Late Summer Books

 The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
My coworker recommended this book to me and I got it from the library on CD.  I listened to it and found myself fond of the flawed and relatable characters and driving slow.  I really liked the story once it got going but it could have started in the middle.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
I took another recommendation from the same coworker and I listened to a library copy on CD.  I liked it but I didn't love it.  The Kelleher family certainly has cornered the market on family guilt and obligation with a side of serious drinking.

Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?(And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

I like laughing so I got these books from the library.  They were both fast, funny reads.  I don't watch the show Kaling's on but I still thought it was funny.  Actually, the same coworker recommended that book also.  I might be in a book club of two.

Four of a Kind by Valerie Frankel 
A light and fluffy book that would be good to toss in your beach bag.  I enjoyed her nonfiction book Thin is the New Happy so much that I wanted to pick this up too.  A library book for sure.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I don't really read thrillers very much but I really liked this one.  I bought it for my Kindle and could hardly put it down.  The less you know about the story, the better. Just pick it up and read.

How I Know I'm A Grown Up #49

When I see teenagers driving cars covered in cool band stickers, I don't recognize any of the bands.

Today I am grateful for waking up before the alarm, reading a sad book while Babyface slept in (a rare occurence!), having a nice chat with my sister, going for a late summer walk, getting Babyface's photo taken at JCP, sharing two dishes from my favorite restaurant with a friend, chatting up the proverbial storm, salty oat chocolate chip cookies, a quick talk with my dad while is is overseas, Babyface's long nap, finishing an episode of The Newsroom, and plans to go to Trader Joe's tonight.

Fall!

I am ready for fall! crisp apples, chilly mornings and evenings, sweaters, colorful leaves, warm socks, fires in the fireplace, and flannel pajamas.

Today I am grateful for the big umbrella I keep in my car, ocean sounds to listen to at work, Pad Thai, Babyface's smile, my friends who are moms or moms-to-be, Google Documents, breezy summer books, everything I learned at school, clean sheets, the weekend ahead, feeling close to people who live far, and my mentor.

Here's Looking at Euclid

I'm the kind of person that asks people at parties: What are you reading and is it good?  Which is how I found out about Here's Looking at Euclid by Alex Bellows.  No imagination is wild enough to believe that I am a math person.  I am the opposite of a math person.  So imagine my surprise when I find myself so interested in this book. 

The author has both a math and journalistic background, so it helps non-mathy people such as myself fascinated by this book.  A mere history of numbers and mathematical concepts it is not.  This book explores math from indigenous cultures in the Amazon rain forest to the concept of zero to pi to math games to gambling and much, much more in between. 

Today I am grateful for light summer traffic, nice coworkers, a backup meal when my slow cooker dinner was a disaster, Kindle library books, peach season, Post-Its, the smell of Babyface's hair, and sleeping in my own bed.

Today I am grateful for an easy commute, hair color, Babyface's laugh, listening to a good book on CD, cherries, prescription coverage, clean towels, a dinner I had nothing to do with cooking, a car that gets me where I need to go, and a quick visit from my dad and stepmom.

It's been a while since I blogged.  This 70' tree came down in my yard, missing our deck and cars by about two feet.  Then I didn't have Internet at home for a few weeks. 

Early Summer Books

 I was interested in reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed since I liked her earlier book, Torch, so much. A few years ago, she was a visiting writer when I was in the MFA program and gave a great reading. And signed a copy to my honorary Jewish grandmother. So I added Wild to my list at the library and waited my turn. Once I got my hands on it, I could not put it down. I opened Wild on Saturday night and by Sunday afternoon I was done. Wow! was my first reaction. This was the best book I've read in a long time.  While the book is about her journey hiking the Pacific Crescent Trail from California to Washington, it also delves into her relationship with her parents, the end of her marriage, the loss of her mother, how her sibling relationships changed, and more.  I'm still thinking about it. 

At the library I came across The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan on CD and I listened to it in my car.  I didn't like the setup, probably the first CD or so, but then once Tan got into the story I was hooked.  I was driving slowly to listen to this good book.  It was interesting and some beautiful storytelling.  It was very satisfying.

The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard got a medium amount of hype and kind of mixed reviews, so I waited until it was available on my Kindle from the library.  It's about an advice columnist whose lawyer husband leaves their family.  The point of view changed from the wife to the son and that's the only thing that stopped it from being totally predictable. Not worth a beach read.

I wanted to like A Changed Man by Francine Prose about a sort-of reformed skinhead who approaches a human rights nonprofit run by a Holocaust survivor.  The writing was pretty good but the story was weak and unbelievable.

