It's April

I feel like I've been a funk for a while now.... not sad... definitely not sad... but this whole flu has thrown me off. Life has been off. Every once in a while I want to throw my arms up in a boogie... singing and dancing loudly... and then the rest of the time, I just want to curl up on the couch and sleep... which I do. M naps with her feet high on my body and face... and I nap.
I'm not used to being this tired. I want to wake up after a night of rest, ready to go, like I was two weeks ago. I want to get up, throw on some clothes, start my day, and go go go. I'm starting to question if it's still the flu messing with me (I've heard it is) or if I need to make a change. I rarely eat sweets... but when my sweet tooth kicks in... oh boy, does it kick in and I grow tired. Sugar makes me tired and it's currently in an upswing. (Give me chocolate.) I question, do I need to cut out sugar again? Or should I start drinking caffeine again? Is it more of my hormones acting up and regulating? Am I lacking a vitamin or something of nutritional value? Probably not-- but you never know--- I really don't know.
It's midnight. I'm drinking wine. "Wedding wine"--- yes... "wedding wine". You know.. that thing that was supposed to be taking place soon, very soon?  Fourteen days until my would have been wedding. Yeah, that. And surprisingly... I'm not sad... or upset... or anything about it. It's just "wedding wine".... bottles and bottles of wine that were ordered for a wedding that was supposed to take place. It's not taking place... and I'm not sad. I'm not indifferent... I have emotions, thoughts, and feelings-- much like anyone would have... but I'm not sad. Thats okay, right? I think that may be more than okay.
It's April. A month for celebration. Whether it's getting married---- or not getting married--- unexpected twists and turns... celebrating the weather--- or just being happy--  It's April and I'm looking forward to this month.

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out the buttons/links to the right ----> We've got some great sponsors.... and a few more discount codes up. We'll have a few more giveaways this month. At least one, probably two. Check out the links, use the codes, spend some time getting to know our sponsors.

And happy April, everyone. Enjoy every second of it... after all it is the only April you will have this year ;)

The Past Few Days

The past few days have been quite enjoyable! With the help of my parents and their expert grandchild watching skills I was able to head down to Miami for a concert... not just one night, but two (Thee Oh Sees! Quintron! King Khan &The Shrines! The Togas! &more!)!!! Not overnight or anything, but you know... drive south, drive north, repeat next day. I recommended we eat at Gigi's before the concert, everyone agreed, their stomachs were pleased.... and we even ended up there the second night for a midnight snack ;) I was incredibly pleased to meet up with an old Miami friend the second night. It was pouring rain, and so incredibly crowded, but such a good time. 

Eric came by a lot this weekend to hang out with M and I. He's using me for my cooking, I know, but I don't blame him. ;) (I'm only kidding of course). We visited Stitch Rock so Eric could drop off some new shirts to sell. We ate hot dogs (veggie dog for M and I) at PS561. I wanted to make a few fun purchases, but Marlowe, for whatever reason, had a whole different agenda planned for the day and was on a stubborn, stubborn little rampage. The only thing she wanted was to climb up and down and up and down the stairs. She screamed (SCREAMED) if she wasn't holding my hand to climb up and down. I just kept thinking, "I wonder if this is what mothers feel like when their kids throw tantrums in public?" I know she's at a tricky age where she knows what she wants to do, but doesn't really understand a lot. Meltdowns and tantrums will just have to be expected at times, but man, how not fun is that? Today was much easier. Eric and I were on a mission for bike parts for my trike, then we took the little lady to lunch, and then spent the day at my house so Eric could play with Marlowe and I could experiment with my new mixer.... and create a disaster of a mess, of course. 

sleepies from stair climbing. &yes, I wore this shirt multiple days. The venue was smoke free and I have no shame. 

*Minor public tantrum aside, Marlowe has been amazing lately. She is more fun each day. I love her growing up. She's pretty awesome. Motherhood just gets better and better. I'm a lucky mama.... until she's old enough to start dating.. then I dunno, I'm scared. But thats a long way away. 


