Wednesday, April 21, 2010
wordless wednesday
I'm finding smiles on an otherwise dreary, glum day looking at these recent photos of the noodle. May they brighten your day, too.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
mayonnaise
Are you one of those people who grew up absolutely "hating" a certain food only to try it as an adult and find out you like it? I've heard a lot of people say this about tomatoes (sacrilege!), salad (craziness!) and seafood (don't even get me started). But I'm not perfect. Oh no, not even close. Sure, I've always adored veggies and it's true that I have long dreamed of opening a salad shop, but the food that I once thought was, like, totally gross was mayonnaise.
But that's the funny thing about growing up. And food. And pregnancy. It all changes.
When I was pregnant with the noodle three years ago, I experienced plenty of intense food cravings and aversions. Then I labored for about 17 hours in an era when our medical system thought it would be better that I not eat anything except ice chips. Then I gave birth to a 9 pound, 3 ounce baby. Then I needed food. Any food. The nurses brought me a plate with a cold salisbury steak (I'm still not sure what that is), mashed potatoes and mushy broccoli. It was something that anyone else would have turned away at first sight. I devoured that disgusting grub in a nanosecond and sent Mac out to find more. He returned with plate containing a cheese sandwich and a packet of mayonnaise. What to do? Well, of course I demolished that sandwich leaving not a single crumb. Still ravenous, I did something that to this day I still don't believe: I ripped open that packet and mayo and ate it straight up. How gross is that?!
Actually, it wasn't gross. It was good. It was real mayonnaise, and it was REAL good! And now I'm a convert. I can't believe I missed all of those early years of enjoying mayo on sandwiches. Burgers! BLT's! Tuna sandwiches! What was I thinking?! Actually, I wasn't thinking about any of that. I was already thinking about what else I could eat to quench my hunger. And you, faithful friends, you know what it was, don't you? It was the one and only, the food love of my life - Chipotle.
The end.
But that's the funny thing about growing up. And food. And pregnancy. It all changes.
When I was pregnant with the noodle three years ago, I experienced plenty of intense food cravings and aversions. Then I labored for about 17 hours in an era when our medical system thought it would be better that I not eat anything except ice chips. Then I gave birth to a 9 pound, 3 ounce baby. Then I needed food. Any food. The nurses brought me a plate with a cold salisbury steak (I'm still not sure what that is), mashed potatoes and mushy broccoli. It was something that anyone else would have turned away at first sight. I devoured that disgusting grub in a nanosecond and sent Mac out to find more. He returned with plate containing a cheese sandwich and a packet of mayonnaise. What to do? Well, of course I demolished that sandwich leaving not a single crumb. Still ravenous, I did something that to this day I still don't believe: I ripped open that packet and mayo and ate it straight up. How gross is that?!
Actually, it wasn't gross. It was good. It was real mayonnaise, and it was REAL good! And now I'm a convert. I can't believe I missed all of those early years of enjoying mayo on sandwiches. Burgers! BLT's! Tuna sandwiches! What was I thinking?! Actually, I wasn't thinking about any of that. I was already thinking about what else I could eat to quench my hunger. And you, faithful friends, you know what it was, don't you? It was the one and only, the food love of my life - Chipotle.
The end.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
This one's for you, Earth
Earth. It's a planet worth saving. I'm not a hard-core tree hugger, but I manage to recycle faithfully, walk instead of driving when possible and buy locally when I can afford to. Like so many others, I stopped drinking bottled water ages ago. I'm a little disturbed by the fact that there are still a lot of people who buy those silly bottles. Of water! And you can't win me over by saying you reuse them because a. that defeats the purpose and b. it's not healthy to keep reusing that plastic.
Anyway, here I am up on my high horse with my stainless steel water vessel and I lose it. The darned bottle has vanished (though I think it might be at the gym... I'll check into that). And it's not the first one I've lost in the last few months. And all of this makes me wonder which is worse for planet Earth - wasting plastic bottles that will eventually kinda-sorta break down or losing steel ones that will never ever decompose in a landfill.