The best word to describe The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman is creepy. A middle-aged Waldorf Kindergarten teacher has an extramarital affair with a sixteen-year old student. Eurythmy and child molestation?  Yuck. Disjointed and unrealistic, I kept reading because I wanted it to get better. It didn't.

What happens when I can't sleep?  I read books on my Kindle that I got from the library while everyone else sleeps.  Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt is about two women leaving their husbands who get in a car crash.  One of them dies and the other one falls in love with her husband after he finds out his wife had an affair.  Of course.

How I Know I'm A Grown Up #33

I buy the clean version of songs on iTunes.

Today I am grateful for air conditioning, my EZ pass, a spare phone charger, clean water, friends, used books, my slow cooker, when Babyface puts his arms around my neck and his head on my shoulder, watermelon, going bed early, and having things to look forward to.

Today I got up with Babyface and did the usual routine while My Heart's Desire slept in, determined that the dirtiest thing in the room (bottom of shoe, trash can pedal) is exactly the thing Babyface will want to put in his mouth, made crab and avocado salad (very tasty but not too filling), finished The Breakdown Lane, took a nap, played with Babyface, made fruit salad, took it to a friend's cookout, enjoyed sitting in the shade and chatting, and downloaded more library books on my Kindle.

The Imperfectionists.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists and was surprised that I got a kick out of it.  I read it on my commute and enjoyed it. This book is a novel in interconnected stories, each one good enough to stand alone.

Bean and Corn Enchiladas

These enchiladas are so good it's hard to believe how easy they are to make. It's just assembly then baking. I often make them ahead (assemble on Sunday, bake on Tuesday). And since it's no more trouble to make two pans than one, I double it and freeze the other pan.

Ingredients (for one pan):

1 can mild or medium enchilada sauce. 
1 can refried or 2 cans of black beans
1 can corn
1 package shredded Mexican cheese mix (I use light but regular's fine too)
1 package tortillas
1/2 cup or so chopped onions







Pour half of the can of enchilada sauce into a Pyrex casserole dish.  Any rectangle or square shaped one is fine.

Put one of the tortillas down in the sauce and put in one handful each of beans and cheese, maybe half a handful of corn.  Add around a tbsp of the chopped onions.  Roll the whole thing up so there's sauce on most of the outside of the tortilla.

Repeat filling and rolling tortillas until there's no more room in the pan.

Then pour the remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas.  Spread the remaining cheese on the top too.

Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes. 

Bean and corn enchiladas are great with salad and rice.  I usually substitute 1/4 cup of salsa for water when making rice in the rice cooker and it turns out terrific.

Today I am grateful for big sunglasses, registering for parenting class in the fall, portraits of Babyface, the cheap gas station near my office, Kermit Ruffins & Rebirth Brass Band, summer fruit, that I know how to type, having time to mull decisions, and having things to look forward to.

The Worst Book I Ever Read

I read a lot of books and when I don't care for a book, I usually don't say anything at all.  However, this book was so bad I can't help it. 

Why did I even read one word of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith?  For the book club that I recently joined.  The women seem nice and almost everyone reads the book. And that this month's book club was the last book club event until fall. 

Thankfully, I got this book from the library and read it on my Kindle.  If I had paid even one penny for it, I would have lobbied to get my money back.  Grahame-Smith's book was almost campy in it's badness.  Characters were more like caricatures.  A fourth grader could have predicted the ending.  I was mad at myself for reading it.

What's the worst book you ever read?

Baby Food for Babyface

Everything that Babyface eats, I make.  I've been pretty much steaming veggies and fruits and then puréeing them in the small food processor.  On weekends, I spend an hour or so making purees and then freezing them in ice cube trays.  It's been fine but as the weather gets warmer, I don't like heating up the house.
Last weekend I poked holes in sweet potatoes with a sharp knife, put them in the slow cooker with a cup of water or so, and cooked them on low for three hours.  Then I pureed them in the small food processor.  So easy!  And it doesn't heat up the whole kitchen like using the oven or stove.

About a month ago I broke our old small food processor, it was the 2.5 cup Cuisiniart mini, which had done its job for at least seven years.  So when My Heart's Desire saw this one on sale at Costco, he snapped it up for a song.  It has no bells or whistles, but is perfect for this job.

At the farm stand today I bought some beets and am going to try them in the slow cooker tomorrow.  I puree everything — the beets, the stalks, and the greens.  So far beets are a big hit with Babyface.

Today I got up with Babyface, cuddled and played with him, made a tin and a half of breakfast frittatas, played more, put him down for a nap, worked out, took Babyface to JCP to get his supercute portrait taken, went to our last parenting class (sniff), came home and put him down for another nap, ate goat cheese and apple while watching part of Mad Men On Demand, had Homestyle Roast Chicken with asparagus, cauliflower, and rice with My Heart's Desire, watched the rest of my show, and started my book club book, Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter.

