The Joy of A Little Exercise

Most of us women don't have the same bodies post-baby as we did pre-baby. I am one of those women. It is what it is right now but the women around me have always stated that it is important to look good not only for yourself but for your husband too.  My husband loves me regardless, as he should, but both of us have fantasized about looking physically picturesque.  Thus far, since baby, I have been content with myself most of the time and have been telling myself that I will just eat healthy and keep active during the day.  I have felt that I have been doing this somewhat and haven't felt the need to be too excessive about working out, not that I ever have been anywhere near excessive in that department. And then I went swimming with my sister, niece, and nephews...

 You know something is off when you can no longer do a handstand in the pool.

My sister got a pretty good laugh watching my feeble attempts.  At that point I realized maybe a little scheduled exercise really wouldn't hurt.  On the flip side, apparently my cannon balls have improved by immense proportions. I believe some mention of tidal wave may have been thrown around. Hey, if you can make big things happen you should wear them with pride. This year I have the best cannon balls. Next year maybe the best handstands?

The Joy of a Friend

What's better than a girlfriend who you share dreams, secrets, and books with? A friend that you create handsome men of your dreams with in Middle School and imagine what kind of castle you might live in, because it does happen SOMETIMES. Or plan a trip at the age of 12 to Costa Rica with a hot air balloon. Someday I think we really should take that trip...

There aren't many experiences that top two endless days of baking Christmas cookies to the point that you vow the following year you won't be doing anything in preparation for Christmas. Or painting together because we say it soothes us but really the entire time we curse under our breath. 

 

And who can beat a person who always backs you up even when deep down we may disagree, which probably happens more often than we let on. And who can salsa dance with you for probably five hours non-stop.

You can't really beat a friend like that. Miss you Friend.

Happy Birthday!

 

 

 

The Joy of Meal Planning

For some time now Hubby and I have been talking about planning meals ahead of time in the hopes of reducing the amount of food that goes bad in our fridge and saving some money.  This is our first week attempting the task.  We're starting off with planning dinners first.  The draft menu is as follows:

Monday- Swedish meatballs
Tuesday- Tortellini
Wednesday- Creamy Carrot Chickpea Soup see here
Thursday- Steak & Potatoes
Friday- Tuna sandwiches
Saturday- Leftovers

I think once a week we will have some sort of soup and once a week I will try one new recipe.

~What are some tips that help you with meal planning?~

 

The Joy of Mousse and Jell-O

While in New York my aunt made such a yummy dessert for my niece's birthday and it was made out of... ready for this? Jell-O. I don't even like Jell-O. But this, this was good.
So, for my godson's namesday I decided to put this dessert, along with some chocolate mousse, on the menu. I have to say though that the Jell-O wasn't as good as  my aunt's, most things aren't as she IS Pinterest. She's never been on it, doesn't know what it is, but she doesn't need to, because she IS Pinterest.  Plus, things just taste better when someone makes them for you.

2 large packages strawberry Jell-O
2 large packages raspberry Jell-O
1 cup cold milk
2 cups boiling water
2 pints heavy cream
5 packages frozen sliced strawberries in sugar (thawed)
(8 cups of liquid total)

-Put Jell-O in bowl
-Add 2 cups boiling water & mix well
-Add 1 cup cold milk
-Take heavy cream and whip stiff
-Mix Jell-O mixture into whipped cream
-Fold in strawberries
-Place mixture into Jell-O mold
-Refrigerate overnight

The recipe called for either raspberry or strawberry Jello-O so I decided to use a little of both. Also I only had one Jell-O mold and this recipe makes more than what could fit in one mold so I used my Bundt cake mold. This worked great except in order to get it out I had to melt it a little and I placed it in warm water for too long.  When I flipped it over it was more melted than anticipated and didn't look so pretty. To make it a little better I got to borrow my in-law's awesome instant whipped cream maker and added some to the top.  This thing is amazing. Somehow I've never seen one before but apparently the rest of the world is very well aware of this gadget.

The chocolate mousse tasted pretty good. I was nervous about the texture at first because of the egg yolks; by the way, had no idea there were egg yolks in mousse. You learn so many things when you start cooking...

4 1/2 oz dark chocolate chopped
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup whipping cream, lightly whipped

-Melt chocolate in bowl over simmering water (do not let bowl touch water)
-Cool slightly
-Lightly beat egg yolks
-Stir yolks into chocolate
-Fold in lightly whipped cream until velvety
-Beat egg whites into soft peaks
-Fold one spoonful of fluffy egg into mixture with metal spoon
-Gently fold in remainder

The recipe said to put the mousse into the fridge overnight in separate containers such as ramekins or wine glasses (covered).  I put everything into a large bowl as I quadrupled the recipe due to the amount of people we were having.  The above recipe serves 6.  My mousse also melted just a tad so it wasn't as firm as it was supposed to be. Our drive was 40 minutes or so in the car. Perhaps that also had something to do with it... Despite the presentation not being the best, I did receive one of the nicest compliments of my life. The complimenter (this should be a real word in the English language) may have been under the influence but in life you should take what you can get.

