All Things G&D

Whole Living Challenge: Preparing for Week 4

2012-02-25T05:00:00.005-06:00

I'm nearing the home stretch! During my 4th (and final!) week of the Whole Living Challenge I get to add animal proteins like chicken and beef, and gluten back into my diet. Oh how I've missed pasta!

As of this Monday here is list of things I can eat:

Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts & Seeds
Plant-Based Oils
Seafood
Beans & Lentils
Tofu
Gluten-Free Grains
Eggs
Chicken
Beef
Gluten (like pasta)

Still on the list of things I cannot eat are all processed foods, sugar, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol.

Le sigh.

One more week and then it's welcome back chardonnay and Starbucks!

This week is actually a much closer representation of how I eat on a regular basis, so I don't anticipate it to be a major struggle. I hope to finish this week, and this Challenge, by continuing to push myself to try new recipes that I'll incorporate into my diet from here on out.

Here's what I'll be eating during Week 4:

My Breakfast Options
Scrambled Eggs (no dairy added)
Green Smoothie*
Green Machine Smoothie*
Avocado, Apple, Celery Green Smoothie**
Mixed Green Smoothie (for Vibrant Skin)
Ginger Orange Smoothie*
Mango Coconut Water Smoothie*
Beet & Carrot Smoothie

My Lunch Options
Leftovers from dinner
Lettuce Salad loaded with veggies, hard-boiled egg, seeds, etc, topped with avocado dressing***
Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds
Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potatoes*
Chickpeas/Brown Rice Veggie Burger
Black Bean & Millet Bowl*
Sweet Potato, Apple, Celery Salad*
Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage & Carrots
Spicy Black Bean Salad*

My Dinner Options
Grilled chicken breast*
Roast beef and veggies*
Shrimp Scampi over Angelhair pasta*
Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto*
Halibut with Sweet Potato Fries & Lime
Broiled Shrimp* (without the breadcrumbs)
Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash* (without the Parmesan)
Carrot Ginger Soup* (sans garnish)
Spiced Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Citrus
Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
Grilled Salmon with Orange Avocado Salsa*
Salt & Pepper Tofu*
Roasted mixed veggies in olive oil (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)*

My Snack Options
Smoothies from my breakfast list
Scrambled Eggs*
Sesame Kale Chips
Roasted Spiced Chickpeas*
Any Bean Dip
Hummus*
Almonds*
Sunflower Seeds*
Oranges/Clementines*
Apple slices*
Sliced veggie sticks*
Almond Butter*

*Things I've already tried that I know I'll like.
**1/2 an avocado, 1/2 a Granny Smith apple, 1 celery stalk (makes 1 smoothie)
***1 avocado, juice from 1 lemon, 1/4 t. lemon zest, 4 basil leaves. Blend or process until smooth and creamy. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Join me, Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, and others on All Things G&D on Facebook as we discuss our ups and downs of the Challenge and share our favorite recipes! I'm also posting my meals and snacks each day for reference. We'd love to hear from you, too!

Baby Things Loved: The First 3 Months

2012-02-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

As first time parents, G and I were incredibly overwhelmed with all the baby products on the market, and since we both tend to be minimalists (G hates spending money and I hate clutter) we really didn't want to end up with things we didn't need. I've been asked over and over again to recommend baby products* that we found the most useful during Kate's first year, so I started taking notes of our favorite must-have items. Since Kate's needs changed so quickly as she grew, I'll be doing a series of posts highlighting our favorite items at various stages of her first year. I hope this helps other first-time parents out there!

Video Monitor
At first I wondered if this was an unnecessary luxury, but once Kate arrived we couldn't imagine not having a video baby monitor. Like sound monitors, we’re able to hear if Kate wakes up and starts fussing, but instead of running up to her room to check on her, all we need to do is glance at the camera to view live video feed of her. We can see if she’s just repositioning herself, if she’s looking for a lovey, or if she really does need our assistance. It even has night vision! This has saved us from endless trips up and down our stairs and nonstop peaks into Kate’s room which could potentially interrupt her sleep. The one we have is Bebe Sounds and it's been great!

Bottle Warmer
Blame it on having a baby born in January in Wisconsin, but Greg and I were pretty diligent about making sure Kate had a warm bottle to drink when she was a newborn.

The stripe on the Pampers diapers
Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive newborn diapers have a light yellow line that runs down the center of the outside of the diaper, and it turns blue when it gets wet. Brilliant! I have to laugh about it now that we’re experts at diaper changes and knowing when Kate’s wet, but as first-time parents we were thrilled to have the guess-work taken out of it for us during those first few weeks.

Pack N Play with a built-in bassinet and elevated changing table
Kate’s Pack N Play was probably the hardest working piece of furniture in our house for the first few months of Kate’s life. We have a two-story house with the nursery being upstairs, so we set up the Pack N Play downstairs in the living room. We had intended to use it for naps and diaper changes when Kate was first born, but we ended up using it for all of Kate’s sleep during her first two months. When we came home from the hospital I quickly realized that getting in and out of our tall bed and going up and down our stairs were two things that were pretty painful to do while recovering from my C-section. At the time, Kate was bottle-feeding (and I was pumping) every 2-3 hours around the clock, so I decided it would be a lot easier for me to sleep downstairs on the couch and have Kate sleep next to me in the Pack N Play…just until I healed. Well I had no idea it would be two months before I could manage the stairs without pain! Luckily our Pack N Play had everything we needed--a bassinette insert so I didn’t have to bend down far to get Kate in and out of it, an elevated changing table which was much easier on our backs than a regular changing table, plus a little diaper and storage caddy on the side.

The Bump Input/Output sheets
We found these sheets extremely helpful for tracking Kate’s fluid intake to make sure she was getting enough to eat--especially once her issues with reflux began, her weight percentiles dropped, and every single ounce mattered. Grandma Pam also found these sheets helpful to track Kate’s bottles and activities on days she took care of Kate during those early months, and it was nice for us to be able to see on paper how Kate’s day went.

Sassy Look Book
This was the first toy that Kate took an interest in. At only three weeks old, I’d hold the book in front of her and she would stare at the black and white images on its pages. When babies are this young there isn’t a whole lot you can do with them when it comes to activities, so it was nice to find something she enjoyed so much. (Interestingly enough, Kate was 7 months old when I wrote this review and this book was still one of her favorite toys!)

Activity Play Mat
Kate didn’t seem to care much for her bouncy chair, and she didn’t take to her swing right away, but the one thing she enjoyed from the start was her Activity Play Mat. She loved laying on it and kicking her feet and waving her hands. I didn’t care for the lights and music in the mat, so I took that insert out and I really don’t think Kate missed it at all. Just the pieces on the mat itself (especially the flaps that make the crinkle sound!) and the toys hanging from the top were all she needed.

Miracle Blanket
We tried a few different swaddle methods when Kate was first born, including swaddling with receiving blankets, muslin, and sleep sacks with Velcro wraps, but the Miracle Blanket was without question the best swaddle method we found. You can find my original review of it here.

Flanel Waterproof Pads
There was no shortage of flannel waterproof pads in our house! We had them in three different sizes to accomodate the Pack N Play, the changing table, and the crib. They are completely flat and during this time I laid them on top of the sheets and Kate slept (or got her diaper changed) directly on them. When they got dirty I just pulled them off and laid another one down. I’ve found switching these out to be significantly easier than changing sheets every day.

Zippered Sleepers
Is there anything more difficult than dressing a newborn? Kate absolutely hated being dressed when she was first born, so the faster we could make the process, the better! We relied pretty heavily on sleepers and one-piece outfits that zipped all the way up (versus ones that had individual snaps).

Kimono/Side-Snap Tops
Along the lines of zippered sleepers, we also found that “kimono” or "side snap" tops were much easier for us to put on Kate than traditional onesies and shirts that we had to pull on over her head. The side-snap t-shirts were great when Kate was a newborn because they didn't disturb her umbilical cord, but once that fell off we switched to side-snap onesies. They are typically a little pricier, but well worth the money during those early days in our opinions.

Baby Leg Warmers

Besides being quite possibly the cutest things ever, we’ve also found leg warmers to be extremely practical for Kate. She had several pairs which she primarily wore for bedtime when it was too cool to wear just a onesie, but too warm to wear a full sleeper. We preferred putting her in legwarmers versus pajama pants because if we needed to do a diaper change in the middle of the night we could easily do it by simply unsnapping the bottom of her onesie versus taking off pants and putting them back on. Leg warmers could also be easily slipped on or off when we checked on Kate at night depending on if she seemed too warm or too cool.

Photo Credit

The Baby Whisperer books
I swear by these parenting books. I started reading the first one (Secrets of The Baby Whisperer) when Kate was about 2 weeks old and it really speaks my language. For the most part it shaped how we took care of Kate--starting with her routine, which the Baby Whisperer calls the "E.A.S.Y." routine: Eat, Activity, Sleep, You Time. It is so simple, yet makes a world of difference. For me it took the guess work out of "Oh, could Kate be hungry right now?" and "When should she be sleeping?" We started her on the routine immediately and I think that's one of the reasons why I found parenting to be easier than I expected. The book helps you learn how to "read" your baby so you can learn her cues, like hunger cries and what your baby looks and sounds like when she's tired or overstimulated. It's been our parenting handbook and I cannot sing its praises enough. The second book (The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems) covers the concepts of the first book in more detail (although I highly recommend still reading the first book first because I think it's a good, basic introduction that's not too overwhelming during those initial weeks). I've read both of these books repeatedly during Kate's first year to keep the information fresh in my head, and to reference when we weren't sure what to do.

Bottle Drying Rack
Nothing fancy here, but it gets the job done! We left it on our countertop next to our sink and it was so helpful to have Kate’s bottle parts close at hand when we needed them.

Reusable Snack Bags from Mada’s Place
My friend Steph makes these super cute, and super convenient reusable snack bags, which were a must-have for my diaper bag. I used them to store Kate’s pacifier and bottle nipples when we were out and about. They’re food safe, so as Kate got older I was also able to use them for her snacks. And the best part is they easily wipe clean or you can toss them in the washing machine for a heavy duty cleaning!

Car Mirror
I loved having this baby mirror set up in the backseat of my car. One slight adjustment of my rearview mirror and I could see how Kate was doing in her car seat. Kate also really liked the little animals that hang from it and she'd give them a big smile every time she got in the car. This mirror also plays music, but we didn’t used that feature much as Kate seemed to prefer the oldies radio station to the kitschy children’s tunes.

Pull Down Car Shades
Forget the bright yellow "Baby on Board" signs--nothing says "baby" like a pair of roller shades in your back windows.

Burp Cloths
They say you can never have enough burp cloths, and they’re not kidding! We had at least 20 and it still didn’t seem like enough on most days. We used cloth diapers for our burp cloths and they worked great.

