Dear Friends and Family,
We have yet to make our photo cards this year, and we are so behind on all things Christmas.
So for now, here are some updates for the year.
Joel turned 10 and that is kind of an alarming age. How did I become the mom of a 10 year old? People told me it all went fast, but I felt like the process just doubled in pace. In eight more years, he will be an adult! As a ten year old, he has found his passion for the arts through dancing ballet and contemporary and playing the piano. Both of these forms of expression work really well for him, and he could not really imagine life without them.
Ellie is now 9 and super sassy. She has always had strong opinions about what she likes and does not like, but this is a whole new level of that. She too loves to dance and will openly admit to people she wants to be a famous ballet dancer when she grows up. Apart from dance, she also plays the piano and reads chapter books in a day. Her new favorite books are about fairies, but she also loves The Secret Garden. When she is ahead on her language arts school work she works at writing her own stories about ducks and other animals.
Dominic is our wild child. At 6 years old, he has enough energy for the entire family and some. This is his first year learning the piano and his second year dancing. He longs to take a hip hop class and has created his own version of this style to his dance at the end of his class. He runs circles around the house to calm down and loves to play quietly even though it doesn't seems possible.
Charis is 5. She grins through her dance class and is a very loving big sister to Bria. There is a baby at the library named Olivia, who Charis makes sure she sits next to every week. In her mind, our new baby just has to be a girl. Charis has also gone from eating like a bird to cleaning out the house. We expect her to suddenly become very tall soon.
Bria is sweet as pie at 4 years old. She is the kind of four year old who acts 8, and even though she does not have to be a part of our homeschool classes yet, I give her things to do because she wants to learn. She is tackling letter sounds like a champ and writing a few letters with ease. She is also a young ballerina who is learning as many moves as she can from her dance teacher and siblings.
Isaiah is now 2, but in April he will be three. It has been so strange to not have a baby in the house. I have also not breastfeed in one whole year (the first year since 2004). Isaiah adores cars and we go nowhere without as small matchbox Lightning from the movie Cars. He is too young to take dance, but at home he has shown us his love for movement as well.
Tim still works for US Bank as the branch manager of Quilcene. It is almost his 2 year anniversary at that branch. He's learned to be quite the chief in the last couple of years while Marion has had to leave for 10 days at a time for residency two times a year. He still preaches about 2-4 times a year and plays music at our church from time to time as well.
Marion is pregnant with baby number 7. Her due date is June 19, 2016. It is very strange to be pregnant and due around one's own birthday. We'll just have to wait and see how that turns out. She is also in her second year of graduate school and attempting to finish her manuscript...yes the same one from 2005. This could be the year it actually becomes a book. Who knows. When she isn't working on that she is homeschooling 4 of our six children and talking care of the house.
So here is a complete update on our entire family for the year of 2015! Can you believe it is 2015? All I can say is life has been pretty amazing. We wish you all a wonderful holiday season!
Love, Tim, Marion, Joel, Ellie, Dominic, Charis, Bria, and Isaiah
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
MFA Mamma in Year 2
What has changed since I began graduate school? This time last year my home smelled like freshly baked french bread and sometime a crockpot of homemade yogurt could be spotted on the counter. I was super idealistic about the home cooking tasks I could accomplish as well as my studies. This was before I pooled all my creativity onto the page.
A memoir requires much more dedication than I ever imagined. In my case, I often write eighty pages on one topic, just to find my voice on the matter. In that process I think, wow, I have a whole other book on just this topic. Then I reread the maze of my mind and realize how little of it is even interesting to me...the person who lived these things.
There are emotional moments in writing where I have written about the topic of my choice and it sounds like my seventh grade diary, but not in a good way. Wow, I was super dramatic in seventh grade. I can face the fact that I still am, but maybe slightly less so than that voice...that girl...I've grown since them. I have three of my own dramatic little girls.
Remolding my voice has been a threading of several layers of myself. There is such an amazing feeling once something starts to sound like a real person...more like me. People aren't just the person he/she is in present time. Nope, people are made up of complexly woven together moments of time. Sometimes, one has no idea what stitches together what. I was surprised to see that in the middle of wishing I could become a famous actress, and noticing I really liked psychology, that there was also a person who loved to process all kinds of thoughts on the page. Thank you Montaigne for giving us a reason to try out our ideas. It probably has saved my sanity.
As for the woman who made loaves of bread daily, I plan to do that again. Bread has been replaced by things like homemade almond milk...awesome stuff, when made from scratch. I still make fun things like cookies because mine are dairy free. I will admit that cooking is actually a part of my writing process. There is reading, then writing a bunch of ramblings, then chopping up veggies for dinner, and yes that wonderful moment hits...I know what I plan to write. It is amazing how real life kills writers block.
So, this time last year I had no idea how to make sure school work would be finished and mommy Marion wouldn't be too grouchy. Now, I have figured out some kind of a dance where my home life is just as much as my writing life as my writing life is. I get grouchy about not finishing a book I am reading at times. Getting lost in the worlds other people have created for me is a whole new balancing act.
For now, I can take a deep breath and smile. Writing is a pretty awesome way to spend extra time.
A memoir requires much more dedication than I ever imagined. In my case, I often write eighty pages on one topic, just to find my voice on the matter. In that process I think, wow, I have a whole other book on just this topic. Then I reread the maze of my mind and realize how little of it is even interesting to me...the person who lived these things.
There are emotional moments in writing where I have written about the topic of my choice and it sounds like my seventh grade diary, but not in a good way. Wow, I was super dramatic in seventh grade. I can face the fact that I still am, but maybe slightly less so than that voice...that girl...I've grown since them. I have three of my own dramatic little girls.
Remolding my voice has been a threading of several layers of myself. There is such an amazing feeling once something starts to sound like a real person...more like me. People aren't just the person he/she is in present time. Nope, people are made up of complexly woven together moments of time. Sometimes, one has no idea what stitches together what. I was surprised to see that in the middle of wishing I could become a famous actress, and noticing I really liked psychology, that there was also a person who loved to process all kinds of thoughts on the page. Thank you Montaigne for giving us a reason to try out our ideas. It probably has saved my sanity.
As for the woman who made loaves of bread daily, I plan to do that again. Bread has been replaced by things like homemade almond milk...awesome stuff, when made from scratch. I still make fun things like cookies because mine are dairy free. I will admit that cooking is actually a part of my writing process. There is reading, then writing a bunch of ramblings, then chopping up veggies for dinner, and yes that wonderful moment hits...I know what I plan to write. It is amazing how real life kills writers block.
So, this time last year I had no idea how to make sure school work would be finished and mommy Marion wouldn't be too grouchy. Now, I have figured out some kind of a dance where my home life is just as much as my writing life as my writing life is. I get grouchy about not finishing a book I am reading at times. Getting lost in the worlds other people have created for me is a whole new balancing act.
For now, I can take a deep breath and smile. Writing is a pretty awesome way to spend extra time.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Lost Words
I did something stupid, and I knew better! Yesterday, I mysteriously lost 150 pages of my book. This was something people warned me about, and it wasn't that I never backed up my work. My basic back my work up plan was why I still have 100 pages left.
My excuses included the fact that I am a busy mom who didn't have a space to plug in an external hard drive, or email myself all my work. It's true that I write it small chunks of time. On a good day I have an hour to write, but most of this time would not be without something taking me away from my work.
Hitting save was never a problem, but I cannot understand why my document looks like I haven't hit that button for over a month. It seems to have forgotten that even when the phone rang, and the computer was safely in sight, I still hit save.
The saddest part about this whole lesson was not that I lost my work. I lost a version of myself that I cannot seem to get back while rewriting what I lost. I tell myself that is fine, and this book will be better because I spent so much time writing out my thoughts and arranging my ideas. I often bring up a blank page on the computer when I feel stuck anyway.
It wasn't as if I felt like the almost completed draft was perfect, it was just almost done. I could have examined it for holes and colored in the the bland parts. Now I'm left with all the same fragments I began with.
Will my thoughts be different this month? Could I find a better way to arrange each section? Is it actually bad that I cannot remember certain parts? Readers would probably forget them if I cannot even remember what I was trying to say.