Oh, Earth, can you ever forgive me? I'll try to do better. I'd switch to cloth diapers for the little noodle if I wasn't strongly considering round two of potty training sometime in the next week or two. I would love to use only solar power and sustainable fuels for my home and vehicle - if I could afford it. And I would definitely erect a wind turbine in the backyard, but I just started a veggie garden and there isn't any more room. Maybe we can strike a deal instead - I'll keep buying those steel water bottles, but I'll plant a tree for every one I lose. Deal?
Anyway, here I am up on my high horse with my stainless steel water vessel and I lose it. The darned bottle has vanished (though I think it might be at the gym... I'll check into that). And it's not the first one I've lost in the last few months. And all of this makes me wonder which is worse for planet Earth - wasting plastic bottles that will eventually kinda-sorta break down or losing steel ones that will never ever decompose in a landfill.
Oh, Earth, can you ever forgive me? I'll try to do better. I'd switch to cloth diapers for the little noodle if I wasn't strongly considering round two of potty training sometime in the next week or two. I would love to use only solar power and sustainable fuels for my home and vehicle - if I could afford it. And I would definitely erect a wind turbine in the backyard, but I just started a veggie garden and there isn't any more room. Maybe we can strike a deal instead - I'll keep buying those steel water bottles, but I'll plant a tree for every one I lose. Deal?
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Juicy.
Speaking of the glass being half full, and since it's Sunday, I have a confession: I am a big dummy. Once a day, I treat the noodle to a glass of juice. Okay, it's not a glass of juice. It's a glass of water with a splash of juice. Kinda like a vodka martini with a splash of olive brine - or is that just me dreaming?
Anyhow, I've amassed a nice stash of juices for my poor, deprived daughter who never gets anything fun to choose from... apple, orange, and, most recently, V8 Fusion. I never thought of Fusion as particularly appealing. I mean, as much as I LOVE veggies, I do not want them in my juice. But apparently, you can't taste them. This plays into the whole "deceptively delicious" concept, which I'm not much of a participant in. I had to get it though because it came recommended in my recently acquired Toddler 411 book as the best juice source of nutrients, and I wouldn't want the noodle to be malnourished.
I mean, look at those cheeks. And her skintone. She's clearly not getting enough nutrients. But I digress.
Turns out there are a lot of different V8 Fusion varieties. Too many. So, I did what I always do and got the one with the least calories. Then I got home and realized my mistake. I had just paid the same amount for the half-calorie juice as the full-calorie juice only to find that it was 50% water. I paid $2 for water! Which I am then going to water down profusely so that the noodle doesn't discover how yummy and sweet straight-up juice is.
I'm no mathematician, but if Fusion is 50% water and it's then going to be watered down by about 75%, she'll be getting a whole lot less nutrients than the makers of V8 intended. I might as well give her lemonaid or Sunny D or those 'juice' jugs that have the foil wrapper on top. You know, the kind that isn't juice at all, just tasty flavoring and sugar. And then I will surely be nominated for Mom of the Year. I'll just keep holding my breath.
Anyhow, I've amassed a nice stash of juices for my poor, deprived daughter who never gets anything fun to choose from... apple, orange, and, most recently, V8 Fusion. I never thought of Fusion as particularly appealing. I mean, as much as I LOVE veggies, I do not want them in my juice. But apparently, you can't taste them. This plays into the whole "deceptively delicious" concept, which I'm not much of a participant in. I had to get it though because it came recommended in my recently acquired Toddler 411 book as the best juice source of nutrients, and I wouldn't want the noodle to be malnourished.
I mean, look at those cheeks. And her skintone. She's clearly not getting enough nutrients. But I digress.Turns out there are a lot of different V8 Fusion varieties. Too many. So, I did what I always do and got the one with the least calories. Then I got home and realized my mistake. I had just paid the same amount for the half-calorie juice as the full-calorie juice only to find that it was 50% water. I paid $2 for water! Which I am then going to water down profusely so that the noodle doesn't discover how yummy and sweet straight-up juice is.
I'm no mathematician, but if Fusion is 50% water and it's then going to be watered down by about 75%, she'll be getting a whole lot less nutrients than the makers of V8 intended. I might as well give her lemonaid or Sunny D or those 'juice' jugs that have the foil wrapper on top. You know, the kind that isn't juice at all, just tasty flavoring and sugar. And then I will surely be nominated for Mom of the Year. I'll just keep holding my breath.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
doom and gloom and the bird flu
I've always been a glass half full kind of gal. But can an optimist also be a raging hypochondriac? I've been so lucky to be generally healthy, but when I'm not I'm really, really not.