Car Seat Cover

Kate was born in January in Wisconsin, so a car seat cover was a must-have for her. Ours was a Baby's Cozy World Microfiber & Fleece cover which went over the top of her car seat and stayed put with elastic. It worked great!

Microwave Steam Sterilizer Bags

As new parents we were crazy diligent about sanitizing Kate's bottles, my breast pump parts, etc. to elimintate bacteria and germs. I preferred using sterilizer bags (instead of larger sterilizing units) simply because they take up a lot less space. One sterilizer bag can be used up to 20 times, so they go a long way.

Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat and SnugRider Stroller Frame
After obsessively studying reviews and recommendations, we decided to go with the Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat and stroller frame. There are several different versions of the SnugRide Infant Car Seat--the higher their weight limit, the more expensive they are. We went with the seat that had the lowest weight limit (22 lbs) and saved ourselves a few bucks. It was a great decision in the end because the truth is, no one wants to lug around a 20+ pound infant in a 12+ pound infant seat. That gets heavy quick! You'll transition your infant to a convertible car seat long before they ever hit the 22 lb weight limit for the infant seat, so this is a great place to save yourself some money!

Likewise, we went with the stroller frame that the infant seat can simply snap into (versus those massive and expensive stroller units you see). In addition to being incredibly convenient, it was also very lightweight so I had no problem folding it up and tossing it in the trunk of my (tiny!) car. It was also very easy to maneuver no matter where we went went--the mall, a walk to Target, etc. I really liked how compact it was and wished we could have used it even after Kate outgrew the infant seat. There's really no need for a massive unit. Don't let all those bells and whistles fool you!

This is not an all-inclusive list of the baby things we used during Kate's first three months--simply a highlight of some of our most favorite items and the things I'd most highly recommend. I hope you find it useful as you navigate the baby world for your own little one!

*Disclaimer: These are all products that we enjoyed using for Kate when she was born in 2010. Please consider them a starting off point and do your own research on what's available now before deciding what is best for you and your child.

Whole Living Challenge: Week 2 Wrap-Up

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

My Week 2 of the Whole Living Challenge is over and done, and I'm currently in the middle of Week 3. As you know, this is my second year doing the Challenge and the most common question I've been getting is, "Is it easier for you this time around?"

My response is, "Mostly, yes."

Last year this Challenge introduced such a drastic change to the way I ate. I liked almost none of the ingredients in the selected recipes when I began the Challenge and had to force myself to try all sorts of new flavors and textures and keep an open mind. It was stressful! And way out of my comfort zone! I had awful headaches during the first few days and felt fatigued during much of Week 1 last year...but once I adjusted, I have to admit I'd never felt better. The positive changes I noticed in how I felt and looked were so dramatic that sticking with the Challenge for the next 3 weeks was surprisingly easy for me to do. I didn't want anything to disrupt how good I was feeling!

This year, despite some early anxieties, I'm finding that repeating this experience isn't quite as stressful and overwhelming as it was for me last year. I had continued many of the changes I made during last year's Challenge throughout the year, so attempting another version of the Challenge this year wasn't as big of a stretch. I was already familiar with--and even liked!--many of the allowed foods, so in that regard things were much easier for me this time around.

On the flip side, I haven't experienced those same dramatic changes in how I feel this year like I did last year. In fact, short of having to resist a few temptations here and there, I haven't really felt that much differently during this year's Challenge as I normally do. On one hand that's a good thing because it tells me that I've actually been doing a pretty good job of eating healthily and making good choices for my body. But on the other hand, it makes it so much harder for me to resist my vices--wine and Starbucks!

To recap, the following are off-limits throughout this three week (and bonus 4th week) detox plan: processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye), caffeine, and alcohol. In addition, food options for Week 2 are limited to only the following: seafood, tofu, beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, plant-based fats/oils, and spices.

One of my overall goals for doing this Challenge is to push myself to try new foods and recipes. The following is a list of new foods I tried for the first time during Week 2:

Currants
Red Pepper
Red Onion
Cucumber

And these are the new recipes I tried:

Detox Salad from Whole Foods (good on-the-go option)
Salt & Pepper Tofu (Love!)
Minty Pea Dip (not bad)
Spicy Black Bean Salad (Didn't like at first, but it grew on me)
Tofu Eggless Salad from my local co-op's deli
Salmon with Orange-Avocado Salsa (really liked!)
Ginger Orange Smoothie (delicious)

Lastly, here is a log of what I ate (and drank) during Week 2:

DAY 8
7am: Hot water with lemon
8:30am: Green Machine Smoothie (kale, parsley, pineapple & mango)
9am: Cup of detox tea
11am: Detox Salad from the Whole Foods salad bar (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, raisins, currants, sunflower seeds, lemon juice, water, parsley, kelp granules, sea salt, and pepper)
2:30pm: Salt & Pepper Tofu, homemade hummus and sweet potato chips

(My Day 8 ended with a surprise from G--he booked an appointment for me to have 90 minute hot stone massage in honor of completing Week 1! It was the best surprise!)

DAY 9
7am: Hot water with lemon
8:30am: The other half of my Green Machine Smoothie from yesterday (kale, parsley, pineapple & mango), and a cup of tea
12:30am: Leftover Salt & Pepper Tofu
3pm: Clementine
5pm: Handful of nuts
8pm: Roasted broccoli, and sweet potato chips with hummus

DAY 10
7am: Hot tea with lemon
8:30am: Cup of detox tea
9:30am: Blue Smoothie (blueberries, banana, and orange juice)
12pm: Lettuce salad topped with carrots, red cabbage, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and avocado dressing on the side
5:30pm: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana, green apple)
8pm: Broiled Shrimp and Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

DAY 11
7am: Hot water with lemon
8:30am: Tea with soy milk
11am: Leftover Broiled Shrimp
12pm: A handful of nuts
3pm: Carrot sticks with Minty Pea Dip
5:45pm: Roasted Chickpeas
7:45pm: Spicy Black Bean Salad

DAY 12
7am: Cup of hot water with lemon
8:30am: Blue Smoothie (blueberries, banana & orange juice) and a cup of tea
10:30am: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana & green apple) & a clementine
12:30pm: Spicy Black Bean Salad & Tofu Eggless Salad from my local co-op's deli
5pm: Sweet potato chips and hummus
7:45pm: Salmon with Orange-Avocado Salsa (I broiled the salmon and left out the bok choy)

DAY 13
8am: Ginger Orange Smoothie with chia seeds
9am: Tea
10am: Handful of almonds and cashews
11:30pm: Carrot Ginger Soup
2:30pm: Homemade sweet potato chips and hummus
6pm: Carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber slices, steamed shrimp, and (look away!) chardonnay

We had a friend's birthday party this night, and all things considered I think I did SUPER well. I avoided the birthday cake, apple strudel, hamburgers, cheese & sausage platter, crackers, chips, taco dip, fried chicken wings, reuben bites, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, etc...and stuck to the veggie tray (sans dip) and the shrimp cocktail (sans sauce) which was supposed to be an appetizer but I made it my entree. But yeah. I had some chardonnay to go with it all. Wine is my Achilles heel!

DAY 14
8am: Cup of hot water with lemon
9am: Green Machine Smoothie (kale, parsley, pineapple, mango)
12pm: Spicy Black Bean Salad with 1/2 an avocado added
2pm: Carrot Ginger Soup
3:30pm: Veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper) with hummus
5:30pm: Leftover Salmon with Orange-Avocado Salsa, (nondairy) mashed potatoes, and broccoli with hummus.

For those of you still considering trying the Whole Living Challenge, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

Join myself, Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, and others on All Things G&D on Facebook as we discuss our ups and downs of the Challenge and share our favorite recipes! I'm also posting each of my meals and snacks for reference. We'd love to hear from you, too!

Flowers & Plaid

2012-02-20T05:00:00.005-06:00

I love seeing Kate decked out in her favorite plaid coat (that she insists on wearing everywhere) and this cute striped flower hat. It reminds me of a line from her favorite book, "I'm Gonna Like Me" by Jamie Lee Curtis:

I'm gonna like me
wearing flowers and plaid.
I have my own style
I don't follow some fad.

Kate loves this book maybe even more than she loves her plaid coat. We read it almost every night (at her request) and she's to the point now where she has most of the pages memorized and she "reads" it to us!

It's a book about self-esteem told through the eyes of a little girl and boy who remind themselves they're still going to like themselves no matter what. It's such a great read and the pictures are fantastic. If you don't already have this book, it's an absolute MUST BUY for your children.

The line above was the very first line she memorized and started quoting, and I beamed with pride when I first heard her say it.

That's my girl.

Kate: 24 Months

Whole Living Challenge: Preparing for Week 3

2012-02-18T05:00:00.001-06:00

During Week 3 of the Whole Living Challenge I get to add eggs and gluten-free grains (like brown rice, quinoa, and millet) back into my diet. WooHoo, welcome back carbs!

As of this Monday here is list of things I can eat:

Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts & Seeds
Plant-Based Oils
Seafood
Beans & Lentils
Tofu
Gluten-Free Grains
Eggs

Still on the list of things I cannot eat are all processed foods, sugar, gluten, dairy, beef, poultry, caffeine, alcohol and Starbucks...although, I have a confession to make: I have a "Cheat Day" planned for Week 3.

I know, I know, it is SO NAUGHTY of me!!

Here's the deal: The 84th Annual Academy Awards air on Sunday night...which also means I'm hosting my 3rd annual Oscar Party! Wine must be drank, people. It must.

Besides, it's the very last day of Week 3, which also means--technically, it could be the very last day of my Challenge if I wanted it to be (It's a "21 Day Challenge" this year with an optional bonus week added to make it 28 days). I could guzzle wine all day on Monday if I wanted to! What difference does a handful of measly hours make?!

(I can justify nearly anything--especially when it comes to wine.)

Although I will be cheating on my green smoothies with (organic!) chardonnay, I still plan to eat healthily and not go on an all-out binge fest. That sounds like a good compromise, right?