All things considered, I still think losing a manuscript is not a good idea. I went to cook dinner tonight and forgot to turn on the stove. I feel as if I got a really bad haircut and if I could just go back to before the appointment, it would look different. I want to be calm, and willing to work on my manuscript, but I feel like it cheated on me. I feel like it went to find a secret home. I feel like it was teasing me every moment I couldn't wait to get to my computer to write it.
Goodbye old version of my book. I will probably forget a lot of you. Until the new version.
My excuses included the fact that I am a busy mom who didn't have a space to plug in an external hard drive, or email myself all my work. It's true that I write it small chunks of time. On a good day I have an hour to write, but most of this time would not be without something taking me away from my work.
Hitting save was never a problem, but I cannot understand why my document looks like I haven't hit that button for over a month. It seems to have forgotten that even when the phone rang, and the computer was safely in sight, I still hit save.
The saddest part about this whole lesson was not that I lost my work. I lost a version of myself that I cannot seem to get back while rewriting what I lost. I tell myself that is fine, and this book will be better because I spent so much time writing out my thoughts and arranging my ideas. I often bring up a blank page on the computer when I feel stuck anyway.
It wasn't as if I felt like the almost completed draft was perfect, it was just almost done. I could have examined it for holes and colored in the the bland parts. Now I'm left with all the same fragments I began with.
Will my thoughts be different this month? Could I find a better way to arrange each section? Is it actually bad that I cannot remember certain parts? Readers would probably forget them if I cannot even remember what I was trying to say.
All things considered, I still think losing a manuscript is not a good idea. I went to cook dinner tonight and forgot to turn on the stove. I feel as if I got a really bad haircut and if I could just go back to before the appointment, it would look different. I want to be calm, and willing to work on my manuscript, but I feel like it cheated on me. I feel like it went to find a secret home. I feel like it was teasing me every moment I couldn't wait to get to my computer to write it.
Goodbye old version of my book. I will probably forget a lot of you. Until the new version.
Friday, September 4, 2015
11 Years With Tim!
My cousin Joe once told me to marry the guy you cannot live without. I would add, pick the guy who naturally feels a part of your world. Side note: this doesn't mean you won't fight or have difficult times, it just means pick the one person who is worth going through everything with.
This is what makes up normal life:
1. He puts up with the fact you need to press snooze several times as part of waking up.
2. He had to give up a favorite food like peanut butter so you wouldn't have allergic reactions.
3. After several years, you finally realized that compromising on something to watch wasn't really what happened. He liked watching a lot of things and picked movies and shows based on your joint interests. So we weren't watching Center Stage, but he loved watching you laugh while watching Gilmore Girls.
4. He encouraged you to go to grad school even if it meant he had all six kids on his own for 10 days.
5. You get to have cute clothing and a nice haircut first. He says," I benefit if she looks hot" if anyone questions how we spend our money.
6. You would pick cuddling on the couch every night over anything else.
7. He woke up the inner introvert you needed, but ignored.
8. The first baby diapers of the day were usually changed by dad.
9. You still feel like it is the first day you met every time you look at him.
10. You don't need to compare your relationship to anyone else because it is yours!
This list is too long for a blog post. Here is glimpse into our amazing 11 years. I love you Tim Ruybalid!
Friday, August 21, 2015
Summer Beach Days
Sand was everywhere! It covered toes and the folds of rolled up pant legs. Going to the beach in Washington State didn't usually call for a swimsuit, or did it? As a mother of six kids, the investment of bathing suits is sometimes similar to snowsuits. I wish we used them more, but we usually didn't.
"Let's got to the Cape George beach." This was our first attempt to go to the beach. I forgot about practical things like looking at tide times. It was a crazy low tide. The kind of low tide where a super a rocky beach smooths out into sand bars with mini lakes and streams. It was the kind of tide where kids could not imagine not finding the edge of the water, but to get there, they must cross one of the mini streams and not get their feet wet. The water was far too cold for that.
Isaiah, two years old, cried out "Hand hold." It was the first summer he really understood that touching this little stream would be like a cold version of bath time.
All the older kids pretended I wouldn't notice they were up to their knees in sea water and making pretend paddle boards out short, flat, well weathered pieces of drift wood.
"Get out of the water!" I cried, but seriously it was too late! We were going to be going home in wet clothing.
"Joel told me I should go to that rock," Dominic insisted that his nine year old brother would push him to the rock if he had not ventured in himself.
"I am wet," Bria appeared. Was she wet from water or was it pee? Who knew at this point. As a three years old, she usually kept things under control, but this water mark didn't look like the water wading type.
Was it time to pack up and go home? I wasn't sure, but I was ready.
Attempt two at the beach took place. This time we brought a picnic. The beach was covered in interesting, chopped up white shells. It was a small beach, where the water funneled between Marrowstone Island and Port Hadlock like a stream with gentle rapids. A tall green bridge towered over us. We set up a picnic and broke open a bag of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. A man fishing nearby gave the kids a lesson on how to catch fish and through them back without killing them. My oldest perked up with questions.
Nobody got wet that day. The water moved to quickly and the assortment of clam shells were more interesting.
We got to right under the bridge, that was more like a floating skyscraper to six much smaller people and maybe even two slightly taller adults. Then the perfect sand turned into jagged basalt. Black chunky rocks were more of a hazard. They could harm children. Our walk was cut short when super careful Isaiah slipped and scraped his hand. I scooped him up in both arms, carried him like a football, and attempted to dip the scrape in the fresh cold salt water. He wriggled, screamed, and I wished could just let him walk to the car.
A lot was learned through trips one and two. First, bring some food! Prepare for water, sand, and kids falling on things.
Trip three to the beach was the most civilized. I knew my kids would get messy. We packed a bag of spare clothing. The one item we forgot was a change of underwear for all. I highly recommend bringing everything.
The sun beat on my shoulders that were covered with a thin denim jacket. It was hot when I was fully covered up. To the kids that meant, lets wade into the water as far as possible.
"I know we brought back up clothing, but can we try to stay somewhat dry," I begged the kids. This lasted about two minutes before my oldest daughter, Ellie (8 years old), soaked herself mostly to her waist. It was as if the spare clothing was a ticket to get drenched. Swimsuits called for swimming, right?
It all began with jumping waves, as one might jump rope. Of course the kids will want to swim. After all, we did actually go to the beach. It was not Hawaii, but it was warm enough to get a little bit wet.
I took a deep breath. It was just sand and salt water. For the first time in weeks, everybody in my family was happy!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
No dairy in a house that loves cheese!
Going for official allergy testing always scared me because I knew there was something going on, but if I knew what it was, changing would be a must instead of an optional thing. I never wanted to be the guest at the table who couldn't eat anything in front of me. Sometimes allergies take over everything. Nope, I played it 'safe' calling possible allergies just things that bothered my body.
I was pregnant with Charis (baby #4) and addicted to an evening ritual of Strauss chocolate chip mint ice cream and a warm cup of vanilla rooibos tea. Tim and I had three small children, one of whom was a baby, so it was like a date night to tuck them all into bed around 6 PM (YES bedtime was that early...still is...way less cranky kids) and cuddle on the couch watching something from Netflix or Gilmore Girls because we had a tradition of watching every season we owned each pregnancy.
Charis was my first homebirth baby with a midwife who expected a strict diet from her clients. I was up for the challenge, minus the whole ice cream thing. In my mind, I viewed it as some extra protein and we only got the best quality. Along with a healthy diet, was an infusion of raspberry leaf, nettle, oat straw, and alfalfa. I drank it everyday and fully believed this would all put me in the best health of my life.
Then a rash appeared on my left arm, just below my shoulder. My dark brown skin never turned red, so all I knew was that it itched like crazy and didn't go away. I blamed the drink and experimented with eliminating different herbs. Since the rash felt like stinging nettles against my skin all the time, I assumed it was this. It took six months to get rid of the rash and three of those months were with an baby girl in my arms. She was my fourth, but my body was acting strange.
When baby number five was born, I began to feel puffy and I weighted the most I ever did in my life. I didn't know what the cause of this was, but I crave foamed milk a lot. I found myself having a decaf latte a week for awhile as a treat. Not only did I get a treat, but my four kids were all strapped into the car for a whole twenty minutes while I went to purchase the coffee. The ice cream habit had grown into warm coffee milk. I drank my special infusion, as I did the time before, but without the nettle, so the stinging rash did not come back. I thought I had figured everything out. Other than feeling fat, I was rash free. I even noticed I hardly got sores in my mouth, when I used to get them all the time. Being healthy was paying off in several ways.