2012 Goals: May Update

Writing
1) My writing group decided to share work in mid-June.  It turns out I wasn't that crazy about the essay so now I'm mulling on something else.
2)  Just like in April, I blogged 7 times this month, which is just shy of my goal of 8 times. 

Healthy
3) I worked out four times a week and wrote it all down on paper. I have to be flexible since Babyface sometimes still gets up in the middle of the night.  One night when he was teething with a fever, he got up every 90 minutes from 7pm - 4am.

Romance
4) I did not go on any dates with My Heart's Desire.  I emailed our babysitter to make arrangements and found out she was going to India for a while.  So, no date for us.  I also put up an ad for a backup babysitter.

Parenting
5) The parenting classes were extended by another month so Babyface and I are enjoying that very much.  I listened to most of Jane Eyre (just to get that extra Britishness) and attended a book club through one of the Mom organizations I belong to.  It is always strange showing up to an event where I know nobody, but I was glad I went.

Two Divorce and Food Novels

I recently read Meredith Mileti's Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses and Judith Hendrick's Bread Alone. The protagonists were both married women who get unceremoniously dumped for their husband's colleagues.  What follows the crisis is food, drinking, and old friends. In these books, there's no match for a man's midlife crisis plus a sexy underling. While these books were predictable, they were enjoyable in a beachy way. And yes, they both include recipes.

Classy

When I want to learn something, I do two things.  First, I get my hands on books and read.  And read. And read. Here is a partial list of the books I read while pregnant:
What to Expect When You're Expecting
Your Pregnancy Week by Week
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
The Breastfeeding Sourcebook
The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth
Hypnobirthing
Mothers Who Think
And Baby Makes Three
The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book
Baby 411
Baby Bargains
From the Hips
The Essential C-Section Guide
The Happiest Baby on the Block
Assorted baby name books

Then, I take classes.  Before Babyface was born, I really wanted to be prepared.  So in addition to our Hypnobirthing class (I told you I was a hippie), My Heart's Desire and I took several others.  Infant first aid and CPR was informative and I hope we never have to use it.  We took a Babycare skills class, which was what to do with your newborn at home.  It taught us the basics of eats, sleeps, poops, and cries as well as what's weird but normal and when to call the pediatrician in the middle of the night. I  signed up for a breastfeeding class but Babyface arried before the class and by then I was getting plenty of personal attention from nursing pros.

After Babyface was born, of course I wanted to take more classes!  I was really lucky to find a wonderful parenting class.  I've really gotten a lot out of the weekly parent/infant class at the hippie school.  All of the babies in the class are around the same age and it's been wonderful to see the babies, parents, and teacher almost every week.  I learned about respecting Babyface, conscious cooperative care, and how much can be learned from observation.  I've been able to be a much calmer parent.  I also took an infant massage class, which I liked and Babyface loved.  And yes, he does get regular massages.  This spring I signed Babyface up for a parent-assisted swim class (really, it could be called Hey Babies, This is Water) which he liked but the time wasn't ideal so we didn't make it to a lot of them.

Next month the parenting class breaks for summer. I'll definitely miss our group and am planning to return in the fall.  I looked into what other classes were offered this summer and nothing sounded awesome.  So we're going to take a break from classes for a little while.  I'm part of a playgroup and enjoy getting the babies and parents together.  I also have some mom friends and acquaintances I would like to see more often.  It'll be a great summer!

Today I am grateful for having a long morning, going for a great walk, reading glasses (even if I did have to come home and get them), making my life easier by keeping a phone charger at work, parenting communities, Kindle downloads from the library, pancakes for dinner, tons of blooms on my hydrangea, spring showers, Mad Men on demand, and cuddles with Babyface.

Spring Books

Let's start with two books about the French Revolution. 

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran.  Interesting, well paced, and did not skimp on the graphic details of life and death.  It was enthralling.  I listened to YA novel Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. I didn't realize it was YA until mid-way through, it was shelved with the adult fiction books and I was desperate for something to listen to.  If I was a teenager I probably would have loved it.

I read Arcadia by Lauren Groff, which I liked a lot, despite it being a bit over-hyped. I thought it was good, not great.  I got it from the library after a little wait.  Worth a library wait, I wouldn't have bought it. It's the story of a boy born in a commune and his life as he grows into adolescence and adulthood. It's very well written.

Based on a colleague's recommendation, I checked out Maeve Binchy's Whitethorn Woods. I listened to it and found it okay.  If I had been reading the book, I probably wouldn't have finished it, but I had nothing else to listen to.  I listen to lots of books on CD that I get from the library and find I don't want to hear anything else in the car.  When else, as an adult, do I get to sit down and listen to someone tell me a story? 
 