How was everyone else's weekend? Good I hope! It's been chilly and on and off rainy, but oh so nice! Happy Monday everyone... or 15 minutes to Monday, on a Sunday night ;)

Pops

My sister had sent Marlowe a Zokufor Christmas. It was a huge joy to open up the package and start drooling about popsicles. I opened the box, put the parts away, put the pop-maker in the freezer, and left it there.... for about 2 months. (In case you don't know... a zoku is a quick pop maker. Pour filling in. Sit and stare are it for seven minutes. SEVEN! That's it and popsicles are ready!). Popsicle fail. Why I didn't use this brilliant machine (made for impatient people) sooner, is beyond me. I obviously needed to work on my popsicle making planning. Well, for the past two weeks I've had the biggest cravings for anything cold. COLD COLD COLD: Salads, gazpacho, ice cream (with a warm gooey brownie--- okay, not so cold, but the ice cream would make up for it-- in my head at least), and POPSICLES. I decided this week was the week. It needed to happen. Then I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I had lost the instructions--- which I'm pretty sure included some recipes. Woops. Then, I remembered Shervin and Emily posting on Instagram how sometimes they just pour juice right into the molds and BAM instant treat. I thought: *easy enough*... and well, it totally was. For me, a mixture of: water, lemonade, sliced strawberries and blueberries. For Marlowe: water, apple juice, bananas (ew), and smashed blueberries. BAM popsicle. I don't know if it is possible, but I think I have now become addicted to popsicle making. The mold has to refreeze for 24 hours before you can make more, but that's probably a good thing, it prevents me from overdosing on popsicles.

piggy wasn't happy with just one. I let her have a few nibbles, and took mine back. sharing is caring. 

Today I made one of watermelon juice, lemonade, and chopped cucumber and two of strawberry (almond milk) yogurt, apple juice, and bananas (ew). You better believe I am looking forward to eating that tomorrow after work :)

If there are any of you who are a bit more skilled in the art of popsicle making (zoku owners or not), please, please throw your suggestions and advice at me. I am a novice in the fabulous world of instant popsicles and would love (a million more) recipe ideas!

Also, another question for zoku owners, is it possible to make two batches from one machine freezing? Or is it not cold enough at that point? Also, if any of you have gotten completely crafty and made the striped, patterned, or filled ones, I would LOVE to see them!


***OH MAN. PS. Thank you thank you thank you for all of you who voted for ohdeardrea on topbabyblogs. We are currently number one! A year and a half ago I never would have imagined that could happen! Thank you for making this happen! I very obviously couldn't have done it without your support! :) ***

Play Ball!

I'm loving this beautiful Florida weather. I love sticking my head outside the truck to feel a nice cool breeze. I love being able to make it home early enough (I'm usually home by 2:30) to spend some much needed time outside with Marlowe. When I come home she's usually napping, I throw my things down, jump in the shower, scrub scrub scrub the smoke and grease off me, get dressed (well, half dressed), and depending on the time and what's in the fridge I either: cook dinner or (preferably) prop my feet up on the coffee table and relax while I wait for M to wake up from her nap. She wakes up, we give big hugs, and then it's playtime-- lots and lots of playtime. Or actually, more days than not: it's story time, which is great and all, but how many times can someone read "Are You My Mother?" before going completely insane? "How could I be your mother?" said the cow. "I am a cow." sigh. So yeah, I'm loving this beautiful weather and so is Marlowe. On the days when I am too tired for a walk to the park, it's nice to be able to just play ball on the deck :)  Here's a little peek into our beautiful weather days...

hi mama!

plop down, put on shoes. 

points to outside. 

(please note the mess to the left and that the stroller is out! I'm getting much better at these things! There has even been a book under the ottoman for two days! Yes, I've been counting how long I can let it sit there. TWO DAYS. I'm also getting better at not vacuuming everyday. woot.)

is it playtime now?

YES!

yay!

I never want it to get hot again. Ever. This weather is perfect :)

ps: There's that smock dress, again! I'm thinking I might host another giveaway offering one to a reader. I know it's not warm enough in most places around the world (yet), but they are great for layering anytime of the year... and it has been freakishly warm in most of the U.S this week. BUT, I'm thinking I might switch it up a bit and host the giveaway on the ohdeardrea Facebook for the first time ever. Whatdaya think? Ya' into it? :)  I know I don't post on Facebook very often, but if you do follow along then you know a giveaway for one of my mobiles just finished on another blog! Don't miss out next time!  ;)

pps: Thank you ever so much for all your votes from yesterday's post. We made it up to number three! Thank you so much! Here and there, a few people mentioned that I should post a banner at the end of each post for a reminder... but that defeats the whole not spamming you idea! If you don't remember to vote daily, that's okay! I still love you! 
&: Yes, she's wearing a disposable. We still use cloth, but I don't make my babysitters use the cloth if they don't want to. 