Last week, as the noodle was getting over her flu, I noticed one of my eyes was bloodshot. On Friday morning, the diagnosis was clear - I had pink eye. Later that evening, I had also come down with a nasty stomach flu that is running rampant in Richmond. So I spent that beautiful, sunny weekend passed out on the sofa while Mac and the noodle were out having fun.
Flash forward one week later and I'm still sick. The pink eye is now red in both eyes. My glands are still swollen. I feel yucky. So, I did what any other self-respecting non-medical person with Internet access would do: I self diagnosed.
Yes, last night while Mac worked late, I worked up the courage to face my best friend and biggest foe - webmd.com. This site is useful for all kinds of things when I'm healthy, but when I'm sick it only makes me worse. Case in point, I used the "symptom checker" to try to pair the pink eye with the throat/gland issues and the recent flu stuff (all of which could be unrelated, but I wanted to be sure). On the list of 12 results were the obvious things like conjunctivitis, tonsilitis and strep throat... but then, wait, what was that at the bottom of the list? BIRD FLU!!!
Apparently, a person with bird flu will exhibit flu-like symptoms along with pink eye. Umm, hi, that would be ME! So, right there on the very sofa on which I convalesced last weekend, I had a full on panic attack. Further research indicated that only half of those who are diagnosed with bird flu survive, that the next step would likely be pneumonia and that I'd be gone in 9-10 days - as in by the end of this weekend. Panic!
Lucky Mac when he arrived home from a long day of work at 10:30 feeling drained and absolutely starving since he hadn't eaten anything since a lousy PB&J at lunch. Instead of a nice relaxing meal, he got a crazy, sobbing wife who informed him of her bird flu, certain death and the fact that she cannot leave this world while the noodle is so young.
Fortunately, Mac doesn't share my hypochondria. He reassured me that the chicken we ate last Thursday night was unlikely to have been tainted, that I'm not even sick enough to have bird flu and that I can keep raising the noodle until she becomes an adolescent and I change my mind ... or until I am admitted to an inpatient psych unit for treatment. Whichever comes first.
Last week, as the noodle was getting over her flu, I noticed one of my eyes was bloodshot. On Friday morning, the diagnosis was clear - I had pink eye. Later that evening, I had also come down with a nasty stomach flu that is running rampant in Richmond. So I spent that beautiful, sunny weekend passed out on the sofa while Mac and the noodle were out having fun.
Flash forward one week later and I'm still sick. The pink eye is now red in both eyes. My glands are still swollen. I feel yucky. So, I did what any other self-respecting non-medical person with Internet access would do: I self diagnosed.
Yes, last night while Mac worked late, I worked up the courage to face my best friend and biggest foe - webmd.com. This site is useful for all kinds of things when I'm healthy, but when I'm sick it only makes me worse. Case in point, I used the "symptom checker" to try to pair the pink eye with the throat/gland issues and the recent flu stuff (all of which could be unrelated, but I wanted to be sure). On the list of 12 results were the obvious things like conjunctivitis, tonsilitis and strep throat... but then, wait, what was that at the bottom of the list? BIRD FLU!!!
Apparently, a person with bird flu will exhibit flu-like symptoms along with pink eye. Umm, hi, that would be ME! So, right there on the very sofa on which I convalesced last weekend, I had a full on panic attack. Further research indicated that only half of those who are diagnosed with bird flu survive, that the next step would likely be pneumonia and that I'd be gone in 9-10 days - as in by the end of this weekend. Panic!
Lucky Mac when he arrived home from a long day of work at 10:30 feeling drained and absolutely starving since he hadn't eaten anything since a lousy PB&J at lunch. Instead of a nice relaxing meal, he got a crazy, sobbing wife who informed him of her bird flu, certain death and the fact that she cannot leave this world while the noodle is so young.
