it made up for a lot. So did the giant hug and wet kisses I received upon picking up my girl.

To me, moments like that are love personified. They make all the work and frustration that comes with parenting a headstrong toddler worth it. They show just how deep love can be. There was absolutely nothing that A. needed me for at that moment. DH is more than capable of taking care of her. She had a clean diaper, she'd just had a snack and DH plays lots of games with her that I never do. But, all that being said, she wanted me. Not because something was wrong, but because she was having such a great time she wanted to share it with me. Now is that heart melting or what?

Naan

2011-02-13T19:21:00.004-07:00

I'll never forget the first time I had Indian food. I was home from college and my sister decided to drag me out for a girls night with her friends. I was a little worried because Indian food seemed so strange, but I'd had a roommate who'd loved it and my sister tends to have good taste so I figured it was worth a shot. The place we went had two menus, the one in English with descriptions of what each dish was and prices in the $6-$10 range and the one that wasn't in English with prices in the $4-$6 range. I ordered off the second menu and loved the food (though I still don't know exactly what it was I got), especially the naan that came with it.

I always figured naan was one of those specialty breads that was just too hard to make at home and would occasionally buy some from Trader Joe's. Then, while mindlessly watching PBS while attempting to knit a lace shawl Baking With Julia came on and the episode was all about how to make naan. I grabbed the post-it notes and pen from by the phone and wrote frantically. Now when I want Indian food and am feeling kinda lazy on the cooking front I'll make up a batch of naan along with the premade entrees from Trader Joe's and some rice. I rarely remember to do this, but on Friday my sister mentioned that she was making Indian food, but that she'd yet to find a good naan recipe so I emailed her this one. She agreed, it's perfect. Since that conversation I have been craving some myself so today I made a batch. If you want to make a batch too I've included the recipe below.

Naan:
2T. Active Dry Yeast
2 1/2c. Warm Water
Flour, lots of it

Put yeast in a large bowl, add the warm water and stir them together. Slowly add flour (first stirring and then kneading) until it forms a soft, slightly sticky dough. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until it has doubled in size. Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to 500F*. Punch it down, knead it a bit on a heavily floured counter and divide into 4 pieces. Divide each quarter into 4 pieces and knead them a bit more and then roll them into flat, rounds about 1/4" thick. Stab it all over with a fork to keep it from rising up in the oven (this is the main difference between naan and pita bread), sprinkle with water and then add toppings. The original recipe called for salt, green onion and caraway seed. I like garlic salt or onion salt, I'm told that traditionally ghee (or clarified butter) is used too. Put the rounds on your preheated pizza stone and bake for 6 minutes. Enjoy!

I generally do 2-4 at a time because that is what fits on my stone. There is then plenty of time to prep the next ones while those bake.

*Make sure your pizza stone is rated to at least 500F, many are only rated to 400 or 450 and may explode when you put wet dough on them. I think that this is the one I have after I exploded the last one.

ETA: This is now linked to the Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Check it out for lots of tasty recipes.

{this moment}

2011-02-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

Worry

2011-02-10T22:10:00.004-07:00

Now that the cat is out of the bag I can talk freely here about the whole pregnancy thing (yay for me, I'm sorry for you guys especially since "pregnancy brain" makes me ramble more than normal). Right after I found out I was pregnant I joined a bulletin board for women who are due around the same time I am because I couldn't remember what to expect and figured "why not". I try not to spend too much time over there as it can be a real time suck, but it has been really interesting to see what 7,000 odd women have to say about pregnancy. The biggest thing I've noticed is how much everyone (or at least those posting) tends to worry about every little thing. I understand watching what you eat and being cautious about food safety. There are certain types of food poisoning that won't hurt you much, but can harm your unborn child. Pregnancy also lowers your immune system so you are more likely to get sick and being sick and pregnant at the same time is just miserable. I also get not wanting to drink, smoke or put yourself in a dangerous situation, that makes total sense. I even understand the debates over whether or not to get various prenatal testing and the chance that there might be something wrong with the baby. I admit, I worried a ton when I was pregnant with A. and called my midwives at least once a week with questions. (They always reassured me and gave me the "why" behind every recommendation so I could make informed decisions. Midwives rock, or at least these ones do!)