Little Artist Girl

This post thrills me so much. I am so in love with the idea of Marlowe drawing, painting, making, and creating. The other day, while Marlowe was napping, I rolled some kitchen parchment paper onto the coffee table, taped it down, and then oh so patiently waited for her to wake up. I was so incredibly eager to see what would happen when I let her have at it with a brand new box of crayons. Well, she loved it---- really, really loved it. I need to plan to buy some proper drawing paper soon, the parchment paper is a bit waxy for little drawing hands... and maybe, possibly... I should buy her a little easel too :)  I worry for my white walls, but I'm pretty sure any mishaps will be worth it in the end. 

I often wonder if Marlowe is lefty or not. Like me, she seems to be quite ambidextrous. She eats with her right hand, but more often than not, her left hand seems to take over with everything else. I'm not sure at what age or stage I'll really be able to know for sure... maybe soon or maybe in a few years? No idea. One of my furthest memories back is: me sitting with my dad at our kitchen table and him showing me how to draw and write... I must have been 3 or 4 years old or so. It was so long ago and I have no idea if I could really do much of anything (drawing-wise) at that point, but I'm sure both my parents must have known: I was lefty. When will I know about Marlowe? Does it even matter yet if I know? Probably not. Either way, I'm really, really looking forward to even more creative days to come. 

*psst. by the way... since I posted a photo of Eric last week on instagram and twitter I got about 70 (million) comments/tweets saying: "#teameric" and telling me how wonderful Eric is. Well, since I'm certain I'll have a few questions here too, I should mention: we are not together and will not be together ;) Eric is still a great friend to me and beyond wonderful to M. We still hang out from time to time, but thats it. No romance, just friends ;) #teamfriendswithareallyawesomeandcaringguy

**pssst again: Marlowe's adorable rosette c/o: upatreecupatea

Truckin' Work

Hey guys! If you follow me on twitter or instagram, then you already this post is a bit of old news and you already know a bit of what I'm up to on... but incase you don't... here's a little update for you :) Michelle and I have been toying with the idea of starting our own small business in the future. For the past few months, it's mostly been fun ideas and daydreams (I am guilty of being the BIGGEST daydreamer EVER), but because of the current events and changes that are going on in both our lives... we've been working on more ways to turn our dreams into a possible reality. Because if not now, then when? Life is short and I'm tired of sitting and waiting on other people. It's my time, remember? ;) As mentioned, the universe has decided to throw some opportunities in my direction... Not too long ago, I went up to the main foodtruck in our area (a spot we eat at once in a while and this time too) to poke and pry with questions I had. I got answers. I walked away. I laughed with friends. Well, it turns out the women in the window was also the chef and owner of the truck and within a few minutes (or seconds): I was offered a job at Curbside Gourmet to "test out the foodtruck world". Bam. Thank you, universe. Thank you Chef MB. ;)

So yeah, I've been spending a few days being the newest member of the foodtruckin' world over at Curbside Gourmet. It's been pretty great. I spend my mornings prepping food for the day in the kitchen and spend my afternoons in the foodtruck window serving customers. The owner is great, the two chefs are great, the food (okay, I'm living off fries... the truck isn't vegan, but the food is fresh and great) is great, and the customers are even great too. I'm pretty pleased to have this opportunity to just kinda show up in front of me.... very pleased actually. Not only am I making the extra income I need, but also: I'm doing something I enjoy and I feel incredibly lucky to only have to spend a very few short hours away from M each day. --->Wake up. Work. Come home to a napping Marlowe. I shower. I make dinner. I make lunch for her for the next day. Dinner. Bath time. Books books books. Play play play. Bedtime. Clean house. Blog (when internet is working). ---> The end of a good day. 

I've been figuring out scheduling babysitting and whatnot as best as I can. I never really had to do it before since I'm so used to spending 24/7 with M. It's not exactly fun or easy, but it's been working out and she seems pretty content with my friends and family... which is great cause it's super important to me to have M as happy as can be when I'm away... even if she's napping for a quarter of it. And sometimes if I'm really lucky I have a cranky, french fry eating babycakes visiting me ;)

In case you're a bit more curious about the truck... you can check out their site: HERE or you can follow them on twitter to peek in on daily specials and find out where we'll be ;) 

Cooking With A Baby

I am no way an expert in this field. I have one kiddo. count them: one... not two... not three in diapers. one. There are days where I am able to make really great, big, and healthy meals while other days are near impossible. But over the past year and a few months I've managed to find ways to make healthy daily meals a bit more attainable, and more often than not, I do it by myself.