I had high expectations for Chuck Palahniuk's Damned since I really liked his previous work, but this book wasn't a hit.  It was funny in places and fast-moving, but ultimately I found myself bored. It's the kind of book that wouldn't have seen the light of day if it wasn't for the famous name.
 
Keith Donohue's Centuries of June surprised me with how good it was.  This novel contained stories about eight different women told in a bathroom to a man with a hole in his head.  The premise was clever and the stories were well-written.  The less you know about the book before you read it, the more enjoyable it is.

I enjoyed The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin more than I expected.  A historical novel about the 2'8" woman who went from being a teenaged schoolteacher in rural Maine to traveling with P.T. Barnum and becoming an international sensation.   

Brian Wansink's nonfiction book Mindless Eating really opened my eyes to the things I put on my plate. It was so interesting to read and learn about unconscious food choices and habits. And just like advertising, everyone thinks they are immune. I've made some real changes at home and at work.


Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman offers an honest and sometimes hilarious look at motherhood.  It also had me thinking about my own parents in a different way.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients:
1 package of chicken breast strips
2 onions, sliced
2-3 bell peppers, sliced
1/2 c chicken broth

Seasonings:
1-2 t chili powder
1 t salt
1 t paprika
1 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t cumin

Put the chicken, onion slices, and bell pepper slices in the slow cooker. Combine the seasonings and pour over everything.  Give it a good stir.  Then add the chicken broth. Put the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7.  I've always made it on low and it's terrific to have for a weeknight dinner.

When I walk in the door I put rice in the rice cooker and substitute a 1/4 cup or so of salsa for water.
I serve the chicken fajitas with tortillas, guacamole, beans (black or refried), salsa and sour cream.  When I am feeling fancy, I squeeze a lime on top right before serving.  The leftovers are also great, I sometimes make them into a salad.

Today I am grateful for the smell of spring rain, books on CD from the library, crafts, being able to mull things over rather than make hasty decisions, clean clothes, and Babyface's smile.

2012 Goals: April Update

Writing
1) I found the personal essay that I want to revise and it really needs work.  My process includes mulling and that's the stage I'm in now.
2) I blogged 7 times this month, which is a big improvement over March's single post.

Healthy
3) I worked out four times a week and wrote it all down on paper. I was tortured by my trainer once this month and the following day I was so sore even putting on my bathrobe hurt.   

Romance
4) I far exceeded my goal of going on a date with My Heart's Desire at least once a month. My mom visited and she encouraged us to go out (of course she just wanted to love Babyface) so we went out for a fancy dinner to slightly belatedly celebrate our five year anniversary and another night we went to a movie.  Then my dad and stepmom visited and they took care of Babyface while we snuck out to another movie and took a trip to Target.

Parenting
5) The parenting classes that I have been taking with Babyface have been terrific. They are partly group led and partly instructor led, really the best of both. Classes are only through the school year, so after May we are off for the summer. I belong to a few parenting and mom organizations that I haven't been participating in much. My goals are to attend at least three events.

Earth Day 5k

I signed up to participate in an Earth Day 5k with a friend.  I really waffled on whether I was going to go or not since I really wasn't able to train for it at all.  We had agreed to walk the race and I was glad.  It turned out to be a perfect spring morning and we walked the race.  S-l-o-w.

We walked and chatted and literally everyone else participating passed us.  Old people, a really pregnant woman, a couple with a stroller, and an eight-year-old girl passed us.  I did not care.  No matter how slow we walked, we were still faster than everyone on the couch.  I did find it unnecessary when the winner passed us twice.  According to the official statistics, I came in second to last (by one second) so my slowest pace still stands.  It was my first race since before I got pregnant with Babyface and I felt good when it was over. 

Crockless

When trying new recipes in the slow cooker, I've found they are either terrible, boring, or awesome.  Last weekend My Heart's Desire made orange chicken in the slow cooker that was so bad it was inedible.  He followed the recipe exactly (he is a very precise cook, unlike me) but it was just blech.  I soaked the crock and then put it in the dishwasher, as usual. 

When he pulled the crock out of the dishwasher, he found the inside finish is buckling and peeling.  We joked that the orange chicken was so bad it revolted even the crock.

I just got the slow cooker for Christmas so it can't be worn out.  I called the manufacturer and they are sending me a new one for the cost of shipping.  I'm really missing it. 

In the meantime, I'm making quick dinners like frozen ravioli with Trader Joe's marinara jazzed up with onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  I'm going to make some white chili this weekend and freeze it to eat later in the week. 

UPDATE: The manufacturer sent me a new slow cooker (the whole thing, not just the crock) in exchange for shipping costs and the plug of the old machine.