HIVES! I was covered in hives after my sixth child was born. I knew I must have an allergy, but I could not imagine what to. I traced it to possibly peanut butter because I had been making my son a PB & J sandwich daily for his school lunches when I had never really had much peanut butter before. In fact, I noticed my face swell slightly once after making my son's lunch, so I cut it out of my own diet. However, just cutting out peanuts seemed to not work...unless I was getting into trace peanuts constantly without knowing it. The symptoms got worse. My ankles and legs had welts on them. I had a huge hive breakout on the back of my neck making it challenging to sleep. Sleep with a newborn was hard enough. It was six weeks before these hives mostly went away. I went to the doctor who tested my blood for all kinds of things, but not allergies. Frustrated, I gave up and tried to test myself by eliminating things.
I started with peanuts and moved on to soy. Maybe I still had hives because I was allergic to soy as well? Often soy and peanuts were processed together making it difficult to pinpoint if I was allergic to one and not the other. This got things under control. I would have a few smaller hive episodes, but nothing like what I dealt with the first six weeks after baby number six was born. However, things didn't go completely away.
Then I went back to school and found myself back in my old college ways. I didn't want to be a pain, and I had not real proof I was actually allergic to anything, so I went and I ate what was provided to me. Worse than any hive breakout ever, I found myself knocked out for a week. My throat felt like it had a trail of hives all the way down it. I needed to sleep any spare moment I could get. I felt ill, but I wasn't sick. I knew I would need to be more careful next time, so I set out to buy a lot of my own food.
Without access to a kitchen I bought food I could just eat. This included a quart of my favorite whole milk yogurt. If I needed to shy around meats in strange sauces, then I would want some kind of filling protein beyond nuts. I didn't think twice about things like cheese frequently served with Mexican food (super popular in southern CA). I also bought fruit, nuts, and plain salad. I didn't want to get dressings because of the soy and peanut factors and a bottle of olive oil seemed like a bit much for the whole ten days I would be on site for school.
The first time, I was at my school's ten day intensive I made it a couple of days before my mouth broke out in sores. This time I made it five days. I was sure it was the tortillas in some Mexican food that may have contained soy oil. Everything went back to that meal.
However, everything went back to another food group in all of this. DAIRY! I have never been best buds with dairy. It was a suspect of discomfort ten years ago, but I had conveniently forgotten that. When I came home from my second intensive, I was knocked out for weeks...in fact over a month before I went to the doctor for a physical, and begged to start allergy testing. I was swollen with hives on and off, and I felt like I almost had the flu for weeks. I should also state that I worked out six days a week intensely and never lost a pound. I did mysteriously gain about four pounds during the ten days I was gone, and I ate less than usual.
I went for blood testing. It was not always accurate, but a good place to start. When I opened the results I was possibly allergic to dairy and sesame. Suddenly a lot made sense. By avoiding all things with soy and peanuts, most sesame things were out of my diet as well. There was a granola I loved that gave me hives, but did not contain soy or peanuts. Guess what it did contain? Sesame. As for dairy, one can see I ate a lot of it. I also always cooked in butter. It tastes so good. This was going to be harder for me to eliminate.
It's been two weeks now without either of these things! I feel wonderful. No longer is the couch calling me for a nap every hour of the day. I lost two pounds! I don't have hives! I still have the remains of a few sores in my mouth, but they are healing. I don't feel swollen. Plus, I feel so great I don't miss the bear paws, lattes, cookies, veggies cooked in butter, etc. I do miss bread and butter, but other than that, so far so good. It has been worth it to remember what it felt like to actually have energy! Maybe I haven't figured it all out, but what I have learned is to not ignore one's body's warning signs.
I was pregnant with Charis (baby #4) and addicted to an evening ritual of Strauss chocolate chip mint ice cream and a warm cup of vanilla rooibos tea. Tim and I had three small children, one of whom was a baby, so it was like a date night to tuck them all into bed around 6 PM (YES bedtime was that early...still is...way less cranky kids) and cuddle on the couch watching something from Netflix or Gilmore Girls because we had a tradition of watching every season we owned each pregnancy.
Charis was my first homebirth baby with a midwife who expected a strict diet from her clients. I was up for the challenge, minus the whole ice cream thing. In my mind, I viewed it as some extra protein and we only got the best quality. Along with a healthy diet, was an infusion of raspberry leaf, nettle, oat straw, and alfalfa. I drank it everyday and fully believed this would all put me in the best health of my life.
Then a rash appeared on my left arm, just below my shoulder. My dark brown skin never turned red, so all I knew was that it itched like crazy and didn't go away. I blamed the drink and experimented with eliminating different herbs. Since the rash felt like stinging nettles against my skin all the time, I assumed it was this. It took six months to get rid of the rash and three of those months were with an baby girl in my arms. She was my fourth, but my body was acting strange.
When baby number five was born, I began to feel puffy and I weighted the most I ever did in my life. I didn't know what the cause of this was, but I crave foamed milk a lot. I found myself having a decaf latte a week for awhile as a treat. Not only did I get a treat, but my four kids were all strapped into the car for a whole twenty minutes while I went to purchase the coffee. The ice cream habit had grown into warm coffee milk. I drank my special infusion, as I did the time before, but without the nettle, so the stinging rash did not come back. I thought I had figured everything out. Other than feeling fat, I was rash free. I even noticed I hardly got sores in my mouth, when I used to get them all the time. Being healthy was paying off in several ways.
HIVES! I was covered in hives after my sixth child was born. I knew I must have an allergy, but I could not imagine what to. I traced it to possibly peanut butter because I had been making my son a PB & J sandwich daily for his school lunches when I had never really had much peanut butter before. In fact, I noticed my face swell slightly once after making my son's lunch, so I cut it out of my own diet. However, just cutting out peanuts seemed to not work...unless I was getting into trace peanuts constantly without knowing it. The symptoms got worse. My ankles and legs had welts on them. I had a huge hive breakout on the back of my neck making it challenging to sleep. Sleep with a newborn was hard enough. It was six weeks before these hives mostly went away. I went to the doctor who tested my blood for all kinds of things, but not allergies. Frustrated, I gave up and tried to test myself by eliminating things.
I started with peanuts and moved on to soy. Maybe I still had hives because I was allergic to soy as well? Often soy and peanuts were processed together making it difficult to pinpoint if I was allergic to one and not the other. This got things under control. I would have a few smaller hive episodes, but nothing like what I dealt with the first six weeks after baby number six was born. However, things didn't go completely away.
Then I went back to school and found myself back in my old college ways. I didn't want to be a pain, and I had not real proof I was actually allergic to anything, so I went and I ate what was provided to me. Worse than any hive breakout ever, I found myself knocked out for a week. My throat felt like it had a trail of hives all the way down it. I needed to sleep any spare moment I could get. I felt ill, but I wasn't sick. I knew I would need to be more careful next time, so I set out to buy a lot of my own food.
Without access to a kitchen I bought food I could just eat. This included a quart of my favorite whole milk yogurt. If I needed to shy around meats in strange sauces, then I would want some kind of filling protein beyond nuts. I didn't think twice about things like cheese frequently served with Mexican food (super popular in southern CA). I also bought fruit, nuts, and plain salad. I didn't want to get dressings because of the soy and peanut factors and a bottle of olive oil seemed like a bit much for the whole ten days I would be on site for school.
The first time, I was at my school's ten day intensive I made it a couple of days before my mouth broke out in sores. This time I made it five days. I was sure it was the tortillas in some Mexican food that may have contained soy oil. Everything went back to that meal.
However, everything went back to another food group in all of this. DAIRY! I have never been best buds with dairy. It was a suspect of discomfort ten years ago, but I had conveniently forgotten that. When I came home from my second intensive, I was knocked out for weeks...in fact over a month before I went to the doctor for a physical, and begged to start allergy testing. I was swollen with hives on and off, and I felt like I almost had the flu for weeks. I should also state that I worked out six days a week intensely and never lost a pound. I did mysteriously gain about four pounds during the ten days I was gone, and I ate less than usual.