"I am so happy that you married your husband

so that you could be here today to make me this dessert!"

 

Overall, these desserts were easy, fairly quick, and probably will be repeated in the future.  The call for ramekins in the mousse recipe inspired me to actually use the millions of ramekins that I have (more like 12 but in our tiny cupboards they seems like they are overflowing) for ramekin purposes other than condiment holders on burger night. Perhaps individual servings of real chocolate pudding will be in my in near or perhaps far off future.

 

~What are some of your favorite desserts to bring to a party?~

 

The Joy of Infant Play

Three Short Activities:

1. Alouette Mirror Play- He got a big kick out of sitting on my lap in front of our long mirror while I held his hands and placed them accordingly on body parts while singing the song.

2. "Football"- A great gift now that he is learning to grasp was our holy football.  He was actually able to hold it and look at it and bring it to his mouth.

3. "Reading" a Book- Kill two birds with one stone and get some tummy time in while looking at pictures. We propped ourselves on our favorite Boppy pillow and read our book twice!

One Long Activity:

1. Baby Massage - We haven't been doing this as consistently as I had first intended but it's still nice every once in a while.  I do incorporate some massage techniques with some natural oil (purchased at Whole Foods) during bath time. He LOVES having his legs massaged!

The Joy of Breastmilk

A little granola? Maybe. But hey you gotta try things in life...

During our birthing class it came up that breast milk is a magical substance that heals everything.  My little one got his first cold, which is obviously a little traumatic for the first time mom. We pulled out the stops; steamy showers, vaporizer with eucalyptus essential oil, natural chest rub, and then there was the stuffy nose to address. I had three options: 1) saline solution 2) homemade solution (I believe it was water, salt, and baking soda) or 3) breast milk.

We did try the homemade solution but in the end breast milk won out. Our stuffy nose got better and our cold went away. What as the cure? The time it took to naturally heal? All of the remedies together? Magical breast milk? Who knows. But we will probably use breast milk in the future. Besides it is the easiest of all three. I don't have to go anywhere. I don't have to buy anything. And I don't have to make anything, well not with my hands anyway.

~What are some of your favorite remedies?~

 

The Joy of Bainbridge Island

 

 

 

 

 

The Joy of Sunflowers

Upon returning from our trip, a cheery surprise greeted us on the kitchen counter...

~Thank You Husband~

 

The Joy of a Hot Day

While visiting New York I remembered why I don't like summers there.  The heat and humidity were deafening, especially for someone whose favorite season is winter.  I probably put my baby down and taught him to entertain himself more just because it was so sticky. My parents do not have AC in the house. However, they do have a pool but I was really hesitant to put my 10 week old into a chlorinated pool so we mad a make shift infant pool...

Materials:
Baby Tub
Towel
Small Boogie Board

He enjoyed it most of the time :)

The Joy of Infant Travel

Travelling with an infant can be quite overwhelming the first few times. The first time we spent the night away from our home what I missed most was my Boppy! Before you leave the house for a day trip or an overnight trip try to think of what makes you most comfortable in your day with nursing, entertaining, resting, etc. and don't forget it!

Our second trip required a plane ride. Flying solo with an infant... boy was I nervous! I felt pretty good until the moment my husband stepped away from us in the security line. At that moment I wanted to burst out crying but then I remembered that I'm a mom now and have to keep it together.

Some planes don't have changing tables, so be prepared to get inventive.  It was suggested to us to take the airplane blanket and put it over the toilet seat cover and do it there. Yuck. But we managed.

Things I forgot to bring on my trip that I wish I hadn't:
1. Sunblock (wish I had researched and bought some natural sunblock prior to trip).
2. Almond Glow Oil  (I really like this stuff and missed it)

Of course these things could have been purchased while visiting home (where I grew up), however, I didn't bother with stores and instead spent all my time soaking up the people I miss when I'm back home (where I live now).

~What tips do you have for travelling with an infant?~

The Joy of a Newbie Mom Gift

I never knew what would be a good gift for someone who just had a baby until I had one myself. For those of us who are typically late, unprepared, and a little unorganized, cooking meals ahead of time for when the baby comes is way too daunting of a thought, so my suggestion... FOOD. But then not everyone has the time to cook something for a friend, especially those of us who are late, unprepared, and a little unorganized.  So my suggestion...