Fortunately, Mac doesn't share my hypochondria. He reassured me that the chicken we ate last Thursday night was unlikely to have been tainted, that I'm not even sick enough to have bird flu and that I can keep raising the noodle until she becomes an adolescent and I change my mind ... or until I am admitted to an inpatient psych unit for treatment. Whichever comes first.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The isle of temptation
Wow, two weeks and not a peep. So sorry, I'll try to do better. The noodle had the flu all last week. Poor thing. It was heartbreaking to witness. Gone was my wild girl. My girl who loves food and drink (like her mama). My good sleeper. My silly, silly goose. Thankfully, she's on the mend now. Perhaps a lesson learned would be to actually go back to the pediatrician for the second round of the flu mist next time. Whether or not it would have stopped this strain of flu, I'll never know. But at least I wouldn't feel so personally responsible if I'd been, um, responsible.
Anyhow, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself last week and started to write about how sad I feel that our plans to have a second child have been put on hold for this long and wondering whether I have the staying power to start all over again once the noodle is a preschooler, or older. But that's not your problem. Not today, at least. So, here's some light musing instead ...
A couple of times a week, I find myself driving on one of the least efficient and least attractive streets in Richmond: West Broad Street. I'm sorry if you disagree but it's the truth. If you're not a Richmonder I'm sure you have a street like this by a different name in your locality, like 23rd Street in Panama City or Arlington Boulevard in Northern Virginia.
Let's address the efficiency first. If traveling during daylight hours, you'll stop at nearly every traffic light, which translates to nearly every intersection. Is this the result of poor planning or is it by design? Either way, you can't win.
But assuming you have all the time in the world and not a single two-year-old in your car, you still can't argue it's a cruelly unattractive street. Let's see, there are a gratuitous number of car dealerships intermixed with gas stations and fast food joints. That's pretty much it. Except that Target just happens to be right in the thick of it all. And Target is my lifeblood. I finally found a sneaky way to get to Target without subjecting myself to West Broad, but inevitably I'll forget about the sneaky way on one leg of that trip. So, there I am sitting at the traffic lights looking at the fast food restaurants. At lunchtime. And all of a sudden, I'm salivating. I. Must. Have. Wendy's. Burger King. McDonald's. Panera. Chipotle. Krispy Kreme. I'm stuck on the isle of temptation, and I'm not known for my willpower.
Today I resisted. But it's only a matter of time until I'm driving down West Broad while chowing down on a greasy bacon and blue cheese burger, slurping a supersized Coke and licking the donut icing off my fingers. First of all that's a safety hazard. Second, I cannot gain one more pound. Not a single one. I'm done. The buck stops here.
Which leads me to this: For the safety of all Richmonders and the health of one weak mama, I propose we shut down West Broad Street. Effective immediately. We can call it an urban beautification project and maybe even score some government funding. In it's place anyone who cares to can plant victory gardens. There's plenty of room for all. Who's with me?
Anyhow, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself last week and started to write about how sad I feel that our plans to have a second child have been put on hold for this long and wondering whether I have the staying power to start all over again once the noodle is a preschooler, or older. But that's not your problem. Not today, at least. So, here's some light musing instead ...
A couple of times a week, I find myself driving on one of the least efficient and least attractive streets in Richmond: West Broad Street. I'm sorry if you disagree but it's the truth. If you're not a Richmonder I'm sure you have a street like this by a different name in your locality, like 23rd Street in Panama City or Arlington Boulevard in Northern Virginia.
Let's address the efficiency first. If traveling during daylight hours, you'll stop at nearly every traffic light, which translates to nearly every intersection. Is this the result of poor planning or is it by design? Either way, you can't win.
But assuming you have all the time in the world and not a single two-year-old in your car, you still can't argue it's a cruelly unattractive street. Let's see, there are a gratuitous number of car dealerships intermixed with gas stations and fast food joints. That's pretty much it. Except that Target just happens to be right in the thick of it all. And Target is my lifeblood. I finally found a sneaky way to get to Target without subjecting myself to West Broad, but inevitably I'll forget about the sneaky way on one leg of that trip. So, there I am sitting at the traffic lights looking at the fast food restaurants. At lunchtime. And all of a sudden, I'm salivating. I. Must. Have. Wendy's. Burger King. McDonald's. Panera. Chipotle. Krispy Kreme. I'm stuck on the isle of temptation, and I'm not known for my willpower.