I went for blood testing. It was not always accurate, but a good place to start. When I opened the results I was possibly allergic to dairy and sesame. Suddenly a lot made sense. By avoiding all things with soy and peanuts, most sesame things were out of my diet as well. There was a granola I loved that gave me hives, but did not contain soy or peanuts. Guess what it did contain? Sesame. As for dairy, one can see I ate a lot of it. I also always cooked in butter. It tastes so good. This was going to be harder for me to eliminate.
It's been two weeks now without either of these things! I feel wonderful. No longer is the couch calling me for a nap every hour of the day. I lost two pounds! I don't have hives! I still have the remains of a few sores in my mouth, but they are healing. I don't feel swollen. Plus, I feel so great I don't miss the bear paws, lattes, cookies, veggies cooked in butter, etc. I do miss bread and butter, but other than that, so far so good. It has been worth it to remember what it felt like to actually have energy! Maybe I haven't figured it all out, but what I have learned is to not ignore one's body's warning signs.
Nectarine Fried Rice
We were at the end of the farm box, and I had been putting off practical things like going to the grocery story. What was actually left? Some evil looking red beet leaves, a spicy green pepper, and garlic( I recently bought a braid of garlic) were what needed to go into this dinner.
To replace the pineapple's sweetness, I grabbed six super ripe nectarines. They tasted great in oats so why not rice? My daughter recently labeled peaches as the other mango, so there was even a vague sense of tropical appeal. I diced them up and wished for the best.
Two cups of riced cooked in a large pot with a tablespoon of coconut manna, garlic, and the spicy green pepper.
In my frying pan I scrambled six eggs, while I waited for the rice to be finished. The end was simple. Peaches, scrambled egg, beet leaves, and small square cut pieces of deli turkey meat were added to the large pot of rice.
The look of this stuff was colorful and much pinker than most of what we were accustomed to eat. I told my kids this dinner was basically sugar in a bowl.
The result was a new favorite meal!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Farm Boxes
 | |
| Baked summer squash chips |
 |
| Enjoy salmon with dried orange peel and rosemary |
 |
| Kale with thin slices of garlic |
 |
| The entire meal |
So what brought me back to my kitchen? Beets were the beginning of it all. Even if I was not feeling super creative when it came to food, I did realize that I didn't want to waste anything in the box. All green leafy things go fast in salads and stir-fries, but the beets were sitting in the fridge for the whole week. I dreaded them and we eventually roasted them with a potatoes and chicken. My kids found this fun because beets color everything red. We would end meals with kids covered in beet lipstick and blush. It was fine, but there had to be new ways to enjoy the red beasts in the fridge.
As we learned new ways to prepare beets, I realized that maybe I could learn to like a vegetable I once wished would disappear. Red veggies can be a lot of fun. So we got adventurous starting with a summer slaw. I grated only veggies from the box. This slaw was made of refreshing cucumbers, sweet beets, and juicy carrots. I did have to boil the beets in water first, but the rest of the slaw was raw. We all enjoyed this, so I went a little bit further.
Baking with beets can be interesting. I started with grating beets into a chocolate cake. As friends on my Facebook cake promised, beets added a special kind of moistness to the cake that is unique in comparison to the fact that adding carrots to a vanilla cake doesn't really change a lot to the overall texture of the yellow cake. Plus, when chocolate is involved, I most likely can be convinced to try the recipe. Well, that is kind of lying. I don't usually use just one recipe. I love to pick and choose from many different methods and then come up with something from scratch. Our beet cake was basically made of:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of melted chocolate chips
(melted along with 1/4 a cup of butter)
6 medium grated beets
1/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of baking powder
Bake at 350 for about 1 hour in a standard loaf pan
If I were to make this again I would add 1/2 a cup of shredded coconut. I also tried to use very little sugar, but this would taste amazing with some cream cheese frosting.
As we learned new ways to prepare beets, I realized that maybe I could learn to like a vegetable I once wished would disappear. Red veggies can be a lot of fun. So we got adventurous starting with a summer slaw. I grated only veggies from the box. This slaw was made of refreshing cucumbers, sweet beets, and juicy carrots. I did have to boil the beets in water first, but the rest of the slaw was raw. We all enjoyed this, so I went a little bit further.
Baking with beets can be interesting. I started with grating beets into a chocolate cake. As friends on my Facebook cake promised, beets added a special kind of moistness to the cake that is unique in comparison to the fact that adding carrots to a vanilla cake doesn't really change a lot to the overall texture of the yellow cake. Plus, when chocolate is involved, I most likely can be convinced to try the recipe. Well, that is kind of lying. I don't usually use just one recipe. I love to pick and choose from many different methods and then come up with something from scratch. Our beet cake was basically made of:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of melted chocolate chips
(melted along with 1/4 a cup of butter)
6 medium grated beets
1/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of baking powder
Bake at 350 for about 1 hour in a standard loaf pan
If I were to make this again I would add 1/2 a cup of shredded coconut. I also tried to use very little sugar, but this would taste amazing with some cream cheese frosting.
However, not everyday is a cake baking day so what else could a person do with these beets to pretend they are not actually a strange looking vegetable? Make pink pancakes. There are tons of pictures of these if one just searches for pink pancakes. Some of the recipes are flour free. We kept things simple and added the beets to a standard family pancake recipe:
2 1/2 cups of freshly milled flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 or 2 mashed bananas
(add a cup of shredded beets)
1 teaspoon of butter (for the griddle)
Our pink pancakes were actually more red.
 |
| Beet, Cucumber, and Carrot Slaw |
 |
| Beet Chocolate Cake |
 | ||
| Beet Pankcakes |
The new challenge this month is figuring out what to do with all the different kinds of summer squash. As one can see at the top of this post, making the squash look like chips is helpful for my kids who have decided they don't really want to eat squash. I don't blame them when it appears in every other meal. We will be hiding it in things like squash pasta, pancakes, and other things that make it less squash-like.
As for time, well I will always want to be working on several things at once. Right now I should being driving to pick up something to add to our veggies tonight. As one can see, I'm still super torn between writing and cooking. Reconnecting with my kitchen might take a little bit more time, but there are plenty of new creations to find. Maybe I can try to work on two things at once, right? Cook, write, cook...
Friday, March 13, 2015
The World of Mom
For those of you who follow my blog, you know I love to write about pregnancy, postpartum, and some other random stuff. I sat down the other day and realized I am not spending much time writing about being a mom. For so many years I've been mom growing a baby, so I kind of let the mom title slip. Let's also be real, I have an almost 2 year old, a 3 year old, a 4 year old, and a 5 year old in my mix of six kids. Wiser moms than me have said, "I blocked out a lot of those early years." I know what they mean.
"Mom, Isaiah is covered in chocolate," I heard Joel calling out to me as I scrubbed a toilet in the next room. Friday is usually cleaning day unless I'm in the hospital (which happened a couple of weeks ago, but I'm fine now).
"What do you mean, covered in chocolate?" I shouted back. Seriously? The chocolate was on a high shelf in the pantry. How could Isaiah actually get it?
"Um, most of the chocolate is gone. I just smelled Charis' breath...Dominic's, too. It smells like chocolate." I'm so thankful my baby didn't eat all the chocolate alone! Did I mention that we made chocolate chip cookies yesterday? These children are not deprived from treats.
I rushed out of the bathroom I was cleaning to find Isaiah sitting next to my giant gallon jar (it was one quarter full yesterday) that was almost empty. His face had a chocolate beard on it and I had only been cleaning for maybe 5-15 minutes. He looked up at me, as I grabbed the jar away.
I ran up the stairs with baby in my arms and put him safely in his bed so I could clean up. The left over chocolate chips were covered in water.
"We were making chocolate pudding on our pretend stove," Charis informed me. They were not attempting to really make Granny's chocolate pudding. I'm glad they cannot reach the knobs on the real stove. I had to smile over how creative they were being, even though I was pretty angry at this point.