2012 Goals: Second Quarter

What did I learn from my first quarter goals? Well, they were not as easily achievable as I thought. And that it only takes one thing to go awry (illness, business trip) to throw a wrench in the routine. My second quarter goals are to accomplish the things I've had in mind this year.
Here are my goals for April—June:

Writing
1) My goal for this quarter is to update a personal essay that I wrote last year, polish it, and send it out for submission to Washingtonian and The New York Times.
2) Blog at least twice a week. I'm lowering the bar here since I think two posts is more realistic. If I can get in three (or more) that'll be great but I won't feel like a slacker if I don't.

Healthy
3) The shared plan with a friend and Google document did not work out as I had hoped. I have a home workout plan that was created with the help of a wonderful personal trainer. I am following the plan four times a week. I am committing to working out four times a week and writing it all down on paper. I see the trainer once or twice a month and have real accountability. I have had to economize in several areas in order to afford it and find it's worth it.

Romance
4) My Heart's Desire and I will continue to go on dates at least once a month. We leave Babyface with a sitter and go out together. Having established this routine is something that I really look forward to. Sometimes it also works out that we can have lunch during the week and that's really nice too. It also allows us to have adult conversation that is not about baby poop.

Parenting
5) The parenting classes that I have been taking with Babyface have been terrific. They are partly group led and partly instructor led, really the best of both. Classes are only through the school year, so after May we are off for the summer. I belong to a few parenting and mom organizations that I haven't been participating in much. My goals are to attend at least three events.

Next Stop

I rarely buy hardbacks.  Rarely.  If you came to my house and peeked at my hardbacks, you would find most of them would have Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas scrawled across the title page. 

Glen Finland's Next Stop is a hardback that I pre-ordered and then eagerly awaited its delivery.  I've known Glen since the first day of graduate school, we were in the MFA program together.  I really like her writing, her fiction and nonfiction.  I've read this book in various stages, as essays, as thinly veiled fiction, and as a collection. 

When the final version arrived on my doorstep from Amazon, I was so excited!  I read while Babyface slept.  It was more polished than the earlier work that I'd read.  I found Next Stop to be brutally honest and well written. 

Glen doesn't just tell you what it's like to raise a family with three sons, the youngest of whom has autism.  She shows you moments big and small and her family's struggles.  She also pulls the curtain back on motherhood and goes beyond the sweet to the smelly and the real experiences.

It's the best kind of nonfiction, the kind that has you thinking for weeks after.

Slow Cooker Homestyle Roast Chicken

I made this roast chicken last week and it was a big hit!  My Heart's Desire liked it even more than I did.  I served it with rice and steamed vegetables.  I found the recipe online (but can't remember where, if this is your recipe, send me a link) and increased the spices since I find so many slow cooker recipes really boring.

Slow Cooker Homestyle Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
1 Whole chicken, neck and gizzards (and anything else in the chicken) thrown away

Seasonings:
1 T kosher salt
1 T paprika
1 T onion powder
1 T Italian seasoning
1 t thyme
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t black pepper

2 T crushed garlic
1 quartered onion

Mix the spices together and rub it all over the chicken, inside and out.  Add the garlic and onion and put it in the chicken.  Put the chicken in the slow cooker, breast side up.  Do not add liquid!  Put the lid on and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8.  I always use the thermometer to make sure the chicken is fully cooked.  5 hours on high and it was amazing!

The chicken fell apart when we took it out of the slow cooker.  It was so good!  It was also good as leftovers (or as my mom says, it's so good we're having it twice) and as chicken salad.

Carry the One

Carol Anshaw's Carry the One was a book that I saw mentioned in several places.  Sometimes when a book has a lot of hype it makes me not want to read it or I'm disappointed when it's not good.  I read a sample on my Kindle and was hooked.  The less you know about the story, the more you will enjoy the book.

 

 

Also, I recently learned how to download books from the library onto my Kindle and I've been reading on it a lot more. Nothing a thrifty girl like me enjoys more than library books.

2012 Goals: March Update

March was all lion, no lamb.  In the middle of the month, I got sick.  Just as I was starting to get better I got sick from something else.  I did not even manage to do the bare minimum this month.  Babyface and My Heart's Desire also got sick.  It was not fun at our house.

Writing
1) I did not do a submissions mailing this month. I had an essay in mind to revise and submit and didn't manage. 

2) My goals was to blog at least three times a week. With one post in March, I didn't even come close.  

Healthy
3) I did not log my workouts and frankly, there wasn't much to log.  I was unable to workout for almost three weeks and it really did not feel good.  My body felt stiff and I didn't sleep as well as I usually do.  Also, the person that I was sharing the Google document with hasn't logged anything (best laid plans and all that). 