Today I resisted. But it's only a matter of time until I'm driving down West Broad while chowing down on a greasy bacon and blue cheese burger, slurping a supersized Coke and licking the donut icing off my fingers. First of all that's a safety hazard. Second, I cannot gain one more pound. Not a single one. I'm done. The buck stops here.
Which leads me to this: For the safety of all Richmonders and the health of one weak mama, I propose we shut down West Broad Street. Effective immediately. We can call it an urban beautification project and maybe even score some government funding. In it's place anyone who cares to can plant victory gardens. There's plenty of room for all. Who's with me?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentine's Day discoveries
Oh my. I have seen some things. Turns out that on Valentine's Day most families in the city of Richmond are at Krispy Kreme, mine included. Mac, Grammie, the noodle and I decided on a whim to go try their heart-shaped donuts for a morning snack (because a breakfast of blueberry heart pancakes was just not enough). We'd never been in a Krispy Kreme, but I have a sneaking suspicion we'll be back roughly every time we drive past it. Anyhow, the point is that it was an absolute zoo. A loud, kid-filled, sugary zoo. And it was 100% perfect.
But that's not all I saw yesterday. I also discovered that we aren't the only family desperate enough to get some fresh air and exercise for our child to patronize a playground that's still covered in snow. It was fun in a dangerous, break-your-back kind of way.
What else? I discovered Ledo Pizza and their claim is true... they really don't cut corners. I also found that they keep one of the two front doors locked there. This is good to know for next time so that I can avoid knocking the noodle's head into a door while carrying her kicking and screaming out of the restaurant because she chose to lay down on the floor instead of put on her jacket like a normal person. Uugh.
Another discovery... men were willingly shoe shopping at DSW with their wives and girlfriends and (gasp!) offering good advice. Some men were even there alone picking out shoes for their sweeties. Heels were popular. I don't know if I could be more shocked than if Mac gave me a pair of heels for Valentine's Day. I'm sure they'd be great for wearing at the playground.
But speaking of Mac and Valentine's Day, he gave me the one thing I wanted but was afraid to ask for. Did you guess yet? I'll give you three tries. No, it wasn't chocolate. Or roses. Or juicy pear jelly bellies. It was Chipotle. Normally, I wouldn't be afraid to ask for Chipotle, but I have been splurging ever since Friday night's birthday festivities, followed by a night of drinks and dancing Saturday night and of course pancakes, donuts and pizza already on Sunday. Don't worry, I worked out for about 45 minutes - I'm sure I burned it all off! : )
*** this photo taken before the infamous splurge of Valentine's Day 2010
But that's not all I saw yesterday. I also discovered that we aren't the only family desperate enough to get some fresh air and exercise for our child to patronize a playground that's still covered in snow. It was fun in a dangerous, break-your-back kind of way.
What else? I discovered Ledo Pizza and their claim is true... they really don't cut corners. I also found that they keep one of the two front doors locked there. This is good to know for next time so that I can avoid knocking the noodle's head into a door while carrying her kicking and screaming out of the restaurant because she chose to lay down on the floor instead of put on her jacket like a normal person. Uugh.
Another discovery... men were willingly shoe shopping at DSW with their wives and girlfriends and (gasp!) offering good advice. Some men were even there alone picking out shoes for their sweeties. Heels were popular. I don't know if I could be more shocked than if Mac gave me a pair of heels for Valentine's Day. I'm sure they'd be great for wearing at the playground.
But speaking of Mac and Valentine's Day, he gave me the one thing I wanted but was afraid to ask for. Did you guess yet? I'll give you three tries. No, it wasn't chocolate. Or roses. Or juicy pear jelly bellies. It was Chipotle. Normally, I wouldn't be afraid to ask for Chipotle, but I have been splurging ever since Friday night's birthday festivities, followed by a night of drinks and dancing Saturday night and of course pancakes, donuts and pizza already on Sunday. Don't worry, I worked out for about 45 minutes - I'm sure I burned it all off! : )
*** this photo taken before the infamous splurge of Valentine's Day 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
I love
Happy Birthday, me!