"Go to your ROOMS!" I told all the kids. Mommy needed a moment to be alone in quiet. Who was going to throw up? How much chocolate did they really eat? It turned out that the chocolate was eaten by several children, so they could not have had that many pieces each. But, there goes our cookie supplies for a couple of weeks. If only they knew that those pieces of chocolate could have made even more yummy cookies!
Yes, I love being a mom. Eating some chocolate isn't the end of the world. They may not want to sleep tonight, but we did not have to call poison control. I'm thankful this time it was just chocolate. We have had moments where a child ate all the teething tablets, or broke something made of glass. These moments have been worse. However, being a mother is filled with times that I will probably block out.
"Mom, Isaiah is covered in chocolate," I heard Joel calling out to me as I scrubbed a toilet in the next room. Friday is usually cleaning day unless I'm in the hospital (which happened a couple of weeks ago, but I'm fine now).
"What do you mean, covered in chocolate?" I shouted back. Seriously? The chocolate was on a high shelf in the pantry. How could Isaiah actually get it?
"Um, most of the chocolate is gone. I just smelled Charis' breath...Dominic's, too. It smells like chocolate." I'm so thankful my baby didn't eat all the chocolate alone! Did I mention that we made chocolate chip cookies yesterday? These children are not deprived from treats.
I rushed out of the bathroom I was cleaning to find Isaiah sitting next to my giant gallon jar (it was one quarter full yesterday) that was almost empty. His face had a chocolate beard on it and I had only been cleaning for maybe 5-15 minutes. He looked up at me, as I grabbed the jar away.
I ran up the stairs with baby in my arms and put him safely in his bed so I could clean up. The left over chocolate chips were covered in water.
"We were making chocolate pudding on our pretend stove," Charis informed me. They were not attempting to really make Granny's chocolate pudding. I'm glad they cannot reach the knobs on the real stove. I had to smile over how creative they were being, even though I was pretty angry at this point.
"Go to your ROOMS!" I told all the kids. Mommy needed a moment to be alone in quiet. Who was going to throw up? How much chocolate did they really eat? It turned out that the chocolate was eaten by several children, so they could not have had that many pieces each. But, there goes our cookie supplies for a couple of weeks. If only they knew that those pieces of chocolate could have made even more yummy cookies!
Yes, I love being a mom. Eating some chocolate isn't the end of the world. They may not want to sleep tonight, but we did not have to call poison control. I'm thankful this time it was just chocolate. We have had moments where a child ate all the teething tablets, or broke something made of glass. These moments have been worse. However, being a mother is filled with times that I will probably block out.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Port Townsend Living
Sometimes I am not grateful for what I have because I get caught up in the fact that the average age of people living in Port Townsend is 52 and that my family is only one of a handful of families at church. However, there more things about Port Townsend than the ages of it occupants and lack of generations. I know that I can take my family to certain businesses and be greeted with cheer. I know the food will be amazing and that it is sourced carefully.
Recently, I noticed that I seem to get hives when I eat peanuts and soy. I have not been for official allergy tests, but from what I can tell, if I stay away from these products I am fine. This made me really sad since I LOVE Thai food. The problem is solved here in Port Townsend because of this wonderful restaurant called The Banana Leaf. This is a family owned business with the best Thai food in town. Not only is the food authentic and beautifully presented, but it is also a place that welcomes kids and families openly. The first time we went to the restaurant, we had four kids, then five, then six, and all of these times we have been treated well and our kids have been kept happy. The wait for food is short and since my peanut allergy, I have been able to get all my food free of allergens. I also noticed another family while I was there a few months ago who had similar problems and the restaurant worked nicely with them also. Thank you Banana Leaf for making your restaurant feel like a meal at a friend's house. I love this restaurant. P.S. the coconut ice cream is made in house with real chunks of fresh coconut flesh.
Next, my favorite breakfast in town is served at Sweet Laurette's Cafe & Bistro. If you like the idea of coffee made with homemade caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, or even chocolate sauce infused with orange peal, then this is an experience you don't want to miss. Of course all the usual coffee beverages await you as well and three different kinds of chai. Organic free range eggs are an option and one can choose from basic breakfasts such as steel cut oats or classic egg and bacon, to farmers scramble and lemon and blueberry dutch baby. I usually order the farmers scramble because it is slightly different depending on what seasonal veggies are available. Don't forget to check out the coffee shop if you are not looking for a whole meal. There are French style treats that bring back my memories of Nantes and Paris. Laurette loves kids and there is a box of toys in the cafe. We have gone there as a retreat and my kids have played happily while my mom and I drank cups of coffee. The outdoor seating for the meals is also great in the summer. The scents of herbs in the air may make you feel like you are in Provence. I have not been to dinner at this restaurant, but it is on the list for our next date.
Now lunch can be tricky, I don't usually go out to lunch, but the best fish and chips in town is at The Silverwater Cafe. Sweet potato fries are an option. Their menu if filled with plenty of other options. I also enjoy their tea menu with flavors you cannot find just anywhere. My husband and I have also enjoyed the Silverwater Cafe for romantic dates including meals of steak and hazelnut halibut. This is another great place for a kid friendly meal.
Speaking of tea, I love Pippa's Real Tea. You will find every flavor of tea under the sun. There are fruit infusions that my kids love because they like to eat the fruit when the tea is gone. This is also a very kid friendly business for a morning or afternoon treat.
If you love pizza, you have to have a slice, or a whole pie, at Waterfront Pizza. This is not just pizza, but the perfect combination of flavors. You can also build your own, but I have never wanted to because the Greek pizza and the pesto combo are the best. Their crust is made with a special sourdough starter adding a unique flavor to any topping.
Better Living through Coffee is a town favorite for all kinds of healthy treats and fantastic coffee! I usually buy their coffee beans to have at home. This is a better adult retreat, but I have brought my kids here with me often. There are views of the water adding to experience. If you want to guess my favorite coffee drink, it is the salty caramel latte. Also, keep in mind the large drinks have four shots of coffee in them, so you may feel jazzed all day long.
So yes, this is all about food. All of these places are happy to see children in their businesses and the food is affordable. I love the fact that I can go out to eat in Port Townsend and feel a home in the many amazing restaurants. If you ever visit, you will probably get to go to one of these places.
Recently, I noticed that I seem to get hives when I eat peanuts and soy. I have not been for official allergy tests, but from what I can tell, if I stay away from these products I am fine. This made me really sad since I LOVE Thai food. The problem is solved here in Port Townsend because of this wonderful restaurant called The Banana Leaf. This is a family owned business with the best Thai food in town. Not only is the food authentic and beautifully presented, but it is also a place that welcomes kids and families openly. The first time we went to the restaurant, we had four kids, then five, then six, and all of these times we have been treated well and our kids have been kept happy. The wait for food is short and since my peanut allergy, I have been able to get all my food free of allergens. I also noticed another family while I was there a few months ago who had similar problems and the restaurant worked nicely with them also. Thank you Banana Leaf for making your restaurant feel like a meal at a friend's house. I love this restaurant. P.S. the coconut ice cream is made in house with real chunks of fresh coconut flesh.
Next, my favorite breakfast in town is served at Sweet Laurette's Cafe & Bistro. If you like the idea of coffee made with homemade caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, or even chocolate sauce infused with orange peal, then this is an experience you don't want to miss. Of course all the usual coffee beverages await you as well and three different kinds of chai. Organic free range eggs are an option and one can choose from basic breakfasts such as steel cut oats or classic egg and bacon, to farmers scramble and lemon and blueberry dutch baby. I usually order the farmers scramble because it is slightly different depending on what seasonal veggies are available. Don't forget to check out the coffee shop if you are not looking for a whole meal. There are French style treats that bring back my memories of Nantes and Paris. Laurette loves kids and there is a box of toys in the cafe. We have gone there as a retreat and my kids have played happily while my mom and I drank cups of coffee. The outdoor seating for the meals is also great in the summer. The scents of herbs in the air may make you feel like you are in Provence. I have not been to dinner at this restaurant, but it is on the list for our next date.
Now lunch can be tricky, I don't usually go out to lunch, but the best fish and chips in town is at The Silverwater Cafe. Sweet potato fries are an option. Their menu if filled with plenty of other options. I also enjoy their tea menu with flavors you cannot find just anywhere. My husband and I have also enjoyed the Silverwater Cafe for romantic dates including meals of steak and hazelnut halibut. This is another great place for a kid friendly meal.