I'm still planning on participating in the Earth Day 5k even though my training took a hit.  There are serious runners as well as families with strollers.  I really might be last.  And I don't care if I am. 

Romance

4) My Heart's Desire and I went out on two dates.  The first one was right before I got sick.  A friend gave My Heart's Desire tickets to a hockey game so we went.  The seats were terrific and it was a fun night.  My Heart's Desire's birthday is in March and I had arranged a sitter way in advance so that we could go out.  I still wasn't feeling well so we went to a barbeque restaurant that he likes.

Community Service

5) Finally!  I took the bags of nonperishable food I've been driving around and dropped it off.

Parenting

6) We made it to two of the three parenting classes in March. Most of the babies are older than Babyface so I get a preview of what he's going to be doing.

2012 Goals: February Update

Staring in February I've been feeling like a circus performer balancing spinning plates on sticks. My plates had dinner, clean clothes, and diapers on them. Having goals is good and some of these will have to be modified.

 Writing

1) I did not do a submissions mailing this month. March it is.

 2) My goals was to blog at least three times a week. With 6 posts this month, I was about halfway there. I'm going to try and keep some running drafts that I can work on when I get time for fits and starts, since sitting down and writing has been taking a backseat to lying down and napping.

Healthy

3) I did log all my workouts. My goal for the month was 20 workouts and I logged in 12. I went for walks, outside and on the treadmill, took a post-natal movement class, and strength training (free weights and resistance bands).

 I know that strength training is key to being healthy. It's been a long time since I did it consistently. I did a two-hour session with a personal training powerhouse that helped one of my good friends reach her fitness goals. Our session created a home workout for me to do and we agreed that four days a week was an achievable goal for me. I left with an upper body/abs and lower body/abs workout that I feel comfortable doing. The following day can best be summed up thusly: ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I texted my friend that I didn't like her anymore. I also feel sore after I do the home workout (though not as) so I know I'm working those muscles. 

Thrifty though I am, I broke down and bought my first new pair of workout shoes in more than two years!  It's amazing how much better my knees feel post-workout when my feet are getting adequate support.

 Romance

 4) My Heart's Desire and I went out on two daytime dates! The first was lunch at my favorite Indian restaurant near his office. We used to go there a lot when we were dating so I'm a bit sentimental about the place. The food is really terrific too. On our second date we had a babysitter come over and we had frozen yogurt and went to a movie (his choice). It's hard for me to be out without Babyface and I only cried a little.

 Community Service
5) I put all the food together into bags and have been driving it around in my car.

 Parenting

6) The new session of parenting classes started and it was wonderful to see familiar faces and some new ones. All of the babies are so different it's interesting to watch them grow. Of course, I also love to see them play together, in a big old baby dogpile.  Trees Make the Best Mobiles is our unofficial text and I am loving it.

How I Know I'm A Grown Up #17

Sleeping past sunrise feels like sleeping in.

Mexican Lasagna

This dish is super easy and is mostly assembly.  Serve with sour cream, guacamole and a green salad. It's also good with Spanish rice (substitute a 1/4 cup of salsa for water in rice cooker). Yum!

Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Jar of salsa (I like Muir Glen)
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Can of black beans
One box of LightLife Smart Ground (It's vegetarian meat that is so good My Heart's Desire did not know if was vegetarian for years!)

Fresh or frozen diced onion

Frozen or canned corn
Can of fire roasted tomatoes

Small can of chopped or sliced olives

Guacamole
3 cloves of garlic
1 t paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt, pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*

Cook the Smart Ground with diced onions and spices.  It takes only a few minutes and since it isn't really meat, it's not greasy and there's no fat to drain.  

Spray a square Pyrex dish with Pam.

Spread salsa over the bottom of the pan.  Add a tortilla.  Pour in some ground, beans, cheese, salsa, corn, tomatoes, and olives.  Put down another tortilla and repeat a couple more times. 

On the top tortilla, pour lots of salsa, cheese, and olives.  Cover the dish in foil.

Bake covered for 20-25 mins.  Then take off the foil and bake for another 5 mins or until the cheese is all melty.

Voila!  Dinner is ready.  Makes enough to feed 2 hungry people at dinner with a leftover lunch or two.

Today I got up with Babyface, played, cared for him, had a nice chat with my sister, started reading Nourishing Traditions, cleaned the bathroom, washed my delicates with Dr. Bonner's hippie soap,  met a friend for coffee, chat and hugs, cuddled with Babyface some more, hung out with My Heart's Desire, had dinner, and am going to bed early. 

Hippie Feet

As I mentioned, I've been considering signing up for a race to motivate me.  One of my friends sent me a link to some races, and after a little back and forth, we decided to sign up for the Earth Day 5K.  If this sounds familiar, it's because I participated in this race in 2010.  It's a really pretty course and well organized. 