Here's what I'll be eating (when I'm not cheating) during Week 3:

My Breakfast Options
Scrambled Eggs (no dairy added)
Green Smoothie*
Green Machine Smoothie*
Avocado, Apple, Celery Green Smoothie**
Mixed Green Smoothie (for Vibrant Skin)
Ginger Orange Smoothie
Mango Coconut Water Smoothie*
Beet & Carrot Smoothie

My Lunch Options
Leftovers from dinner
Lettuce Salad loaded with veggies, hard-boiled egg, seeds, etc, topped with avocado dressing***
Chickpeas/Brown Rice Veggie Burger
Black Bean & Millet Bowl
Sweet Potato, Apple, Celery Salad*
Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage & Carrots
Spicy Black Bean Salad

My Dinner Options
Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto
Halibut with Sweet Potato Fries & Lime
Broiled Shrimp* (without the breadcrumbs)
Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash* (without the Parmesan)
Carrot Ginger Soup* (sans garnish)
Spiced Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Citrus
Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
Grilled Salmon with Orange Avocado Salsa
Salt & Pepper Tofu*
Roasted mixed veggies in olive oil (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)*

My Snack Options
Smoothies from my breakfast list
Scrambled Eggs
Sesame Kale Chips
Roasted Spiced Chickpeas*
Any Bean Dip
Hummus*
Almonds*
Sunflower Seeds*
Oranges/Clementines*
Apple slices*
Sliced veggie sticks*
Almond Butter*

*Things I've already tried that I know I'll like.
**1/2 an avocado, 1/2 a Granny Smith apple, 1 celery stalk (makes 1 smoothie)
***1 avocado, juice from 1 lemon, 1/4 t. lemon zest, 4 basil leaves. Blend or process until smooth and creamy. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Join me, Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, and others on All Things G&D on Facebook as we discuss our ups and downs of the Challenge and share our favorite recipes! I'm also posting my meals and snacks each day for reference. We'd love to hear from you, too!

Kate: 21 Months

2012-02-17T05:00:00.025-06:00

Kate: 21 Months

I really need to catch up on Kate’s monthly posts, so bear* with me as we take a little stroll down memory lane. This lane in particular takes us all the way back to Halloween. (Almost like time travel—but without the DeLorean.)

Kate was supposed to be a ladybug for Halloween—a costume she picked out weeks prior and had been happily wearing around the house since she got it. But of course, in typical toddler fashion, on Halloween night she refused to put it on. Our original plan was to just take her around to say hi to the neighbors (and later eat all her candy) but since she didn’t get dressed up there was really no reason to go out. Instead we all stayed home and she helped hand out candy to trick-o-treators—a task she ended up LOVING far more, I’m sure, than collecting candy for her parents. Every time the doorbell rang she ran squealing to the door shouting, "Kids are here! Kids are here!" and when we opened the door she'd say, "Trick or Treat!" and "Happy Halloween!" It was the cutest thing! She then insisted on standing in the doorway and waving goodbye to everyone as they left, shouting, "Bye kids! Bye, kids!" Oh, it was hysterical! This little 1-1/2 year old waving and calling, "Bye kids! Bye kids!" to groups of kids five, six, seven times older than her as they were leaving our cul de sac—like she's some kind of little old lady! It totally cracked me up.

Something else that’s been cracking us up this month is that Kate has taken to “tap dancing” everywhere she goes. Kate’s Great Aunt Anne (a.k.a. “Mimi”) was in town for a visit, meeting Kate for the first time. Mimi enjoys tap dancing as a hobby and she dazzled Kate when she showed her a little dance. Ever since then Kate’s been shuffling around the house, doing her version of “tap dancing like Mimi.” I laugh every time! Especially when she breaks into her little tap dancing moves while in mid-walk, taps a few feet on her way to her destination, and then continues walking as if nothing happened.

She’s got personality, this one.

Speaking of her personality, I’ve been meaning to document a few qualities about her that are pretty dominant, but may not seem apparent when I write about her. I document a lot of the funny and creative things she does, but Kate is also incredibly cautious and observant. In pretty much every environment other than home, Kate prefers to hang out with me or G (either sitting on our lap, or us holding her) until she “warms up” to the room. We allow her as much time as she needs, and when she decides she’s ready she’ll get down and play or explore. Before joining a group of other kids, she’ll hang back and assess the situation; see how the other kids are playing, and decide if that feels like a good fit for her. For example, some kids see a bouncy house and they can’t tear into it fast enough. Kate sees a bouncy house and she’ll get excited, want to go over and look at it (with me or G by her side, typically) and then she’ll hang back and watch the other kids and decide which kids she’s comfortable being in the bouncy house with, and which kids she’s not. She has always been highly attuned to her surroundings, and this observant and cautious nature of hers seems to be an extension of that. I never push her to join the group or get in the middle of the action because, frankly, I don’t want her to ever lose this quality. It’s something I absolutely love about her. Some may view her as clingy or shy, but G and I know better—she’s an incredibly outgoing little girl, who also values her personal space and knows her comfort zone. It’ll be interesting to see if she retains these qualities as she ages (I’m looking at you, teenage years).

Another quality about Kate that blows my mind is her incredible memory. We can tell her the word for an object, and she’ll never forget it. You could say something in front of her once, and she’ll bust it out a week or two later. Two of my favorite things I heard her say out of the blue this month:

“Uh-oh spaghettios”
“Okey-dokey artichokey.”

More cuteness…Kate mastered saying her alphabet last month, but now she finishes it singing, “Now I know my ABCD’s…” and adds the extra letter in there. G and I tried correcting her for awhile, but she’s made up her mind—they’re her “ABCD’s.” Case closed.

Other songs Kate enjoys singing are “Happy Birthday” (it was G’s birthday this month so I taught it to her; now no matter whose birthday it is, Kate always sings, “Happy birthday to Daddy!”), “Ring Around the Rosie” and, “Twinkle Little Star.”

I also love listening to her mimic us as she pretend plays with her stuffed animals. She’ll put Puppy in the highchair of her play kitchen, put a spoon to Puppy’s mouth and say:

“Puppy eat.”
“Try it!”
“No?”
“Okay.”

Kate loves her play kitchen. Other current favorite things include her playhouse outside (she’s playing at it in the picture above), her B. Snug Bug toys, climbing up on furniture or the ladders at the playground, trucks (she loves watching the garbage and the mail trucks when they come) and making lists.

Yep, you read that right.

One of Kate’s favorite activities right now is to ask for a pen and a pad of paper, and then she pretends to scribble on it and will tell you, “I’m making a list.”

That’s my girl!

Kate also says “goodbye” to everything— the swings at the park, all the kids at daycare (“goodbye friends!”), “goodbye playground!”, “goodbye milk!” It’s comically obsessive, and it actually comes in handy when we’re transitioning her from one activity to the next (“Kate, say goodbye to the bath water. It’s time for bed.”)

We’re starting to be a little more consistent with sitting Kate on the potty. She first sat on the potty at 15 months old after showing interest, and peed in the potty a few times, and even pooped in it once. At the time Greg and I weren’t consistent with putting her on there and eventually she lost interest and stopped asking**. More recently, however, Kate seems ready to give the potty another shot, so we’re trying to do a better job of giving her a few minutes of potty time throughout the day. The first time I put her back on the potty—after a couple of months of not being on it—she cried and wanted off. I was kicking myself for not sticking with potty times back when she was younger and wanting to be on it! I tried putting her on the potty a few more times over the next few days and each time she seemed more and more upset about being on there. The last thing I wanted was for her to start associating the potty as a negative thing, so to turn it around I decided to offer her her very first lollipop (this is the kind I buy). I explained that it was a “potty pop” and she only got to lick on it while she sat on the potty. It did the trick! Kate quickly went back to enjoying her potty time.

One day shortly after that Kate told me she wanted to use the potty, so off to the bathroom we went. “Lollipop?” she asked, and I gave her one. “Red pajama book?” she asked, and I sat down on her little stepstool in front of the potty and read her current favorite book. This has now become the potty routine in our house. We’ve yet to have success with her peeing or pooping in the potty again, but at this point I’m just glad she no longer has the negative association and we’re able to gradually work on making potty time a regular part of her day.

Video time! This first one is a clip of Kate's "regular" dancing:

And here's a video of her "tap dancing" like Mimi:

Playing with Daddy and being turned "upside down!" (one of her favorite things this month):

Here's a clip of her talking on my iPhone. She likes to pretend she's talking to my friend Jill, which I always find funny because the truth is Jill and I never talk on the phone (we're texters). In this clip she says she's "talking to Jill" and then she carries out both sides of their conversation:

"Hello."
"Hi."
"How are you?"
"Good."

This last video is simply of Kate and I hanging out in her room on one of our Momdays. I really wanted to capture her just being herself and this video does exactly that. You're welcome to take this peek into these precious 8 minutes of our lives.

*Is it “bear” or “bare” in this context? I can never remember. Although I’m pretty sure I’m not asking you to get naked with me, so we’ll stick with “bear.”
**Dammit

Whole Living Challenge: Week 1 Wrap-Up

2012-02-15T05:00:00.004-06:00

I'm happy to report that Week 1 of the Whole Living Challenge was much easier for me this year! Last year, when I first tried doing it I had awful headaches for the first couple of days while the toxins left my body and I adjusted to my new diet. I also remember feeling very fatigued. This year, thankfully, I felt great pretty much from the start!

To recap, the following are off-limits throughout this three week (and bonus 4th week) detox plan: processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye), caffeine, and alcohol. In addition, food options for Week 1 are limited to only the following: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, plant-based fats/oils, and spices.

My goals for Week 1 were to start off each morning with a cup of hot water with a squeeze of lemon, stick to liquids in the morning, and try to go raw until dinner. I did great with this for the most part, but had leftover cooked food for lunch on Saturday and Sunday (not raw).

One of my overall goals for doing this Challenge was to push myself to try new foods and recipes. The following is a list of new foods I tried for the first time this week:

Alfalfa Sprouts
Chia Seeds
Mango
Coconut Water
Cranberries (dried)

And these are the new recipes I tried this week:

Sweet Potato, Celery, Apple Salad (I really liked it!)
Roasted broccoli and cauliflower (Yum)
Green Machine Smoothie (I'm not sure I like the pineapple in it)
Mango Coconut Water Smoothie (Loved!)
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Herbs (It was okay; a little salty)

I was very relieved to discover that Week 1 wasn't as hard for me this time around as it was last year, but I still faced some challenges. I found it easier to stay on track throughout the work week, but by Saturday and Sunday I was really fighting food temptations and cravings. Seeing G bust into a bag full of chips, Kate enjoying her Sunday morning waffles with creamy butter and delicious maple syrup, spending an afternoon making chocolate-covered marshmallow pops for Kate's Valentine's Day exchange at daycare--it was all nearly too much! Lucky for me I have a stellar support system on my All Things G&D Facebook page, and knew I could turn to the girls who are doing this right along with me whenever I needed support, inspiration, or to just vent!

The greatest benefit I experienced from Week 1 is an improvement in my energy levels from the very beginning. I had good, even energy all day long and didn't feel like I needed to take an afternoon nap (I'd been so sluggish in the afternoons leading up to this Challenge). I remember feeling really fatigued last year during Week 1, but this time around I even had enough energy to stick with my usual workouts. I had to tone it down slightly for my BodyPump (strength-training) class on Tuesday night (Day 2) because I got a little dizzy between tracks, but for the rest of the week I managed to get a couple of 3 mile runs in and do another BodyPump class on Saturday morning with no adjustments to my usual routine needed.