Speaking of tea, I love Pippa's Real Tea. You will find every flavor of tea under the sun. There are fruit infusions that my kids love because they like to eat the fruit when the tea is gone. This is also a very kid friendly business for a morning or afternoon treat.
If you love pizza, you have to have a slice, or a whole pie, at Waterfront Pizza. This is not just pizza, but the perfect combination of flavors. You can also build your own, but I have never wanted to because the Greek pizza and the pesto combo are the best. Their crust is made with a special sourdough starter adding a unique flavor to any topping.
Better Living through Coffee is a town favorite for all kinds of healthy treats and fantastic coffee! I usually buy their coffee beans to have at home. This is a better adult retreat, but I have brought my kids here with me often. There are views of the water adding to experience. If you want to guess my favorite coffee drink, it is the salty caramel latte. Also, keep in mind the large drinks have four shots of coffee in them, so you may feel jazzed all day long.
So yes, this is all about food. All of these places are happy to see children in their businesses and the food is affordable. I love the fact that I can go out to eat in Port Townsend and feel a home in the many amazing restaurants. If you ever visit, you will probably get to go to one of these places.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Nursing Boobs
For those of you who do not want to hear about the human body, this is not the post for you. However, this is a post I keep trying to find and it is just not there. What happens to my boobs when I am no longer nursing? How long will it be before I shrink back to that smaller cup size? Is it worth buying an $85 dollar bra because it is the only one in my size that is actually comfortable?
Maybe boobs are more of a topic of conversation for me because I not only have to find a bra, but it must work with a prosthesis. Since I'm not in the target age range for most women with a prosthesis, I really don't like the styles of basic mastectomy bras. For the same price, I can go to a store like Nordstrom and have them sew in a pocket for any bra.
When Isaiah began to give up nursing during the day, and only fed about once a day, I noticed my nursing bras did not fit. I tried to stick it out thinking, I will wait until I REALLY need a new bra. However, my neck started to hurt, and I had to dress up for a special event, so I gave in. My loving husband sent me shopping for clothes and I knew I would hate every dress I tried on if I did not have the right sized bra. We all learned that from shows like What Not To Wear, right? The lady at Nordstrom gave me about 50 different tee shirt style bras to try on after figuring out my size. To my surprise I was the same size, just a different shape. Weird. I was in bra size denial! How was it possible?
I left the store with this bra:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/chantelle-intimates-rive-gauche-3286-full-coverage-underwire-t-shirt-bra/3066738?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=Cappucino&resultback=1094
It comes in two colors and I got it in black. I freaked out when I looked at the price at the end. I promised myself I would base my purchase on fit, not price. Risky, but I needed the right one. This cost me over $80 when I was done with tax. I swallowed and looked at what I had left for a dress. It all worked out, but the problem with loving an $80 bra is that is it hard to consider buying more than one and since one needs at least two, I searched elsewhere hoping to find something similar. However, I am still thrilled with this bra after 6 months of wearing it and it even still looks new. No signs of stretch, so maybe it would be worth having a few of these. Even with such perfection, I opted out of running back to buy another one because I keep expecting to lose my nursing boob size.
So that was six months ago and rotating one fitting bra with two that are way too small (4 babies ago) I started to look at True&Co. Most of their bras they put in my personal shop after taking the quiz were $68 or less. Plus, there is a free at home try on option. I really liked this because I never have 2 hours to try on bras at multiple stores. I got my first box and almost nothing fit, but one bra. It was in a color I hated, but I kept it anyway because it was pretty comfortable. Overall, I still like my Nordstrom Chantelle bra, but this one works well too. It has not held up looking new for very long. I got the bra in beige, so that might be part of it. I am still happy with the purchase and attempted a second round of at home try on bras. This time I was thrilled because I loved the fit and the bra that worked actually looked cute too. Plus, it has the option of being worn two different ways. I will post those links:
Bra 1
https://trueandco.com/bras/triumph/everyday-magic-wire/2363
cost me $46
Bra 2
https://trueandco.com/bras/betsy-johnson/stocking-stripe/2571
cost me $48
Both of these bras cost me way less than two Chantelle bras, but I still feel like the Chantelle bra is my favorite. I also had to sew my own pockets into the True&Co bras. However, the quality of these bras are great. My experience shopping has been very nice. I sometimes question if I am working with the correct size because I'm still in denial that nothing has changed after a few months of not nursing, but that is just how it is. I will say everything on this list works really well with a prosthesis. I looked for full coverage bras that have a built in shape, so it is easy to sew in a pocket. These all sort of have a similar shape to nursing bras, but are really pretty.
I hate spending money on things I'm not sure I will be able to wear for long, but the fact is, the right bra size is important. If things change then great, but if they don't it helps a lot to have the right bra. I felt bad about my $80 bra purchase, but it has been the greatest so far. I like my other to bras, and I am still thinking they may not work for long, so I'd rather spend less and still have the right size, then spend much more for 3 of the perfect bra, but that is just me. I should also say that my True &Co bra 2 might end up as the second perfect bra, but I have only owned it for a few days. If you have a prosthesis, sew in a pocket because it really changes how the bra fits. I have gone without one, but there is so much more comfort with the pocket.
My next challenge will be bathing suits. I am not really looking forward to this, but who knows...it might work out as well as the bras. I have realized that being pregnant a lot has made me think about clothing for the short term because my body has constantly been changing. This has made it hard for me to commit to certain things I really like. It also has made me feel like I'm back in middle school trying to figure out what to do with my ever changing body. It's more fun this time around because I always have the backup of yoga pants and a tee shirt, using mommy as my excuse. I also must mention that I recently bought a pair of overalls because they are back in style! I'm thrilled because overalls have been one of my favorite items of clothing ever. You may just see a pic of me wearing them soon. Hope this helps other nursing moms, because this is stuff I really wish someone had told me.
Maybe boobs are more of a topic of conversation for me because I not only have to find a bra, but it must work with a prosthesis. Since I'm not in the target age range for most women with a prosthesis, I really don't like the styles of basic mastectomy bras. For the same price, I can go to a store like Nordstrom and have them sew in a pocket for any bra.
When Isaiah began to give up nursing during the day, and only fed about once a day, I noticed my nursing bras did not fit. I tried to stick it out thinking, I will wait until I REALLY need a new bra. However, my neck started to hurt, and I had to dress up for a special event, so I gave in. My loving husband sent me shopping for clothes and I knew I would hate every dress I tried on if I did not have the right sized bra. We all learned that from shows like What Not To Wear, right? The lady at Nordstrom gave me about 50 different tee shirt style bras to try on after figuring out my size. To my surprise I was the same size, just a different shape. Weird. I was in bra size denial! How was it possible?
I left the store with this bra:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/chantelle-intimates-rive-gauche-3286-full-coverage-underwire-t-shirt-bra/3066738?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=Cappucino&resultback=1094
It comes in two colors and I got it in black. I freaked out when I looked at the price at the end. I promised myself I would base my purchase on fit, not price. Risky, but I needed the right one. This cost me over $80 when I was done with tax. I swallowed and looked at what I had left for a dress. It all worked out, but the problem with loving an $80 bra is that is it hard to consider buying more than one and since one needs at least two, I searched elsewhere hoping to find something similar. However, I am still thrilled with this bra after 6 months of wearing it and it even still looks new. No signs of stretch, so maybe it would be worth having a few of these. Even with such perfection, I opted out of running back to buy another one because I keep expecting to lose my nursing boob size.