It's good to be thirty-three...
So far, anyway.
Can't you do whatever you want on your birthday? I think you can. So, for my birthday, I'm listing 33 things I love (in no particular order):
- haiku
- Fiji
- scuba diving
- red wine
- seeing life through a viewfinder
- a clean car
- the color orange
- motherhood
- avocados
- putting paint on canvas
- dave matthews band (still, and perhaps always)
- sushi
- San Diego
- swing dancing
- cooking
- swimming
- that OK Go video with the guys on the treadmills
- Italian food
- sunsets
- anything by Augusten Burroughs
- flip-flops
- loud restaurants
- roller coasters
- mid-century modern architecture
- new clothes
- Jeopardy
- magnolias
- vegetables
- Fall
- the little noodle
- Mac
- my family
- YOU
Enjoy this day and in case we don't talk, have a happy Valentine's Day, too!
xoxox
Monday, February 8, 2010
These are a few of my favorite (winter) things
Winter is not messing around this year, people! It's all snowy with more snow in the forecast. And this is Richmond! Virginia! Seriously.
The noodle and I are truly outdoors people but not so much when it's freezing. Plus, once we spend 20 minutes getting geared up in what the noodle considers appropriate winter attire (on this occasion it was my scarf, bunny ears, a broom and a Cheez-It roadie), she's often ready to come right back inside and beg for hot chocolate.
Anyhow, since we can't hit the playgrounds or our favorite park, we're finding new ways to amuse ourselves. While it would be fun if this list included things like escaping to Mexico for a while, we've had to get a little more creative this year. Here goes...
The noodle and I are truly outdoors people but not so much when it's freezing. Plus, once we spend 20 minutes getting geared up in what the noodle considers appropriate winter attire (on this occasion it was my scarf, bunny ears, a broom and a Cheez-It roadie), she's often ready to come right back inside and beg for hot chocolate.
Anyhow, since we can't hit the playgrounds or our favorite park, we're finding new ways to amuse ourselves. While it would be fun if this list included things like escaping to Mexico for a while, we've had to get a little more creative this year. Here goes...
- Penguin potato prints - say that fast three times
- Freeze dance parties - dance... freeze... dance... freeze... giggle hysterically... repeat
- Performing guitar duets - I hold down the chords and she strums... we play a mean "Octopus' Garden"
- Visiting Busytown
- Baking ... you know, I should call it what it actually is - licking batter from the bowl
- Cleaning the house - I have no idea why she thinks this is fun, but I'll take it!
- Reading the newspaper - at least someone in this house finds the Richmond Times Dispatch worth reading
- Three-hour naps - thank God!
- And when all else fails, the noodle is all about Elmo's World, or what I like to call "20 minutes of sanity"
Sunday, January 31, 2010
It's all about the hot chocolate
Yay, more snow! We were all excited about the snow on Friday night. How much would there be? I just hoped it would be enough for the noodle to play in (you know they talk it up on the news). Well, let's just say there was plenty. It's yet another winter wonderland in Richmond.
Meet our new snow fort. Blink, and you'll miss it (but we love it just the same).
It snowed all day Saturday, but that didn't keep us inside.
Sweeping the snow was popular (see the cat in the window? she is constantly plotting her escape).
So was warming up with a cup of hot chocolate. I've never seen anything like it. Let's just go with this - the noodle is a big, big fan.
Nobody comes between me and my hot chocolate.
But it's tricky, too, because now she asks for hot chocolate after every trip outdoors. We've had the talk about how it is a "sometimes" treat, but that hasn't resonated yet. Darn two year-olds and their memory/verbal skills.
Meet our new snow fort. Blink, and you'll miss it (but we love it just the same).
It snowed all day Saturday, but that didn't keep us inside.
Sweeping the snow was popular (see the cat in the window? she is constantly plotting her escape).
So was warming up with a cup of hot chocolate. I've never seen anything like it. Let's just go with this - the noodle is a big, big fan.
Nobody comes between me and my hot chocolate.
But it's tricky, too, because now she asks for hot chocolate after every trip outdoors. We've had the talk about how it is a "sometimes" treat, but that hasn't resonated yet. Darn two year-olds and their memory/verbal skills.
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