I haven't participated in a race since Thankgiving 2010 and am still quite rusty.  I'm going to train for distance on this race.  It's at the end of April, so I have enough time to train inside on the treadmill on bad weather days and outside on nice ones.   

Slow in Love

One of the things that I got for Christmas was a slow cooker. I really wanted one.  My Heart's Desire fears that it will burn down our house but I have no such fear.  It immediately became a kitchen favorite!  Easy and delicious, what else does a soon-to-be-working mom need?

I've made about eight different things in it by now and some have been great and others have been not great.  Still, we haven't had to order pizza even with the flops.

My favorite thing so far has been Slow Cooker Jambalaya.  Real Jambalaya has shrimp and other delights from the sea.  Mine does not.  When I was pregnant with Babyface, I had an allergic reaction to shellfish and I am scared to eat it now.  Anyway, feel free to add some cooked shrimp at the end if you like.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya
1lb of chicken breasts or strips, cut into one-inch pieces
1/3 or 1/2 of turkey kielbasa, cut into one-inch pieces
2 green peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
3 oz tomato paste
1 can beef broth
1 can small red beans
1 T parsley
1 1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
1 t Tabasco
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt
3 cups cooked rice (I used the rice cooker)

Toss all ingredients except rice into the slow cooker.  Cook on low for six hours.  If you want to add cooked shrimp, put in for the last 20 minutes or so.  Pour over rice and serve.  Voila!  My Heart's Desire liked it too.

Today I am grateful for Babyface sleeping through the night, magazines, my slow cooker, hot water, comfy clothes, neti pot, thrift stores, patience, jazz vocals, and that I know how to type.

2012 Goals: January Update

January has been a great getting started month.  I like having concrete goals so that I know how I'm doing.  I am feeling more like myself more and more.

Writing
1) I did not do a submissions mailing this month. That will have to happen in February or March.
2) My goals was to blog at least three times a week.  With 9 posts this month, I'm short.  The more I blog, the more I have to blog about. If there's anything you want me to blog about, just let me know in the comments.

Healthy
3) I did log all my workouts and found my thoughts shifting from, "I don't have time to do a full workout so I'll wait" to "Even a short workout is good stuff" and that helped change my mindset from not having enough time to workout to fitting in workouts when I can.  I've been a little discouraged about how slow I am.  This is kind of silly, but to remind myself that I have fitness achievements to be proud of, when I need a boost I wear my sneakers that have the tag from when I participated in the Philadelphia Half Marathon.

I prefer to workout in the morning but have been taking opportunities for workouts wherever I find them. I went for walks, outside and on the treadmill, did Yoga, and strength training (free weights and resistance bands).  My goal for the month was 20 workouts and I logged in 16.  I woke up with a cold over the weekend so I wasn't able to get in the last 4.  Still, I feel good about getting in 16.  In December I probably worked out 10 times.

Romance
4) My Heart's Desire and I did go on a date.  It takes a lot more effort, energy, and planning to go on dates since Babyface was born.  We did hire a sitter and went out on a Saturday afternoon.  Yes, afternoon.  I get up so early with Babyface that an evening out wouldn't be fun.  My Heart's Desire and I had a leisurely late lunch at his favorite restaurant and it was really nice.  We could have eaten anywhere and I would have been happy.  Unless Babyface is sleeping, it's hard for My Heart's Desire and I to sit down together and share meals. 

Community Service
5) I am collecting food to make a donation.  We went to Costco and got some peanut butter, tuna fish, pasta, and other good stuff.  Now all I have to do is put it together and drop it off.

Parenting
6) I am continuing to take parenting classes.  Our small group has been together since September and it's been wonderful to connect as mothers and to see all of the babies (all of them were born in June and July) grow together.  The teacher is an expert in infant movement and really encourages us to let babies learn in their own way and in their own time.  It's really helped me not stress out about milestones. 

The American Heiress

Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress can be summed up in one word: meh. This book could have been good, but wasn't. It was impossible to care about the spoiled title character.  I was more interested in her maid's romance but that story was told in unsatisfying fits and starts.  When I was in a MFA program, we were often encouraged to tell a story from another point of view.  Those exercises are included (a chapter by the heiress' hat maker) to the story's detriment.  Why did I keep reading?  Good writing. 

Pasta Yum

I was talking to a friend about easy weeknight dinners, and Pasta Yum immediately came to mind. It’s so good and really fast to make. My mom gave me the recipe, which my brother shared from Vegan Yum Yum. Though the ingredients are strange, together it is amazing.  Just don't let anyone watch you make it.