So that was six months ago and rotating one fitting bra with two that are way too small (4 babies ago) I started to look at True&Co. Most of their bras they put in my personal shop after taking the quiz were $68 or less. Plus, there is a free at home try on option. I really liked this because I never have 2 hours to try on bras at multiple stores. I got my first box and almost nothing fit, but one bra. It was in a color I hated, but I kept it anyway because it was pretty comfortable. Overall, I still like my Nordstrom Chantelle bra, but this one works well too. It has not held up looking new for very long. I got the bra in beige, so that might be part of it. I am still happy with the purchase and attempted a second round of at home try on bras. This time I was thrilled because I loved the fit and the bra that worked actually looked cute too. Plus, it has the option of being worn two different ways. I will post those links:
Bra 1
https://trueandco.com/bras/triumph/everyday-magic-wire/2363
cost me $46
Bra 2
https://trueandco.com/bras/betsy-johnson/stocking-stripe/2571
cost me $48
Both of these bras cost me way less than two Chantelle bras, but I still feel like the Chantelle bra is my favorite. I also had to sew my own pockets into the True&Co bras. However, the quality of these bras are great. My experience shopping has been very nice. I sometimes question if I am working with the correct size because I'm still in denial that nothing has changed after a few months of not nursing, but that is just how it is. I will say everything on this list works really well with a prosthesis. I looked for full coverage bras that have a built in shape, so it is easy to sew in a pocket. These all sort of have a similar shape to nursing bras, but are really pretty.
I hate spending money on things I'm not sure I will be able to wear for long, but the fact is, the right bra size is important. If things change then great, but if they don't it helps a lot to have the right bra. I felt bad about my $80 bra purchase, but it has been the greatest so far. I like my other to bras, and I am still thinking they may not work for long, so I'd rather spend less and still have the right size, then spend much more for 3 of the perfect bra, but that is just me. I should also say that my True &Co bra 2 might end up as the second perfect bra, but I have only owned it for a few days. If you have a prosthesis, sew in a pocket because it really changes how the bra fits. I have gone without one, but there is so much more comfort with the pocket.
My next challenge will be bathing suits. I am not really looking forward to this, but who knows...it might work out as well as the bras. I have realized that being pregnant a lot has made me think about clothing for the short term because my body has constantly been changing. This has made it hard for me to commit to certain things I really like. It also has made me feel like I'm back in middle school trying to figure out what to do with my ever changing body. It's more fun this time around because I always have the backup of yoga pants and a tee shirt, using mommy as my excuse. I also must mention that I recently bought a pair of overalls because they are back in style! I'm thrilled because overalls have been one of my favorite items of clothing ever. You may just see a pic of me wearing them soon. Hope this helps other nursing moms, because this is stuff I really wish someone had told me.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Curious what my house normally looks like?
My little girls are MESSY! How did that happen with a mom who cannot focus when things look like this? This post is for the moms who might think I have it together because they came over after I'd spent hours cleaning. This is for the mom who has no idea how other mom's houses look like the Pottery Barn photos. We are moms and we have to clean probably a bit more than the average person.
Spring in February!
I caught myself jogging on the trail near my house thinking about a lot of random things. Yesterday my husband had the day off of work, so I got to actually go jogging at a time that was enjoyable. Jen and I have been running in the dark once a week (that is when I haven't been sick because this year has been terrible in that way). It is really great to get out into the night air when I normally wouldn't leave my house. Some nights it's been really cold, others pleasant, and sometimes we have run into large puddles of water. However, SUNSHINE changes everything.
As I flung open the door, took a deep breath, and thought about several minutes of quiet at 9AM, I gazed at the tall evergreen trees around me. Typically at 9AM on a weekday, I am finishing up a math lesson, rushing to put a snack on the table, and convincing my kids that reading our history lesson will be fun. I have mixed feelings about being a homeschool mom and running alone got me thinking. If I had my kids in school, I might be able to pull off running more than once a week during daylight hours. Maybe I wouldn't be alone, but still outside.
A few paces later, I realized something important. My oldest son is going to be ten in August. By the time he's twelve I could just leave the kids at home for a thirty minutes while I go for a run. My second oldest would be eleven and they could team baby sit the rest. Is this insane or genius? People have been telling me the crazy years of having six kids in eight years actually gets better. In fact, it becomes easy? Now I am starting to see some benefits.
The last couple of years I have been obsessed with trying to eat healthy, workout six days a week, and get rid of baby weight between pregnancies. Yesterday, I made a promise to myself. It's time for me to stop obsessing because time is flying. I still want to be healthy, fit, and slim, but I also want to enjoy being a mom of little kids. The trade is simple. For a brief few years I have to compromise. I cannot run at 9AM, or take a dance class, but I have later to do that. I can continue to workout at home and jog occasionally.
Am I deflecting from the fact that I have put hours of work into losing weight and I haven't lost a pound? Even though the scale tells my things I don't want to know, my clothing is baggy. I have skipped measurements because I need a break from it all. I just want to be happy with how I look. I want breath fresh air and enjoy it. I want to go on a run and think about ideas for my screenplay, or books I plan to write instead of how fast each interval is going to be. It is time for a break and I'm fine with it. Maybe the main thing holding me back this entire time has been thinking about it all so much. I'm not saying it is wrong to want change after having babies, I'm just taking a break.
My husband told me once, "Happiness is a choice." He's right. I am making the choice to be happy with the fact my stomach isn't perfect, happy that I've worked hard and I'm feeling pretty strong, happy I can run fro 37 minutes after being sick at a nice pace and not get too tired...these are accomplishments. There is so much out there about results, but sometimes we are not asking ourselves what actually counts as results? Is it really just about being thin? Is healthy just about being thin? My answer, right now, is look for more than the basics and deciding to be happy will be much easier.
As I flung open the door, took a deep breath, and thought about several minutes of quiet at 9AM, I gazed at the tall evergreen trees around me. Typically at 9AM on a weekday, I am finishing up a math lesson, rushing to put a snack on the table, and convincing my kids that reading our history lesson will be fun. I have mixed feelings about being a homeschool mom and running alone got me thinking. If I had my kids in school, I might be able to pull off running more than once a week during daylight hours. Maybe I wouldn't be alone, but still outside.
A few paces later, I realized something important. My oldest son is going to be ten in August. By the time he's twelve I could just leave the kids at home for a thirty minutes while I go for a run. My second oldest would be eleven and they could team baby sit the rest. Is this insane or genius? People have been telling me the crazy years of having six kids in eight years actually gets better. In fact, it becomes easy? Now I am starting to see some benefits.
The last couple of years I have been obsessed with trying to eat healthy, workout six days a week, and get rid of baby weight between pregnancies. Yesterday, I made a promise to myself. It's time for me to stop obsessing because time is flying. I still want to be healthy, fit, and slim, but I also want to enjoy being a mom of little kids. The trade is simple. For a brief few years I have to compromise. I cannot run at 9AM, or take a dance class, but I have later to do that. I can continue to workout at home and jog occasionally.
Am I deflecting from the fact that I have put hours of work into losing weight and I haven't lost a pound? Even though the scale tells my things I don't want to know, my clothing is baggy. I have skipped measurements because I need a break from it all. I just want to be happy with how I look. I want breath fresh air and enjoy it. I want to go on a run and think about ideas for my screenplay, or books I plan to write instead of how fast each interval is going to be. It is time for a break and I'm fine with it. Maybe the main thing holding me back this entire time has been thinking about it all so much. I'm not saying it is wrong to want change after having babies, I'm just taking a break.
My husband told me once, "Happiness is a choice." He's right. I am making the choice to be happy with the fact my stomach isn't perfect, happy that I've worked hard and I'm feeling pretty strong, happy I can run fro 37 minutes after being sick at a nice pace and not get too tired...these are accomplishments. There is so much out there about results, but sometimes we are not asking ourselves what actually counts as results? Is it really just about being thin? Is healthy just about being thin? My answer, right now, is look for more than the basics and deciding to be happy will be much easier.
Friday, January 16, 2015
1 Month of No Breastfeeding
For those of you who have been following my pregnancy and postpartum posts, you might know that I have breastfeed for 9 years and nursed while pregnant with 4 of my six children. It has been amazing to learn new things about pregnancy nutrition and workout programs, but now I have a new focus for the first time in 10 years! Yes, you did read that right. I guess I would think that 9 years of breastfeeding was a large number, but compared to my midwife, who breastfed for 21 years, it seems small.
The longest I ever breastfed a child was just over two years. Most of my babies weaned themselves without my help. I was usually pregnant with the next child, so maybe my milk tasted bad. I have often read that. The shortest I have ever breastfed a baby was eight months. I am still frustrated I gave up nursing instead of trying to figure out how to eat properly for feeding and growing a baby at the same time. You have to eat a lot, and usually every two hours you are starving! You have to eat tons of protein. Give up on the crackers and eat nuts. Have lots of yogurt! Enjoy food, but don't go heavy on sugar and treats. Ice cream has some protein, but it's a not a meal.