What I don't get are the women worrying because they picked up their toddler before they remembered that someone on the internet told them they shouldn't life more than 20lbs. Toddlers don't stop needing to be held just because you are pregnant and throughout history women have been having more children as soon as their monthly cycle returns during or after weaning their toddler. I don't get the women who are worried because a pot boiled over on the stove and the burner started smoking and they might have breathed some smoke in. It wasn't that long ago that all cooking was done over some sort of fire and in many places it still is. These women continue to have healthy children as long as they can get enough good food themselves. I don't get worrying because you might have to buy some of your child's clothing second hand, honestly a lot of clothing I find at consignment stores and sales is cuter than what I find new. I don't get worrying about stocking up on diapers when you are 2 months pregnant, if money is that much of a concern use cloth or save the money you would spend on diapers now to spend once your baby is here and you know what works for them. I don't get worrying because the ultrasound picture they printed off looks a little strange to you, even though your doctor and the tech said everything is fine. I just don't get it...

I know more deeply than I'd like that stuff can go wrong. I know that losses happen, that babies are born early, that sometimes they aren't perfect. However, I also know that it is very rare that there is any action on my part that can change that. I know that all the bed rest and prayer in the world cannot save a pregnancy doomed to miscarriage. I know that even at 37 weeks a baby can be born still (thankfully I have not had to deal with this one personally, but I have watched a friend go through it). I know that sometimes even the healthiest pregnancy and the most promising labor can end with a seemingly sudden c-section. I know that even a healthy baby can get very sick. I also know that the stuff I worry about probably isn't going to be the thing that goes wrong. Some worry is a good thing. When A. was tiny I was worried that she wasn't gaining weight as well as she should, that worry was justified and thankfully I eventually found doctors who could help me get her back on track. Some worry can help you prepare mentally for the idea that stuff may not go perfectly. But since when has any part of life gone perfectly? I don't know anyone with a "perfect" life once you get below the surface. If you do I'd love to meet them. I do know a ton of families that have happily imperfect lives and love each other and the world right through the hard times.

In the end I feel like we have to let go and have faith that we will be able to handle whatever happens. Sometimes this is really hard. Sometimes talking, praying and meditation are the only things that can get us through when life gets overwhelming. Sometimes even those may not seem to be enough, but if you keep putting one foot in front of the other and doing your best to get through whatever it is you will reach the other end (wherever that end may be). I understand how pregnancy and motherhood bring out the worry. I worry every day that I might not be doing the best for A, for this little one, for my family. But if I spend too much time worrying I won't have time to do my best for them. And in the end, that's all that really matters. As Anne in Anne of Green Gables used to say "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet."

So Excited!

2011-02-09T13:27:00.003-07:00

I'm sure some of you have noticed that I have been rather bad about posting since December. The honest truth is that I got busy prepping for Christmas and then I didn't have the energy. Those of you who are related to me or are friends with me on Facebook have already heard the news, but for those of you who haven't we are expecting our second child!!! We found out right before Christmas, but kept it quiet due to a previous loss. At this point though, everything looks great. I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago to double check the date (good thing we did as I ovulated later than I thought and this bought me an extra week) and then on Monday we were able to hear the heartbeat. I'm going to try to be better about blogging now that I'm getting some energy back, but expect some more blog silence around the end of August ;)

Tuesday Tip

2011-02-08T23:27:00.005-07:00

Over the last year or so I have learned so many wonderful tips and tricks that have made my journey as a mom easier. I don't remember where I got them all, but moms that I have never met have made my life easier and more enjoyable in so many ways. I can't really pay them back, but I want to share some of the little tips I've picked up in hopes of passing on the favor. One of my favorite tips this flu season is for those of us who still have little ones in cribs (though it would work as well on bigger beds too). I don't know about you, but I have a hard time reaching down in the crib to change the bedding, it's especially hard for me because I'm short and we use a wedge under the sheet because A. had reflux as a baby and now has the occasional allergies. The wedge, while useful for her, makes changing the sheets a royal pain for me. I actually will generally pull the mattress out, change the sheets on the floor and then put the whole thing back. While this is a mild annoyance on wash day, it becomes a major pain in the middle off the night if A manages to get her diaper off, throws up or does any of those other things that toddlers are prone to do that requires a quick change of bedding before anyone can go back to sleep. In the middle of A's last bout of sickness I came across the suggestion to sandwich the bedding. What you do is you get several waterproof mattress pads (they make some for cribs that are soft and kinda like thick flannel or felt) and several sheets. You layer them so that there are several sheets on the mattress each separated by a waterproof layer. Then instead of stripping the whole bed at 3am (turning on the lights and swearing under your breath the whole time, or is that just me?) you just have to pull off the top layer and throw it in the wash so you only have to worry about the sick kid, not the clean-up. It's brilliant, I wish I'd thought of it myself.

{this moment}

2011-02-04T11:48:00.003-07:00