One crazy random thing I noticed this week is that my sense of smell has been off the charts! (That's got to be an evolutionary thing, right? You're hungry, so suddenly your nose can smell the slightest hint of food a mile away?) I went to the gym on Tuesday night (Day 2) and when I got out of my car I nearly passed out over the deliciously overwhelming smell of food that hit me like a 2x4 across my face. It smelled like the most amazing thing in the whole wide universe. I soon realized what it was:

FRENCH FRIES?!

I was seething mad as I scanned the parking lot looking for the culprit, and had a hunger hissy fit when I found it.

"WHO THE F*#% PUTS A BW3's NEXT TO A GYM?!!"

Here's the deal: I'm pretty sure that BW3's was there before my gym was even built. It's been there all along. I see it every single time I go to the gym, twice a week for the last two years...but Tuesday was the first time I smelled it.

It smelled like how I want my birthday to smell if birthdays got scents.

And I don't even like BW3's french fries.

See what I'm saying here? Super random, crazy, Spidey-sense smell. Evolution might have given it to me to keep me alive, but really it almost caused a parking lot massacre.*

To wrap it up, here's a log of what I did eat throughout the week (please note the absence of french fries on Day 2):

DAY 1
7am: Hot water with lemon
8am: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana, green apple)
9am: Cup of detox tea
12:30pm: Lettuce salad loaded with shredded red cabbage, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and homemade avocado/lemon dressing.
2:30pm: A handful of almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds, and a cup of tea.
5:30pm: The rest of my Green Smoothie from this morning.
7:30pm: Garlicky Butternut Squash

DAY 2
7am: Hot water with lemon
8am: Cup of detox tea
8:30am: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana & green apple) and a clementine.
11:30am: Sweet Potato, Celery, Apple Salad
12:30pm: Handful of nuts
4pm: Another bowl of Sweet Potato, Celery, Apple Salad and another handful of nuts.
8:15pm: Carrot Ginger Soup, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower

DAY 3
7am: Hot tea with lemon
9am: Green Smoothie and a cup of detox tea
10am: Clementine
1pm: Lettuce salad topped with sprouts, carrots, red cabbage, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and avocado dressing on the side
5:45pm: Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
7:45pm: Bowl of Carrot Ginger Soup

DAY 4
7am: Hot water with lemon
8:45am: Green Machine Smoothie (kale, lettuce, parsley, pineapple, mango, and ginger)
9:30am: Clementine
12pm: A handful of nuts and the rest of my Sweet Potato, Celery, Apple Salad.
5:30pm: Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
7:45pm: Carrot Ginger Soup

DAY 5
7am: Cup of hot water with lemon
8am: Cup of detox tea
9am: The rest of my Green Machine Smoothie from yesterday (kale, lettuce, parsley, mango, pineapple, and ginger)
12pm: Lettuce salad with carrots, red cabbage, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and avocado dressing, and a clementine.
2:30pm: Apple slices and a handful of nuts
7:30pm: Garlicky Butternut Squash

DAY 6
8am: Cup of hot water with lemon
9:30am: Mango Coconut Water Smoothie
12:30pm: Leftover Garlicky Butternut Squash
4:30pm: Carrot Ginger Soup and a cup of detox tea
7:30pm: Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Herbs, and a trail mix of almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries

DAY 7
7:00am: Cup of hot water with lemon
8:00am: Mango Coconut Water Smoothie
11am: Leftover Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Herbs
12:30pm: An apple and a trail mix of almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries
2:30pm: A clementine
7:45pm: A heaping plate of roasted veggies

For those of you still considering trying the Whole Living Challenge, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

*I would've plead not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. Every woman on the jury would've nodded in understanding, I bet.

Join myself, Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, and others on All Things G&D on Facebook as we discuss our ups and downs of the Challenge and share our favorite recipes! I'm also posting each of my meals and snacks for reference. We'd love to hear from you, too!

Marshmallow Pops

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

I planned to make the always popular cake pops as Valentine's Day treats for Kate's daycare class tomorrow, but we recently discovered that one of the kids in her class has an egg allergy, so I had to change my plans. I decided to go a much easier route and make these marshmallow pops instead!

Ingredients
Large Marshmallows
Dipping Chocolate
Sprinkles
Lollipop sticks
Baggies & Twist Ties (Optional)

Directions
Melt your dipping chocolate in the microwave according to package directions. Be sure to use chocolate that is meant for dipping or candy coating (not chocolate chips). Stick a lollipop stick in the bottom of a marshmallow and dip the top of it in the melted chocolate.

The chocolate will slide down the sides of the marshmallow a bit, so you do not need to dip it very deep into the chocolate--about a quarter of the way is good.

Pour sprinkles in a bowl. Hold your chocolate-covered marshmallow over the bowl and use your fingers to pick up the sprinkles and drop them over your marshmallow. (Do not dip the chocolate-covered marshmallow into the bowl of sprinkles; it'll make a big ol' chocolate mess.)

I have a rectangular piece of Styrofoam that I stick the pops in until their chocolate coating dries (you can also refrigerate them to speed up the drying process):

Once the chocolate coating dries, I like to cover them in little candy baggies and seal with a twist tie.

To finish, I tossed them in heart-covered treat bags along with little Valentine's notes for each child.

These marshmallow pops made a quick and easy way to surprise Kate's friends with a fun little treat this Valentine's Day!

Whole Living Challenge: Preparing for Week 2

2012-02-11T05:00:00.004-06:00

During Week 2 of the Whole Living Challenge I get to add high-quality protein back into my diet, meaning seafood, beans, lentils, and organic tofu—woot! Although I’m wishing I could substitute chips for lentils, I have to admit it’s nice to have a few more options for my meals. As of this Monday here is list of things I can eat:

Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts & Seeds
Plant-based oils (like olive oil)
Spices
Seafood
Beans & Lentils
Tofu

Still on the list of things I cannot eat are all processed foods, sugar, gluten, dairy, beef, poultry, caffeine, alcohol and (saddest of all) Starbucks. But! One of the tenets of Whole Living is to focus more on what you should eat, and less on what you shouldn’t, so enough whining about how much I miss my latte—let’s get down to this week’s menu!

The good news is I still have a lot of groceries left over from last week which means I can carry over some of last week’s recipes and save on this week’s grocery bill! Shopping for last week put quite the dent in my wallet, but I was happy to see I spent about 70% less shopping for the few additional things I needed this week.

My Breakfast Options
I’m going to continue with my smoothie options from last week:
Green Smoothie*
Green Machine Smoothie*
Avocado, Apple, Celery Green Smoothie**
Mixed Green Smoothie (for Vibrant Skin)
Ginger Orange Smoothie
Mango Coconut Water Smoothie
Beet & Carrot Smoothie

My Lunch Options
Leftovers from dinner
Lettuce Salad loaded with veggies, seeds, etc, topped with avocado dressing***
Sweet Potato, Apple, Celery Salad*
Celery Root, Kale, Avocado Slaw
Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage & Carrots
Spicy Black Bean Salad

My Dinner Options
Roasted mixed veggies in olive oil (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)*
Roasted fish fillets (salmon, cod, etc.)
Broiled Shrimp* (without the breadcrumbs)
Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash* (without the Parmesan)
Carrot Ginger Soup* (sans garnish)
Spiced Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Citrus
Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
Grilled Salmon with Orange Avocado Salsa
Salt & Pepper Tofu

My Snack Options
Smoothies from my breakfast list
Sesame Kale Chips
Minty Pea Dip
Roasted Spiced Chickpeas*
Any Bean Dip
Hummus*
Almonds*
Sunflower Seeds*
Oranges/Clementines*
Apple slices*
Sliced veggie sticks*
Almond Butter*

*Things I've already tried that I know I'll like.
**1/2 an avocado, 1/2 a Granny Smith apple, 1 celery stalk (makes 1 smoothie)
***1 avocado, juice from 1 lemon, 1/4 t. lemon zest, 4 basil leaves. Blend or process until smooth and creamy. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Join me, Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, and others on All Things G&D on Facebook as we discuss our ups and downs of the Challenge and share our favorite recipes! I'm also posting my meals and snacks each day for reference. We'd love to hear from you, too!

My 2012 Resolutions

2012-02-10T05:00:00.002-06:00

So far in 2012, I’ve sacrificed my eyebrows to a mall kiosk, showed my ass on Bourbon Street, and sprouted a cold sore so large Kate called it “Mommy’s beard.”

Hard to top all that, right?

I should probably just close the books on 2012 now and end on this high note…but I think I’ve got more in me.

Last year I resolved to find more time for blogging, and that didn’t work out so hot, considering no matter how hard I looked I couldn’t find more than 24 hours in a day. This year I’m focusing on a different blog-related goal:

1. I will finally finish all the blog posts I currently have saved in my "drafts" folder.

I have all sorts of compelling stuff in draft form, just sitting there waiting to be finalized and published. I really need to get on that. (And you really need to excuse the fact that some of these may be dated.) Here’s just a sampling of things I resolve to write about before this year is over:

My girls getaway to Florida (*cough*last fall*cough*)
My organized entryway closet (thrilling stuff)
A super cute writing desk I refinished last summer
Kate’s cleft palate repair (this one’s looking like a 5-parter)
All my favorite baby products (before I start forgetting)
Kate’s nickname(s)
A little something I've titled “All My Friends Are Whores”

I also need to catch up on Kate’s monthly posts, and maybe even toss in a fashion post or two. This girl's got a lot of writing to do!

2. Run 500 miles.
I feel like I need to up my game in the running department, so I'm increasing my annual running goal from 400 miles/year to 500 miles. I'm off to a slow start (I've only ran 37 miles so far this year) but I tend to increase my mileage quite a bit once winter is over. It'll be a challenge for sure, but I really hope to hit my 500 miles!

3. Give yoga a try.
I've been reluctant to try yoga, but something tells me it might be the perfect stepping stone for me on my bumpy road to self-actualization.

4. Can peaches.
I used to spend summers canning fruits and vegetables with my mom, and I'd really like to get back into it. Kate loves peaches and would be thrilled to enjoy them all year round, so this summer my plan is to begin there.

5. See most of the movies nominated for a Best Picture Oscar before the awards show airs on February 26th.
This is one resolution I better be checking off my list soon! So far I've seen The Help, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Midnight in Paris, and Moneyball. I'd still like to see The Descendants, and The Artist before Oscar Night (my favorite night of the year!) and I'll be a happy girl!

6. Complete the 2012 Whole Living Challenge.
I'm almost through Week 1, so so far so good. Only three more weeks to go and I'll be able to cross this one off my list as well!

So there you have it--my 2012 resolutions in writing for all the world to see! Feel free to hold me accountable to these if you see me slacking off over these next 10 months.

What are your goals for this year? Any progress so far?