The sauce does not keep well, so there's no making a batch and using a little here or there. While this will produce leftovers, they're not as good as fresh. So if you're making it for two people, I'd halve the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 box pasta (I like fusilli or rigatoni, but whatever you have is fine)

½ - 1 bag of frozen broccoli

A handful of sun-dried tomatoes (if you don't have any, it's fine without)

1 cup soymilk (I use plain)
1/3 cup cashews
¼ cup nutritional yeast (buy in bulk section at hippie store or Whole Foods, since you need so little)
3 T low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 T margarine (or butter, if not making vegan)
1 heaping T tahini
1 T lemon juice
1 t mustard
½ t paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
2-4 cloves of garlic (I use jars of crushed garlic or the tube of pureed)

Directions:

Put the water on to boil and gather all of the ingredients.

While pasta cooks according to instructions on box, put everything from soy milk - garlic into the blender and blend.

When the pasta is almost done, toss in the frozen broccoli. If you're crazy about broccoli like I am, toss in the whole bag, otherwise half a bag is fine.

Drain pasta and broccoli, and toss the sun-dried tomatoes in the colander so they get warmed too.

Put the pasta, broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes back in pot, stir in sauce from blender, and serve immediately.
 

Today I am grateful for sleep, a working furnace, cuddles with Babyface, my slow cooker, old family recipes, a gift card for a lovely massage, listening to a great book where the narrator has an Irish accent, teaching a dad-to-be how to change a diaper and taking the mystery out of it, and that My Heart's Desire came home with cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake.

Baby, it's cold outside

One of my first quarter goals is to workout 20 times a month.  I keep track on a spreadsheet and am doing well so far. The best time for me to workout is in the morning, when Babyface is still sleeping.  However, not only is it dark outside (we're talking an hour and a half before sunrise), it's also cold.  Despite the mild winter we've been having, it's still way too cold to go out in the early am darkness.  So I've been doing DVDs, Yoga, and using the treadmill. 

I'm considering psyching myself up to train for a 5K in the spring, though am so slow right now I really might beat my personal slowest time of coming in second to last.  I'm also trying to remind myself that though I prefer to workout in the morning, I really can do it anytime.  Last night I laced up my sneakers and went for an evening walk.  It wasn't great, but it was something. 

The Lost Wife

I read so many books with wife in the title —The 19th Wife, The 9th Wife, The Senator's Wife, The Pretend Wife, The Pilot's Wife, The Time Travelers Wife, The Spare Wife, The Wife's Tale, American Wife — that I imposed a girl-cott on reading any others.  I made an exception for this book. 

Alyson Richman's The Lost Wife is historical fiction at it's best: well-written, intriguing, and educational.  A Jewish couple who marry in Prague are separated a few days later when the bride refuses to leave the country without her family.  This isn't a love story, it's what happens during the 60 years that they are apart, each having learned that the other was dead.  The book starts at the end, where they meet at a wedding all those years later.  I bought this book on my Kindle and could hardly put it down until I was done.

Today I am grateful for sunshine, clean water, Netflix on Roku, fleece pants, gift cards, reading glasses, and a mobile phone that works.

2012 Goals: First Quarter

What I really need to go is start at the beginning with almost everything.  These are things that I think that I can achieve.  If all goes well, my goals for next quarter will be a little more ambitious.

Here are my goals for January - March:

Writing
1) Know what's at least as important as actually writing?  Submitting.  My goal for this quarter is to do one mailing and submit polished work for publication. 
2) Blog at least three times a week.  I like doing it and sometimes it gets the ball rolling for other writing.

Healthy
3) It's time to get the booty moving! I agreed to share a google document with a friend to be accountable and commit to working out.  I really feel better when I workout and I'm a beginner again.  I'm going to log all my workouts and commit to 20 in 30 days.

Romance
4) My Heart's Desire and I will go on dates at least once a month.  We will leave Babyface with a sitter and go out together.  We haven't done this much since he was born, but I will make it a priority.

Community Service
5) Make a donation to a local food bank. I know they get a lot of donations around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but people are hungry in January too.  When we go to Costco, I'm planning to pick up some things (peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, cereal, etc)  to donate.

Parenting
6) It's really important for me to learn how to be a good parent.  I've been taking parenting education classes and want to continue to do so.  I learn a lot from books, but it's also important to learn from professionals and be around peers who are going through similar experiences.

UPDATE: These goals were mentioned in the National Endowment for the Arts The Write Stuff blog!

2012 Goals

As previously mentioned, I've been mulling over what to do for the New Year.  What I've decided is to set goals for every quarter, rather than annual goals like I did in 2010 and 2009. Last year I was so exhausted I didn't set any goals and barely blogged at all. 
This year I'm going to set smaller goals in four month terms, which seems more attainable than setting big annual ones.  I also do well when I can break a big goal into several smaller chunks.  Wish me luck!