Found at www.ediblearrangements.com



Edible fruit arrangements can be easily sent. Chocolate covered strawberries are the best snack for the nursing recovering mom!

Found at www.ediblearrangements.com

~What were some of your most helpful gifts as a newbie mom?~

 

The Joy of Thoughtfulness

Brought home by my husband

Taken from our friends' yard while helping them move

The Joy of the Perfect Bite

My sister and I often talk about the perfect bite.  We got it from a Barbara Streisand movie, I believe, where she takes a little bit of each item from her plate onto her fork for the perfect bite.  And so, often if something mixes well together, even if it's not everything on the plate, my sister and I will refer to it as the perfect bite.

So I discovered another perfect bite with the help of my sister-in-law at our brunch that we hosted (first "party" after having a baby, not as hard as I thought it would be to put together, but then again I had my husband and mother doing almost everything...).

 

Mini waffle, Zoi honey yogurt, sliced strawberry, yogurt, blueberry, sprinkled flax seed.  I recreated it for breakfast this morning (while holding my son if I might add).

 

 To be honest though, the first time I had them with mini Eggos and the seconds time with organic minis, the Eggos were way better

 

Do you have a favorite perfect bite?

The Joy of Elegance

Classic is Back

 

Chevrolet commercial has got it right. Love the dress, the hair, the necklace, the package.

The Joy of Making Banana Bread

Chocolate Walnut Banana Flax Bread

2-3 very ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
a handful of chopped walnuts and
 chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla with a potato masher – don’t worry about getting all the lumps out.

Add the flour, flax, baking soda and salt and stir until almost combined; add any additions and stir just until blended. Spread into a greased 8”x4” loaf pan (or 2-3 small loaf pans) and bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden and cracked on top and springy to the touch.

 

The recipe turned out really nice and moist. Definitely will make again.

 

The Joy of a Trade

I made my first official trade of goods or skills. For knitted bottle covers I exchanged my painting "skills."

 

 

We chose to go with glass bottles for our little one but obviously had concerns about them breaking.  I saw cute covers online to add an extra layer in case of impact, or more like imminent impact, but every item adds up.  A co-worker of mine does amazing knitting, so I propositioned her. Love each pattern and that they're all different!

 

She is also expecting her first. She gave me a fabric swatch of her curtains in the baby room and requested elephant knobs for the dresser...

 

And I offered an additional painting...

 

 It felt pretty good actually. It made me sad that we don't trade for everything in life.  Our family could possibly starve though with me painting and my husband singing ... Regardless it was exciting.

The Joy of Infant Play

Although I'm an occupational therapist, work with kids on a daily basis, and part of my degree focused on child development, the first time I had awake time with my son I was at a loss of what to do with him. So I'm tracking my activities.  It helps when I think of how many slots of activity time I have during the day and have a slew of activities to choose from.

Three quick activities:

 

1. Patty cake - We have several patty cake type games in Russian that mom can do solo with clapping or you can hold your baby's hands and "clap" with them while smiling and singing.

2. Bicycle legs - I like to do different rhythms of bicycle legs while counting to the rhythm. Also most all of my activities and counting come out with a made up song. I substitute my own words to well known, everyday songs. Which works out better because I never know the right lyrics anyway.

 

3. Scarf Play - Thanks to a friend of mine, I now have another purpose for my headscarves, besides attending church. N enjoys tracking the scarf movements, feeling the wisps, and his first games of peek-a-boo.

One long activity:

1. Dancing with your baby to music - It's never too early to start dancing with your baby, in my opinion. Besides it gives me a little workout as well.

The Joy of a Child

On Wednesday, April 24th, 2013, at 2:32 am, our son was born, weighing 8 lbs. 7.5 oz.

 

 

We are now officially a family of three.

The Anticipation of Motherhood

 

And so the waiting begins.  Although I'm not really waiting because that wouldn't help the time pass but it's still very present in the air. Four days until our due date.  Will I hold my child tonight? Will I hold my child in two weeks? How will my life change once I hold my child in my arms?

 

 

 

I believe I became a mother the first time we became pregnant but now I stand before the next door or a different door of initiation to motherhood, one that is more recognized. A door that holds a passageway to a new life.  A door that holds childbirth and a being of love I have never yet experienced. 

 

 

I await the things God will teach me through having a child.  Love? Humility? Selflessness? Patience? Will I also experience the opposite like never before, anger and impatience?

 I welcome the next chapter in my life with faith, love, and hope. And perhaps a dash of anxiousness mixed with anticipation.  I pray that I am able to plunge into the depths of childbirth and motherhood with great humility and strength from God.