2011: My Year of Awesomeness

2012-02-08T05:00:00.001-06:00

Speaking of goals, let’s take a look back at my 2011 resolutions, shall we?

1. Be on time.

As I stated in my 2011 Resolutions Check-In, this isn't exactly my strength. Case in point:

It’s February 8th and I’m just now wrapping up my 2011.

In fact, that’s not entirely true since I still have pictures from the last two months of 2011 to organize and upload to my “2011” photo album. And I still need to finish Kate’s 21, 22, and 23 Month posts (Mom of the Year!) from last year. And guess what. I still need to write about Kate’s cleft palate repair surgery—from 2010!

CLEARLY NOT ON TIME!

I cannot in good conscious give myself credit for this one. I will instead audit the course and give myself an A for effort—in life.*

2. Run 400 miles.

BAM! How you like me now?!

Okay, really, I shouldn’t be talking trash because I barely squeaked this one out. And considering I even trained for (and completed—woot!) my first half-marathon, it’s actually a little pathetic that I didn’t log more miles than this.

Meh. I’m giving myself another A on this one.

I grade on a curve.

3. Find more time for blogging.

Let’s let the numbers do the talking here:

Number of posts published in 2010: 112
Number of posts published in 2011: 96

WINNING!

(And by “winning!” I mean “sucking at life.” Same as Charlie Sheen.)

If my 2011 resolutions had been (1) getting shit done whenever I get around to it, (2) completing my first half marathon, (3) writing 96 charming and witty blog entries; 93 of which are about my daughter, and (4) visting Starbucks so often they give me a gold card...well, there just wouldn’t be any room for improvement, now would there? And I’m all about self-improvement!

Stay tuned for my 2012 goals. We’ll revisit this topic.

*Although as previously stated, really I set this resolution with the goal of not being late to meetings and appointments and I totally kicked ass in those two categories.

My solution was to simply schedule fewer meetings and appointments.

Whole Living Challenge: My Goals

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning to all my fellow Whole Living 28 Day Challengers, curious onlookers, and everyone else smartly sitting back to see how all this plays out before attempting it themselves. Today is Day 1 for me and I started it sipping on a cup of hot water with lemon, followed by my favorite green smoothie:

I like to drink my smoothie out of a martini glass.
Because I can.

As I've said before, Week 1 is by far the hardest, so it helps to stay focused on your goals. Here's why I'm doing this:

After the holidays, Kate's birthday party, and my surprise trip to New Orleans, my 80/20 plan has turned into more of a 70/30 plan--or (eek!) maybe even more of a 60/40 plan. The biggest reason I'm doing this is to get my nutrition back on track so I can continue setting a healthy example for my daughter.
To challenge myself to break out of my comfort zone and try new foods and recipes.
To shake off these winter lazies, and head into spring feeling refreshed, healthy, and energized!

What are your goals for this month?

Pepperoni Chili

2012-02-05T08:45:00.001-06:00

I like chili.

I don't like sausage.

I do, however, love pepperoni. So when I searched for a chili recipe on my All Recipes app while at the grocery store, and found that the highest rated one called for sausage, I wrinkled my nose and made a game time decision to swap it out for pepperoni.

Speaking of game time, this chili is the perfect recipe to enjoy on your Super Bowl Sunday! (Or any lazy winter afternoon for that matter.) It's hearty, has a spicy little kick to it, and it won me first place in my office chili cook-off last year. (Check that off the bucket list!)

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
7 oz pepperoni
(2) 64 oz bottles tomato juice
2 cans black beans (drained)
2 cans chili beans in spicy sauce
18 oz tomato paste
4 cubes beef boullian
1/2 c. light beer
3 T. chili powder
2 T. worcestershire sauce
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. hot sauce
1½ t. cumin
1 t. basil
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. paprika
1 t. white sugar

Toppings (Optional)
Cheese
Tortilla chips

Brown ground beef in large stockpot, drain. Add rest of the ingredients (besides toppings).

Check out all those yummy, gorgeous spices.

Stir to blend. Simmer at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

The longer is simmers the better it tastes!

Serve with your favorite toppings.

Note: This recipe makes a lot of chili! I use my 8 quart stockpot and it nearly fills it up. When I make it for just the three of us I always scoop out half and freeze it to enjoy another time. Of course, the recipe could always be halved, as well.

(Adapted from this recipe.)

Whole Living Challenge: Preparing for Week 1

2012-02-03T05:00:00.009-06:00

I start my 2nd annual Whole Living Challenge on Monday, and if I learned anything from doing it last year, it's that preparation is key.

My recipe for success is to chop as many ingredients ahead of time as I can, make a batch or two of soup on the weekend to have on-hand throughout the week, and always, always, always have all my food planned out and prepared for the next day before I go to bed at night.

The following are off-limits throughout this three week (and bonus 4th week) detox plan: processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye), caffeine, and alcohol. In addition, food options for Week 1 are limited to only the following: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, plant-based fats/oils, and spices. Week 1 is by far the hardest...but getting through it is also the most rewarding.

My Week 1 meal and snack choices are listed below. My plan is to start off every morning with a cup of hot water with a squeeze of lemon (it stimulates the liver and releases digestive enzymes), stick to liquids in the morning, and try to go raw until dinner. I also plan to drink Yogi's DeTox herbal tea throughout the month (sold at Target, Whole Foods, etc.). This was the first kind of tea I tried when I did this detox last year and I really liked it.

I don't have a juicer so I'm sticking to smoothies for breakfasts. I really liked the green smoothie from the 2011 Whole Living Challenge so that's on my list, along with a few other green smoothies I'd like to try now that I'm no longer scared of them. The trick is to blend them really well so they're as smooth as possible.

The Garlicky Butternut Squash recipe I have listed under my dinner options is AH-MAZING. I'd never eaten butternut squash before, and the first time I made this recipe (as a side dish) I ate almost the entire squash and didn't even want my main dish! The recipe calls for a little bit of Parmesan cheese, which I'll have to omit during the Challenge (no dairy), but I don't think I'll miss it.

The Carrot Ginger soup recipe I added under my dinner options is something my friend Jill made for me right after I had Kate. It's loaded with nutritious vegetables, but everything's pureed which makes eating it a lot less intimidating for first-time veggie eaters like I was at the time. Don't let the ingredients scare you--once it's all blended together you don't realize you're eating an onion or a carrot! It's just a smooth and flavorful soup. I haven't tried the other soups on my dinner list, but they're all pureed as well, so I'm willing to give them a shot. Bring on that nutritious goodness!

My Breakfast Options:
Green Smoothie*
Green Machine Smoothie
Avocado, Apple, Celery Green Smoothie**
Mixed Green Smoothie (for Vibrant Skin)
Ginger Orange Smoothie
Mango Coconut Water Smoothie
Beet & Carrot Smoothie

My Lunch Options:
Lettuce Salad loaded with veggies, seeds, etc, topped with avocado dressing***
Sweet Potato, Apple, Celery Salad
Celery Root, Kale, Avocado Slaw
Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage & Carrots

My Dinner Options:
Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash* (without the Parmesan)
Carrot Ginger Soup* (sans garnish)
Roasted mixed veggies in olive oil (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)
Spiced Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
Roasted Garlic Beet Soup (I'm so nervous to try this one!)

My Snack Options:
Smoothies from my breakfast list
Sesame Kale Chips
Minty Pea Dip
Dried Fruit & Nut Bites
Almonds*
Sunflower Seeds*
Trail mix*
Oranges/Clementines*
Apple slices*
Sliced veggie sticks*
Almond Butter*

*Things I've already tried that I know I'll like.
**1/2 an avocado, 1/2 a Granny Smith apple, 1 celery stalk (makes 1 smoothie)
***1 avocado, juice from 1 lemon, 1/4 t. lemon zest, 4 basil leaves. Blend or process until smooth and creamy. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Like All Things G&D on Facebook to follow along with my Whole Living Challenge! I'll be posting there about what I'm eating each day, how I'm feeling, and my overall progress. If you're doing this challenge along with me I'd love to hear from you, too!

Things Loved in January

2012-02-01T17:30:00.003-06:00

1. Curly Girl Designs

My friend Allison and I discovered Curly Girl Designs while shopping cute little boutiques in downtown Madison when she was here visiting me last summer. With their charming messages and adorable little drawings, what’s not to love? I saw a plaque with the above design, instantly thought of my friend Marcia in New York (she’s my vision of Superwoman), and purchased it for her birthday which was earlier this month. Well imagine my surprise and thrill when my friend Beth gifted me this very same design for my birthday in September! I have truly fallen in love with these designs. They have a perfectly thoughtful and unique messages for every occasion. Shop them online or click on “Find Us” to find a retail location near you.

2. Starbucks Chai Tea Latte

Once January hits I need to wean myself off of Starbucks’ Peppermint Latte and try something new. There’s just something about the page of my calendar turning from December to January that makes me want to put peppermint up on a little shelf until next Christmas. I’ve tried Starbucks’ Chai Tea Latte once in the past and thought it was alright, but admittedly I wasn’t a tea drinker back then. I started embracing tea during my first 28 Day Challenge, and have now grown to like it at least as much (maybe more?!) than coffee. In the spirit of the New Year, I decided to give the chai tea latte another chance, and boy am I glad I did! Love.

3. Wearing leggings to bed.

I usually skip the high heels for bedtime. Usually.

If you live somewhere where it gets cold during the winter months, you’ve simply got to try this out. My friend Allison (who lives in Minneapolis, MN, and is clearly guest-starring in this post) introduced this concept to me. It makes loads of sense if you think about it: leggings are more comfortable because they don’t slide up your legs like pajama pants do when you’re sleeping.

Brilliant.

My favorite leggings are these ones from Gap—they’re super soft and the waistband manages to stay put without being tight. Win, win!

4. Revlon ColorStay Eyebrow Enhancer

To preface this Things Loved recommendation, I must start by sharing a little something that happened in January that I was not so in love with: I made an impromptu decision to have my eyebrows threaded (for the very first time!) at a little kiosk in the mall.

I know what you’re thinking: “impromptu decision” + “mall kiosk” = DUH.

Right.

I know.

And had I given myself a good thirty seconds of deliberation before lounging in a chair under a spotlight in the middle of mall-walker traffic I may have came to this same conclusion, but sadly I’m slow at math and make irrational, self-indulgent decisions while enjoying “me time” sans my toddler.

The results had me seriously considering going back to bangs—until I discovered this eyebrow pencil. I had been trying a regular eyebrow pencil to fill in what eyebrow hairs I had left but the end result looked too dark and harsh for as much filling in as I had to do. I picked up a few different eyebrow filler options and this was my favorite. The color goes on lighter and has a little bit of waxiness to it which helps keep my baby-fine brow hairs in place. There’s a highlighter at the other end, which I occasionally dab at the inner corners of my eyes for a little added pop.