My early workouts were very gentle. I mostly went on walks with my hubby and they were brisk, but I never knew much about other activities. I knew very little about being pregnant in general. Then I found an Erin O'Brien's pregnancy video at the library with baby number 3. I was depressed I could not enjoy running because it made my pelvis hurt, so I tried the video. It got me hooked and I did this routine 3 times a week. I used this video, combined with a pregnancy yoga routine for baby 4 and then I found Lindsey Brin (momsintofitness.com) after baby 5, when I was starting to really gain some weight.
The Lindsey Brin routines have been my favorite. She has a calender with all her programs and lots of calorie based information. I never really knew what was happening to my body when my belly was growing and I was losing weight the first trimester. Now I know that one burns about 300 calories just being pregnant. This does not mean eat everything in sight, but it also means a dinner salad is not enough.
Some of this is repeat information. Why am I still talking about it? Now I am in the phase that I know very little about. I have never had two full years between any of my babies and I don't know what it is like to not just burn calories from sitting around growing a baby, or feeding one. I stopped nursing and gained weight. I know that is not that much, but I had been creeping toward my 'normal' weight, and now this has held me back a lot! Around six pounds is probably going to take me six weeks to lose.
I know that I have little to complain about since I have never gained tons of weight, but I still feel the need to make some changes and I don't see who I once was in the mirror. It has been a long time. The reasons I struggle with losing weight are my love for cooking and being in the kitchen, feeling lonely, and being a foot smaller than my husband, but consuming close to the same amount of food as him.
Changes happen slowly and I plan to be healthy about how I lose this weight. I refuse trendy diets because I don't like them. I remember I never needed them in the past. That being said, I am eating one salad a day (and I hate salad...it is boring to me, but after some time and the right greens it is much better). Sweets are reserved in small amounts. I love chocolate, so 1tsbp in chocolate chips can be a treat from time to time or if I'm out with the kids, 1/4 of a treat I would have had the whole thing of in the past. Protein is still very important, so it will be a part of every meal. I will be using calorie count to figure out normal portion sizes of things and log for at least of week, but probably a month. I used it in the past and seeing values of foods listed out really helped me emotionally. I eat when I am sad, so this helped me figure out if I was hungry and tell myself I had plenty to eat.
Adding a friend to your goals really helps. I have a running buddy and we talk about how we are doing with food. After last week I decided to track my food again and send her my calorie count when I did. It might seem silly, but knowing another person can see my food lists helps me say no to things I might have eaten. Also, my actual weight is out there. I went from 114 at my lowest, to 118 as my constant, and now I see 125 on bad days, but usually 123. I don't want to get caught up with this though because my clothing fits fine, and I workout six days a week.
Workouts are usually 15-40 minutes depending on the day. I have one day a week of mostly stretching and one day when I let myself sleep just a bit longer. If I don't workout at 5:30 AM, I don't have time. I have to have a structured plan or I do workouts, but not very well. I noticed youtube has a lot of great stuff for free and so does fitness blender. Right now I am working on http://www.jessicasmithtv.com/ 's 21 day challenge. I had know idea how it would be, but I love the workouts. She has a lot of different kinds of workouts and some ballet barre based stuff that I really love because I miss ballet classes.
If you are a mom and you want to start working out, find a time you can workout everyday. If it changes, put it on your calender. I treat this as a part of my to do list and feel like I missed something when I skip out on the time. My baby is playing next to me while I workout, but it has been like this since he was born and he knows to leave me alone. It works well for us.
Maybe this information is not new, or maybe it is. I wish more moms of many wrote about how they felt about their bodies after many babies because I still have so many questions. I know that things like working out and eating can be very personal for everyone. I don't want to sound vain, but honest because I know most women struggle with extreme body changes. I plan to write in a month and update you on any progress. :) I hope I will have good things to report.
The longest I ever breastfed a child was just over two years. Most of my babies weaned themselves without my help. I was usually pregnant with the next child, so maybe my milk tasted bad. I have often read that. The shortest I have ever breastfed a baby was eight months. I am still frustrated I gave up nursing instead of trying to figure out how to eat properly for feeding and growing a baby at the same time. You have to eat a lot, and usually every two hours you are starving! You have to eat tons of protein. Give up on the crackers and eat nuts. Have lots of yogurt! Enjoy food, but don't go heavy on sugar and treats. Ice cream has some protein, but it's a not a meal.
My early workouts were very gentle. I mostly went on walks with my hubby and they were brisk, but I never knew much about other activities. I knew very little about being pregnant in general. Then I found an Erin O'Brien's pregnancy video at the library with baby number 3. I was depressed I could not enjoy running because it made my pelvis hurt, so I tried the video. It got me hooked and I did this routine 3 times a week. I used this video, combined with a pregnancy yoga routine for baby 4 and then I found Lindsey Brin (momsintofitness.com) after baby 5, when I was starting to really gain some weight.
The Lindsey Brin routines have been my favorite. She has a calender with all her programs and lots of calorie based information. I never really knew what was happening to my body when my belly was growing and I was losing weight the first trimester. Now I know that one burns about 300 calories just being pregnant. This does not mean eat everything in sight, but it also means a dinner salad is not enough.
Some of this is repeat information. Why am I still talking about it? Now I am in the phase that I know very little about. I have never had two full years between any of my babies and I don't know what it is like to not just burn calories from sitting around growing a baby, or feeding one. I stopped nursing and gained weight. I know that is not that much, but I had been creeping toward my 'normal' weight, and now this has held me back a lot! Around six pounds is probably going to take me six weeks to lose.
I know that I have little to complain about since I have never gained tons of weight, but I still feel the need to make some changes and I don't see who I once was in the mirror. It has been a long time. The reasons I struggle with losing weight are my love for cooking and being in the kitchen, feeling lonely, and being a foot smaller than my husband, but consuming close to the same amount of food as him.
Changes happen slowly and I plan to be healthy about how I lose this weight. I refuse trendy diets because I don't like them. I remember I never needed them in the past. That being said, I am eating one salad a day (and I hate salad...it is boring to me, but after some time and the right greens it is much better). Sweets are reserved in small amounts. I love chocolate, so 1tsbp in chocolate chips can be a treat from time to time or if I'm out with the kids, 1/4 of a treat I would have had the whole thing of in the past. Protein is still very important, so it will be a part of every meal. I will be using calorie count to figure out normal portion sizes of things and log for at least of week, but probably a month. I used it in the past and seeing values of foods listed out really helped me emotionally. I eat when I am sad, so this helped me figure out if I was hungry and tell myself I had plenty to eat.
Adding a friend to your goals really helps. I have a running buddy and we talk about how we are doing with food. After last week I decided to track my food again and send her my calorie count when I did. It might seem silly, but knowing another person can see my food lists helps me say no to things I might have eaten. Also, my actual weight is out there. I went from 114 at my lowest, to 118 as my constant, and now I see 125 on bad days, but usually 123. I don't want to get caught up with this though because my clothing fits fine, and I workout six days a week.
Workouts are usually 15-40 minutes depending on the day. I have one day a week of mostly stretching and one day when I let myself sleep just a bit longer. If I don't workout at 5:30 AM, I don't have time. I have to have a structured plan or I do workouts, but not very well. I noticed youtube has a lot of great stuff for free and so does fitness blender. Right now I am working on http://www.jessicasmithtv.com/ 's 21 day challenge. I had know idea how it would be, but I love the workouts. She has a lot of different kinds of workouts and some ballet barre based stuff that I really love because I miss ballet classes.
If you are a mom and you want to start working out, find a time you can workout everyday. If it changes, put it on your calender. I treat this as a part of my to do list and feel like I missed something when I skip out on the time. My baby is playing next to me while I workout, but it has been like this since he was born and he knows to leave me alone. It works well for us.
Maybe this information is not new, or maybe it is. I wish more moms of many wrote about how they felt about their bodies after many babies because I still have so many questions. I know that things like working out and eating can be very personal for everyone. I don't want to sound vain, but honest because I know most women struggle with extreme body changes. I plan to write in a month and update you on any progress. :) I hope I will have good things to report.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)