You can (kind of) see my new tiny and heavily lined eyebrows in the pictures I recently posted from my weekend in NOLA (pics enlarge when clicked).

(Surprisingly, my friend Allison had nothing to do with this recommendation, although she does have enviable eyebrows.)

5. Clinique Even Better foundation & foundation brush

I’ve reached that age and vanity level where I realize I should probably start wearing foundation on a regular basis. I used to occasionally wear Maybelline’s Mineral Power liquid foundation but when it came time to replace the bottle of it that I'd purchased 4 years ago I discovered they no longer make it.

Don’t you hate that?!

I tried a few other drugstore foundations but couldn’t find anything I liked the feel of or that matched my skin. To spare myself from spending any more money on foundation hunting I decided to finally stop at a Clinique makeup counter (on my self-indulgent, no toddler day at the mall…now also known as “Eyebrowgate”), and once again sat in a chair under a spotlight in the middle of mall-walkers (my skin now raging red all around the space where my eyebrows used to be). This moment in the spotlight, however, ended up being a good one as I finally found a foundation I liked and that matched.

I also bought their foundation brush. Not because I’m convinced it does a better application job than my fingers, but because, frankly, I find it fun to “paint” my face each morning.

Honorable Mention: Threading. After my initial shock wore off and I got used to seeing my eyebrows at half their usual thickness, I have to admit that I actually kind of liked the whole threading thing. For the first time ever my eyebrows have an actual shape to them, which is something I’ve always wanted. I just might try threading again someday.

That's What She Said

2012-01-31T17:42:00.001-06:00

We had Kate's 2 year check-up yesterday and the pediatrician told us to start teaching her how to drink from a regular cup.

Earlier today I received this email from Grandma Pam who was at our house taking care of Kate:

"I tried to give her a cup of milk for lunch (without the top) - told her it was a cup for big girls. Well, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, 'Put a lid on it, Grandma.'"

O-Oh Sometimes, I Get a Good Feeling

2012-01-30T14:14:00.001-06:00

Two weekends ago I made a trip to Louisiana with a handful of my girlfriends* to surprise our friend Natalie--the most beautiful person I know, both inside and out. Natalie is currently pregnant with her second child (29 weeks) and our plan was to show up on her doorstep and help her get the nursery ready!

Bourbon Street, however, had other plans for us...

Natalie was expecting two house guests for the weekend--Beth from Alabama and Kent from Georgia, who arrived at Natalie's house (about an hour from New Orleans) on Friday afternoon, but the rest of us were a surprise. While Beth and Kent were enjoying a leisurely road trip across the southern United States, my friend Allison (in Minneapolis, MN) and I were stuck in our respective cities' airports cursing the snowstorm that decided to hit the Midwest that day, and crossing our fingers that our planes would still take off. After nearly two hours of sitting in my aisle seat and not being even 50 yards closer to New Orleans, our pilot finally announced we were cleared for take-off. They just needed to de-ice the plane first which should only take another 20-30 minutes. (It's right around this time that you start questioning what you're wishing for.) After the de-icing, we were finally off!

Allison had similar delays at her airport, so by the time we had both landed in New Orleans, Natalie, her husband Joe, Beth, and Kent had already drove into the city for dinner. Allison and I picked up our rental car and headed to the French Quarter to meet our friends and give Natalie a surprise so big we hoped it wouldn't send her into labor!

Here's video of Allison and I walking into the restaurant and right up to Natalie's table:

Can you imagine being out for dinner and in walk your girlfriends from across the country? It was such a fun surprise!! Even Nat's husband, Joe, was caught by surprise!

Shortly afterwards, our friend Aly arrived from Florida, surprising Nat yet again!

If you recall, the whole reason we were all there was to help Nat get the baby's nursery ready...but of course we were so close to Bourbon Street that someone (not me!) suggested we at least check it out for a drink or two.

Famous last words.

There's no shortage of fun when my girls* and I get together. Add Bourbon St. to that mix, and it's the perfect storm--starting with hurricanes**.


Girls* on Bourbon Street! L to R: Natalie (with Baby Joe), Allison, Aly, Me, Kent, and Beth

The reason we were all there--adorable Natalie!

Me, Kent & Bourbon Street

Keeping track of Allison's scarf all night was a joint effort:

Aly, Nat's husband Joe, Beth (and hurricanes, eek!)

A shot of me catching some well-deserved*** beads from the balconies above:

It's Bourbon Street, people.
It had to be done.

The next day did not go exactly as planned.

Instead of getting up early and tackling the nursery, the majority of us slept in and nursed hangovers.

By that afternoon, we were ready to take charge...or at least take turns taking charge and taking naps:

Glasses, no makeup, and a hangover.
Bourbon Street: 1
Dusty: 0

Kent sewing up a storm in the kitchen.

We didn't get as much done as we had hoped, but we at least finished the stripes!

That evening we all managed to clean ourselves up enough to look presentable for a dinner out at New Orleans Food & Spirits:

No hurricanes on this table!

...followed by a quiet night back at Natalie and Joe's house where we had one last surprise for Nat--a baby shower! Our group of friends* pooled our money together prior to the trip, and Beth got her shop on buying all sorts of cute clothes, toys, and baby things for Baby Joe. Beth scored some awesome finds, and hopefully that little man is set!

The next day (Sunday) was the day I flew home, so back to NOLA we went to see a few sights before I had to be at the airport. Our first stop was beignets at Cafe du Monde!

After that, we strolled the French Market where Beth had me try my very first fried green tomato. We said goodbye to Aly after the French Market (she had another friend to visit in NOLA that evening), and then Allison, Beth, Natalie, Kent and I grabbed some lunch and I tried my first muffuletta sandwich. After lunch we strolled and shopped around Jackson Square:

I love, love, love this picture Allison snapped of beads**** hanging from a balcony in the French Quarter!

A quick drive through the Garden District on our way to the airport, and it was time to say goodbye. My fabulous weekend of fun with friends had come to an end, but I know someday I'll return!

Bourbon Street and I need a re-match.

-------------------------------------------------
The title of this post is a nod to Etta James, who passed away on the day we arrived in NOLA. She is currently heard in the Flo Rida song "Good Feeling" which was our song of the weekend!

*Whores
**A ridiculously strong and fruity cocktail loaded with more liquor than any human should ever consume.
***I doubt you'll need your calculator to figure this one out.
****Turns out I'm not the only girl who loves her beads. Kate spotted them instantly the morning after I returned home, and promptly adorned herself with all of them. I'd spent Sunday afternoon trying to find the perfect souvenir to bring home for her, and it turns out the beads I snagged on Friday night were all she needed!

My 28 Day Challenge

2012-01-27T05:00:00.001-06:00

Last April I did something that changed my life.

In the course of 28 days I went from a Hamburger Helper loving, fruits and vegetables hater, to trying my very first orange…and grape…and banana…and red cabbage...and…

Let me back it up a bit.

I started giving serious thought to the food I was putting into my body when I was pregnant with Kate. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution also premiered on TV a few months after Kate was born and began lifting the wool from my eyes. It was then that I decided that Kate’s baby food would be homemade. Shortly after that I started watching the documentary Food, Inc., and although I couldn’t bring myself to finish it, I could no longer ignore this glaring fact:

Nearly everything I eat is disgusting.

I knew I needed to change my eating habits, but it seemed like an incredibly overwhelming task and I wasn’t sure where or how to begin, so instead, I focused my energy on Kate and making sure she ate only healthy, unprocessed, homemade foods.

I turned into a total Nutrition Nazi when it came to her meals…while I sat next to her eating pepperoni pizza and chips. There was a huge discrepancy between my expectations for myself and my expectations for her, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get away with this forever. As I’ve said before, the idea that Kate will learn more from how I act versus what I say is not lost on me.

But again, where to start? I’m a ridiculously picky eater who survived the last 30 years on bread, pasta, oatmeal, wine and lettuce. I didn’t eat any fruit, only a few vegetables, and nearly everything on my weekly grocery list came in a box.

At the end of 2010 I started receiving Whole Living magazine, which was a total surprise because I hadn’t subscribed to it; it just started showing up at our house. Occasionally I’d flip through its pages--skimming--not wanting to give it my full attention for fear that it’d drag me kicking and screaming from my place of ignorance to this place where I had to dig my head out the sand, really pay attention to my body, and make some hard choices.

In March of 2011, my ignorance gave up the fight and I read my first issue (from January) cover to cover. The main feature of their January issue is what they called their “28 Day Challenge.” The 28 Day Challenge was all about detoxifying your life, and while I was primarily attracted to it for the food-related part, it also focused heavily on additional aspects like getting to sleep sooner, switching to non-toxic cleaners, swapping frustration for gratitude, ending grudges, eliminating toxic relationships, etc.

I knew as I read it that this was it for me. This was my answer to my ‘where to start?’ question. Now my new question was, “Are you going to do it?”

I really didn’t want to.

I spent the next few weeks trying to talk myself out of it. I threw up all the barriers I could think of in my mind. This was going to be way too hard. There’s no way someone like me could make such a dramatic change in her eating like this. I’ll be miserable, and hungry, and bitchy. It’ll turn me into a bad wife and mother. We’ll all be miserable! Nope, there’s no way I’m doing this. Forget it.

But I couldn’t forget it.

As much as I wanted to fight it and remain in my processed food and chemical-flavored coma…I knew this was right for me. I had to at least give it a try.

I decided to start my 28 Day Challenge on April 1, 2011. The reconciliation I had made in my mind was that this was a great way to detoxify my body, see if I have any food allergies that have been previously masked, introduce myself to new foods and recipes that can be added into my current diet, and maybe cut back on processed foods. More than anything I wanted to set a good example for Kate. I had to try.

Here’s how the food-related part of the plan worked:

Week 1: No processed foods, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no wheat/gluten.

Week 2: Gradually begin to add gluten and dairy back in, taking note of how your body reacts to these foods.

Add caffeine back in (optional) at the end of Week 2, and continue the rest of the month with no processed foods, no sugar, and no alcohol.

The first two days of what I called “my detox” were by far the hardest. I kept getting awful, awful headaches, which I don’t think were caffeine-related because I wasn’t a daily caffeine drinker and had actually skipped having caffeine the day before I started the detox. I searched out my symptoms on Whole Living’s website and discovered that my problem was I wasn’t eating often enough to keep my blood sugar stable. Once I made that slight adjustment the headaches disappeared, and I found the rest of the month to be surprisingly easy!

After my first week of being off caffeine, I noticed that I had more energy than I think I’d ever had in my life when I was on caffeine. And it was even energy too—not bursts of energy followed by fatigue, like I used to have. I felt great and apparently looked great too, because I was suddenly getting a lot of unexpected compliments:

“You look so well-rested!”
“Something’s different about you…did you get your hair colored?”
“Your skin looks amazing!”

The biggest surprise for me was that (other than wine) I wasn’t battling any cravings! It was like my body knew that it was getting everything it needed. This really blew my mind.

I also recognized early on how quickly I jump to food as my reward. This revelation came after a challenging morning with Kate. I remember thinking, "Ugh, what a tough morning. I should stop and get a Starbucks. I totally deserve it." Any other time I would’ve done just that, but doing this challenge made me actually stop and think about what I was going to put into my body and why. What a light bulb moment! I also noticed how often I turn to a glass of wine at the end of my day as a stress-reliever or to unwind. With wine being off-limits during this 28 Day Challenge, I was surprised to find that chopping vegetables and preparing foods for the next day or upcoming week—a must in order to be successful with this challenge—became my replacement stress reliever.

One of my biggest goals with the 28 Day Challenge was to introduce new foods into my diet, and I was really proud of myself for how many new foods I attempted. The following is a list of what I tried as a result of this detox that I had never tried before:

Oranges (love them!)
Grapes (meh)
Blueberries (not a fan)
Millet (love!)
Almond Butter (not bad)
Kale (great in a smoothie)
Banana (also preferred in a smoothie)
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries (no thank you)
Grapefruit (hit or miss)
Red cabbage (I like!)
Fresh Ginger (I had to YouTube how to peel and cut it)
Tea (I like)
Sweet Potato (yum)
Beets (no thank you)
Brussels Sprouts (I like!)
Lentils (no thank you)
Quinoa (love!)

The food aspect of the 28 Day Challenge was such a drastic change for me that I focused almost exclusively on it, and incorporated only a handful of the mindfulness tasks here and there. I have to admit I did cheat on Easter Sunday (the end of week 3) by having some wine and Easter candy, but other than that I stuck with it!

At the end of the 28 days I felt incredible.

It had changed my life.

It's been nearly a year, and my diet still consists primarily of whole, unprocessed foods (for me “processed food” means any food with an unnatural ingredient). My brain seems to be programmed so that if it’s told it can’t have something, it wants it even more, so I have to tell it that nothing is “off-limits”—even if it’s processed. If I really want it, I’ll go ahead and eat it—just not much of it, and not very often. I call it my 80/20 plan. Eighty percent of the time I eat whole foods and 20% of the time it’s okay if I don’t. If I want a plate of French fries, I’ll eat a plate of French fries. If I want a Dorito, I’ll eat a Dorito. I think it's this balance that has helped me remain successful.

And now I think it's time for a booster! After the holidays, Kate's birthday party, and a particular rowdy weekend in New Orleans's with some girlfriends (more on that to come!) I think it's time to give my body a break and help get my year started off on the right foot. Whole Living has recently rolled out its 2012 Mind & Body Challenge, and I'm eager to give it another try. This year's plan is slightly different, but I'm up for the challenge and am again looking forward to trying new foods and recipes.

That said, I am still feeling all of those same fears and anxieties I felt before starting the 28 Day Challenge last year. I'm sure this is totally normal, but to give myself that added accountability I think I'll need, I've decided to live out this year's 28 Day Challenge on my All Things G&D Facebook page, posting my meals and other mind/body challenge activities I'll be doing throughout the month. Feel free to "like" my Facebook page if you haven't already done so, and follow along!

Better yet...do the 28 Day Challenge with me! I plan to start on Monday, February 6th (the plan recommends a Monday start). Who's in?!

The Making of Kate's Sesame Street Birthday Party

2012-01-26T12:30:00.001-06:00

Interested in all the behind the scenes details about Kate's Sesame Street-themed 2nd birthday party? Then this post is for you!

The party planning began with searching Pinterest for Elmo birthday party ideas (I'm resourceful like that) and then jotting my ideas down on good old pen and paper (I'm old school like that).

As I've said before, when it comes to party planning, one idea sparks the next, and then the next...and before I knew it, Kate's Elmo-themed party had turned into a Sesame Street-themed party!

Balloons
I got the idea to hang balloons from the ceiling from Pinterest, and took it to the next level by blanketing our ceiling with them. Although it was time consuming (it took about 5 hours for me to hang just the entryway balloons--not counting all the time G and his buddies spent blowing them up), it was a great way to have a big and colorful impact. Balloons also hung from the ceiling over the kitchen island and in our living room windows. The grand total came to over 130 hanging balloons--so fun!

130 balloons!

I hung each balloon from the ceiling individually using fishing line and miniature 3M Command hooks:

A ceiling-level view (click to enlarge).

Sesame Street Lamp Post
The 7' tall Sesame Street lamp post wall decal is an idea that came as a result of me doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and breathing Kate's birthday party once I get into party planning mode. I like to call it "My Crazy" and will often joke with G that "I'm in a manic stage" during this time. Others may label it "BSC." Whatever. I own it. Here's just a sampling of my manic thought process that led to the lamp post idea:

We can't have a Sesame Street themed party without a lamp post.
How does one find a Sesame Street lamp post?
Is there an actual "Sesame Street" I can just steal one from?
Oh, these little 3' ones on Etsy are cute...
Wait! We should get a life-sized one! HELL YES!!
But where to put it? There's no room inside.
Where? Where...where...where?
How about a flat one on that wall?! Oh snap!
With directional signs to the food and games!
AND THE POTTY!!
Yes. This must happen. Surely someone makes this.
F*#&. No one makes this.
My brilliant artist friend Allison could paint one right on the wall!
...But she lives 5 hours away.
...And I'd have to paint over it afterwards.
Hmm...that's not unreasonable at all.
Let's call that Plan B. I'll put Allison on standby.

It is due to the plain and simple fact that my friend Allison is one of the busiest people I know, that My Crazy didn't immediately jump to this solution and call it a day. Instead, I started emailing wall decal companies with my idea in hopes that someone could create what I was looking for. Wall Slicks (the company that also made the tree in Kate's room) was my winner. They were so great to work with and I am thrilled with how the lamp post turned out!

Water Bottle Labels
I made these water bottle labels by printing polka dot designs out on 8.5x11" paper, cutting them to size, securing them in the back with double-stick tape, and adding a Sesame Street character sticker to the front. Easy peasy!

Personalized Cups
My idea for the kids' lemonade cups originated from me being a bit of a germaphobe. I printed out "This cup belongs to: ______________" labels on name tag stickers and added Sesame Street character stickers to the upper corner for an additional way to help kids to recognize their cups.

Elmo loves his crayons, and they were the perfect kid-friendly tool for writing on the labels.

Favor Bags
I made these favor bag toppers inspired by the Sesame Street sign in Microsoft Publisher (a rounded green rectangle with a yellow outline centered over a green oval with a yellow outline; add text), and printed them off on cardstock. I cut around the sides and bottom of the rounded rectangle with scissors, and then used an exacto knife to trim around just the oval line on top. Then I folded the rest of the paper at the top of the rectangle, so that the label is like a little tent that goes over the bag, with the oval top standing up. I closed the favor bags with one staple in the center and secured the tent on top of the bag using double-stick tape, one piece on each side.

Cupcake Tower
I made this cupcake tower out of cardboard cake circles, soup cans, ribbon, wrapping paper and hot glue, thanks to a tutorial from Annie's Eats:

Additional Party Touches
Ribbon around the chandelier shades were secured with double-stick tape:

I cut this large "K" and "2" (and the smaller "K" and "2" that I used for the front door sign) out of thick styrofoam that was part of the packaging from when Kate's activity table arrived, and wrapped them in colorful dot wrapping paper. You don't see them in many of the pictures from Kate's party, but they hung from the patio doors in the kitchen and looked great!

I used Sesame Street toys Kate already had as additional party decorations, like her chattering Cookie Monster toy for the cookie tower:

It was by sheer luck that Kate's favorite Sesame Street character, Elmo, was the character associated with the number 2 on these coloring sheets (found at SesameStreet.org) that we used at the kids' activity table.

I planned, decorated, baked, and cooked for Kate's party all in the span of two weeks...which is an improvement from the one week I gave myself last year! Maybe next year I'll start a little earlier in hopes that it'll keep My Crazy in check. We'll see!

Party Supplies & Shopping List
Invitation: Made by my talented friend Allison
Bunting, hung from the front porch, favor table, kitchen sink: Target
Dot wrapping paper: Target
Dot favor bags: Target
Balloons: Party City
Sesame Street lamp post wall decal: WallSlicks.com
Sesame Street wall decals: Target (also sold on Amazon)
Polka dot ribbon: JoAnn Fabrics
Polka dot tablecloth: Target
Dot placemats: Target
G's Cookie Monster shirt: Wal-Mart
My Sesame Street shirt: 80stees.com
Kate's personalized Elmo shirt: Made by my talented friend Kent
Oscar's trash can: Menards
Crayon caddys on the activity table: Target (Dollar Spot)
Stickers: Target, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby
Mini fishbowl for Goldfish crackers: Party City

Food
Mini Pigs in a Blanket
Ham & Cheese Spirals (a variation of this recipe)
Pizza Bites with Marinara Sauce
Pasta Salad
Fruit & Yogurt Platter
Veggie Cups
Homemade Granola Bars
Goldfish Crackers
Sun Chips
Pretzels

Desserts
Cupcakes
Cake Pops
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Kate's Oatmeal Banana Drops

Drinks
Lemonade
Bottled Water
Beer & Wine

I think that covers it all, but if there are any lingering questions feel free to let me know!

Check out this post to see Kate's Sesame Street 2nd birthday party in its entirety!

104 Weeks Overdue...

2012-01-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

But who's counting, right?

It's been two years and some change since I was pregnant with Kate, but I still receive reader emails on a near daily basis asking me about how I felt, what I ate, how I stayed active, my advice on maternity clothes, stretchmarks...you name it, I've probably been asked it.

Everything anyone could ever want to know about my life as a knocked-up 30 year old already lives inside my blog, but I can certainly understand that the need to pee every five minutes takes precendent over digging through my archives. ('Digging through my archives'...that's a gyno joke waiting to happen.)

In an effort to save you time for more important things like sleeping and finding your ankles, I've compiled a one-stop page for all things pregnancy, linked in the header of my blog. On this page you will find links to my weekly pregnancy updates, maternity fashion, labor and delivery stories, that damn 4th trimester, and my pregnancy rules to live by.

I hope all my currently (and soon-to-be) pregnant readers find this page to be as helpful as elastic waistbands!

Photo Credit: The Bond Between Us

Kate's Sesame Street Birthday Party!

2012-01-16T05:00:00.043-06:00

Kate's 2nd birthday party started out being Elmo themed (her favorite Sesame Street character) but as I began brainstorming ideas for party decorations I realized I couldn't stop at just Elmo. The G&D household is all about equal opportunity, so the rest of the Sesame Street gang was soon invited to join in on the fun!

Welcome to Kate's World!

This party brought to you by the letter K and the number 2.

Come on in and play!

I really wanted the children to feel a sense of excitement as they walked in the door so I focused heavily on our entryway--starting with 50 billion balloons, each individually hung from the entry hallway ceiling. Sesame Street characters (wall decals) lined each side of the hallway, right at toddler eye-level.

A view of the entry hallway from the kitchen, looking back toward the front door. (See Abby Cadabby peeking out from the powder room?)

Potty Time with Abby!

The birthday girl was the star of the party, but a close second was this 7' tall Sesame Street lamp post wall decal custom ordered from Modern Wall Graphics, complete with directional signs to those very important things you want to find when it comes to a toddler's birthday party!

More balloons in the kitchen!

Kate's party invitation, made by my friend Allison, was too cute not to display on the big day!

Of course you can't have a Sesame Street themed birthday party without an Oscar the Grouch trash can--complete with Oscar himself hiding inside!

I made this colorful cupcake stand out of cardboard, soup cans, ribbon, wrapping paper, and some hot glue. (Thanks to Annie's Eats for the tutorial!)

Our console table made the perfect spot for party favor bags and gifts stashed away in the family room.

I purchased these favor bags at Target and made the "Thank You!" toppers to mimic the Sesame Street sign.

In honor of Kate's favorite segment of Sesame Street--Elmo's World--the favor bags were filled with Goldfish crackers, crayons, and a Sesame Street sticker book.

A frame, borrowed from our main guest room, gave this thank you sign over the favor table a little more oomph.

This activity table (from Land of Nod) was Kate's Christmas/Birthday/We're Never Buying Her Another Toy Again present, and it made a great spot for a coloring center on party day!

After:

Food and drinks!

I made name tags for the lemonade cups (each with a different Sesame Street character sticker) so kids were easily able to keep track of which one was theirs.

Goldfish crackers in a fishbowl--of course! (Little cups filled with dip and veggie sticks in the background.)

Cookie Monster's cookie tower, featuring chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and Kate's oatmeal banana drops.

Cupcakes for guests with a sweet tooth...

...and a little something for those of us who prefer to drink our dessert.

Elmo's goldfish "Dorothy" surprised Kate by coming over for the party! Kate was thrilled to have her at the house for a little visit...and handled it surprisingly well when Aunt Amanda took her home to her fish tank afterwards.

At this point we can't have a party without homemade cake pops--there'd be a riot!

The whole family was into the Sesame Street theme! I wore a t-shirt featuring the whole gang, Kate wore a personalized Elmo birthday shirt made by my friend Kent of Peachy Keen Designs, and G wore a (perfect for him) Cookie Monster t-shirt!

The birthday girl, doing one of her favorite things--JUMPING!

Taste-testing a cupcake...

...and deciding she prefers cake pops!

Love my birthday girl!

It turned out to be a great day with a house full of kids, friends, family and fun! Thank you to everyone who was a part of Kate's World on this special day!

Check out The Making of Kate's Sesame Street Party for some how-to tuturials, a shopping list, and our party menu!
Want to see more party fun? Check out Kate's 1st birthday party celebration!

My Love Language

2012-01-06T10:54:00.003-06:00

Kate's 2nd birthday party is this weekend and if there was a font called "bursting with excitement" I'd be using it right now. I am DEEP into party planning, decorating, and all-around GOING OVERBOARD mode--and the best part is G didn't even attempt to reign me in (like he did last year) with the party plans! He knows his breath is better spent blowing up the 2,368 balloons I politely tossed his way when he reluctantly asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"

What's the point of throwing a big party that she'll never remember?
Why am I spending all this time and energy for a few hours of fun?
Aren't you supposed to be saving up for a new car right now?

Like any sane person, these thoughts do cross my mind. I consider them skeptically, try them on to see how they fit...and then I quickly discard them onto my "no thank you, not for me" pile along with:

You should really stop swearing.
That report only said a glass of wine a day was good for you--not the whole bottle.
Watching The Bachelor makes you lame.
and
It's called "a budget." Stick to it.

When it comes to planning Kate's birthday party, one idea sparks the next one, and then that idea sparks another one, and (whoa!) if we did this to it it'd be even better, and oh my goodness ALL OF THESE THINGS MUST HAPPEN or I'll never sleep again!!

I can't help it.

G hasn't exactly come right out and asked me why the hell I'm taking my crazy and blowing up the house with it, but I know he's been thinking it, and until recently the only response I had was, "Because I love her SO MUCH!"

I'm not exactly sure why I have this tendency to take it to a whole 'nother level when it comes to things like this, but during my many hours of assembling favor bags and picking out the perfect ribbon, I've had some time to ponder it.

I heard of this concept called "love language" through conversations with friends. The basic concept, from what I've gathered, is that people have their own way of expressing love; not everyone does it in the same fashion. Some people show their love verbally, showering "I love you"s daily. Others seldom say it, but show it through their actions. Some people say it with gifts..., etc.

While I've never read the book/taken the quiz/done whatever it is I'd need to do to know what the hell I'm actually talking about, I've recently come to the conclusion that my love language is "the grand gesture."

I often joke that I'm not a very good friend. The people I love most in life will probably tell you they hardly ever hear from me--and it's true. Unless you live with me or work with me, chances are you're only hearing from me maybe once a month. Often even less. (And it's a pretty safe bet you're the one who had to initiate the contact.) I hate this about myself, and I've tried to change it, but the fact is I suck at keeping in touch with people.

This doesn't mean I love or think about them any less.

I may not be the girl you call for a daily check-in, but I'm the girl you can turn to for anything, anytime, anywhere. When I do something I put all my energy into it. When it matters, I'm there. When I show up, you're going to remember it. And when the most beloved girl in my universe has a birthday, I'm going to throw her the biggest, best-est celebration I know how.

That is me.

That is how I show my love.

I can't change the fact that I hate talking on the phone and suck at email, or that I drink too much wine while watching lame reality TV, but I do know one thing: If I love you, I'm going to show it--and probably in a big way.

So when G turned to me the other night, after a particularly overboard day of party planning, and said, "I don't know how you're going to top this one next year." I just laughed and responded, "That's what you said last year!"

Throwing yet another bigger, better, best-est party next year for the most beloved girl in my universe?

Please. I'm not worried.

I speak the language.

Things Loved In December

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ah, December. How can one month be so amazingly fun and magical, yet so ridiculously hectic and overwhelming? She's a tricky one, that December.

Of course when it comes to Things Loved in December there are all my usual favorites: busting our my Mariah Carey Christmas CD, putting up the tree and decking the halls, receiving holiday cards, celebrating with friends and family, and Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha Latte. These are givens. Here are a few other things that had me feeling the love this month:

1. For starters, let's put Starbucks' Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte on the list!

I was thrilled to see that a lower calorie version of my favorite winter drink is now being offered by my crack dealer.

My weekly Starbucks order in December 2011: Grande, nonfat, no whip Peppermint Mocha Latte (290 calories).
My weekly Starbucks order this December: Grande Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte (130 calories).

You see that? Starbucks gave me the gift of -160 calories and -2 words for Christmas this year. Thank you, thank you.

2. Speaking of Starbucks, I was there one morning in early December, waiting for my overpriced latte that I absolutely consider an unnecessary indulgence, when I saw it. Taped to the front of the counter was a smattering of little paper candy cane shaped cutouts, each with a gift request written on it for a person in need this holiday season. One in particular caught my eye:

"Girl, age 4. Dora anything."

I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

My chest tightened and I had to remember to breathe. All I could think of was this four-year-old little girl, bursting at the seams with all the wonder and excitement that is Christmas, and all she wants in the whole wide world is anything that has anything to do with her favorite cartoon character, Dora the Explorer.

Dora anything.

That weekend Kate and I went shopping and she helped me pick out Dora gifts that would go to our little four-year-old friend whom we would never meet. As we stood in the checkout line, I felt for the little red construction paper candy cane in my pocket--the one I couldn't possibly leave Starbucks without--and wished with all my heart that this little girl asking for "Dora anything" would feel nothing but overwhelming love and joy on Christmas morning.

3. Another joyful moment this December was seeing Kate perform in her very first Christmas pageant! Her daycare organized a fun little show for all the kids and Kate's class (along with the infants, and 2 and 3-year-olds) all got up on stage and sang Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was the cutest thing! After their performances the younger children cleared the stage to sit with their parents while the older kids performed--but Kate didn't want to leave the stage! At one point, while waiting for another group of kids to come on stage, Kate was the only child up there--all alone, just running around and enjoying herself in front of a huge room full of total strangers. We'd never seen this side of her before! Usually when she's around people she doesn't recognize--heck, even people she does!--she clings to me or G for quite awhile until she "warms up" and feels comfortable enough to navigate the space without us. But not this time! After the awful, miserable, heart-ripping struggles we endured a year ago when we decided to switch daycares for Kate, it was absolutely incredible for us to see such a powerful display of how comfortable Kate truly feels at her new daycare. We were so proud of her!

Kate (23 months), owning that empty stage.

4. Another very proud moment for me this month was seeing my youngest sister, Amanda, graduate from college. There are ten years between us and we've always had more of a mother-daughter bond than a sister-sister bond. I remember getting her ready for her first day of kindergarten, helping her with reading homework in elementary school, and bawling my eyes out during her high school graduation ceremony. I know eventually I'll need to see and treat her as a peer, but to me she will always be my first baby girl. I am so proud to see her achieve something she worked so hard for!

Me and my baby sister--the college grad!

5. Words with Friends.

A friend introduced me to this game about a week ago and I think it's safe to say I'm slightly addicted. Not Starbucks addicted, mind you...but close. For anyone who doesn't know, Words with Friends is basically a Scrabble app for your iPhone or other compatible device (I think you can play it online through Facebook, too), and you can play with any of your friends who also have the app. What I like most about the game is that you play your turn whenever it's most convenient for you--at the check-out line, while you're making dinner, waiting at the dentist, etc. Your opponent isn't sitting impatiently across from you, urging you to hurry up and go. What I like least about this game is that I'm a total rookie and up until a week ago I had no clue that XU, NU, HIST, SH, OY, QAT and AY were words. However, now that I am getting my ass handed to me by G's cousin, John, I am well aware that they are--and that I have a lot to learn.

Honorable Mention: G and I saw the movie We Bought a Zoo on Christmas afternoon and we both really liked it! It's a great feel-good movie, and I especially love that it's based on a true story. Plus the two little girls in the movie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Elle Fanning) are so darn adorable they're worth the price of admission right there!

My Christmas Wish

2011-12-25T05:00:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

One of my favorite holiday sentiments, from one of my favorite designers of unique cards and gifts, Curly Girl Designs.

Season's Greetings...

2011-12-24T05:00:00.003-06:00

...from our playground to yours!

Our 2011 holiday card (from Tiny Prints).