Here are my tips to make cooking with a little one easier:



Make bigger meals. Sounds a little crazy right? But spending an extra 5 minutes to chop more vegetables or and prep more ingredients to make a bigger meal is key. Bigger meals mean more leftovers. And leftovers are god in this house. Without leftovers we wouldn't be able to eat half as well as we currently do. We eat last night's leftovers for lunch, almost every day. This means, most days I really only have to accomplish making one real meal. So yes, leftovers, biggest and best trick for our household.

Get creative. Leftovers get boring, right? No one wants to eat exactly the same thing three days in a row. This won't work for all meals, but it can for many of them. So lets say you made a huge pot of black bean soup... it was delicious for dinner... and delicious for lunch, but now you still have soup leftover and you're not sure what to do... why not reduce the soup even more and make a really good base for a taco dish. Mashed potatoes? Shepard's pie! Chili? Chili nachos or burgers or hot dogs with sweet potato fries. Curry? Indian avocado burritos! Tomato soup? Reduce the soup and use it as a vegetable tomato sauce base. And on and on and on...

Time management. Be efficient. This is going to be a little too ocd for some people.. but there are certain things I must accomplish in a day or certain ways for me to get a task done to keep my anxiety level down. (ahem, vacuum) When I am in the kitchen I try to use my time as wisely as possible. For example: if I am throwing something in the microwave for thirty seconds, this means I have thirty whole seconds to grab all my ingredients out the fridge or all my spices I need out of the cabinet. A little extreme, right? But those thirty seconds here and there really make a difference and add up to minutes. And as all moms know... three minutes is a world of difference for a child/baby. A baby can go from perfectly content to a screaming ball of dramatics in 1.5 minutes. Use your time wisely and challenge yourself to do more. Without being careless and losing a finger, chop more vegetables in between stirring, puree soups while stirring, have vegetable steaming while doing everything else.

A clean kitchen. This goes hand in hand with being efficient. A clean kitchen is 100% easier to cook in than a messy one. It's a pain and takes up more time when you have to stop what you are doing because you need to clean a dish that has been sitting at the bottom of the sink. Sometimes, not (having) using a bath actually makes my life a bit easier, because I am able to clean dishes in the small side sink, clean countertops, or organize spices, while M plays in the bath. This doesn't work all days, 25% of the time she wants to grab for everything and climb out. (I understand I am very lucky with this ratio. She loves the bath). Anyway, a  baby will interrupt you enough while cooking, you don't need a mess to get in your way too.



More multi-tasking, planning ahead, and creative thinking. Again, this takes thought and some time planning, and doesn't work for everything... Late at night, I grille vegetables while Marlowe is in the bath. Roasting is another great (and easier) option. It usually happens after supper time and I'm not going to eat the vegetables that night anyway, but they make great meals for the next day... or great items to store for later to put on sandwiches, salads, or toast ;) Other ideas are crock pot meals. After a kiddo goes to sleep, chop and prep items and put in the crock-pot that night or put in the fridge for the morning to have it simmering all day for dinner.

Get a friend (or a partner). Having someone over to entertain your kid is a great way to make cooking easier. If you're alone 14 hours a day and don't have the option of a partner there to help cook or be there for kiddo play time, then invite a friend. It's a win/win for both of you (but only if they like kids). They entertain your kids. You get to cook. They get to enjoy a great meal. And usually, they offer to help you clean up after. This is a great option if you hate my leftovers tip ;)

Turn it on. Turn it off. Come back to it. Great meals don't happen all at once around here, not usually anyway. Sometimes you just have to do it in stages. Sometimes you can choose to prep everything now and cook later. Chop things in the morning, leave them in the fridge, and cook in the evening. Or sometimes you have no choice and you just have to stop in the middle of everything and tend to a cranky child... that's totally fine! Just turn off the stove, make your kid happy (or feed them a few grapes to hold them over until dinner time), and come back to it! If things are boiling or in the oven, just set a timer and come back! There are very few meals that will greatly suffer because you stopped cooking for ten minutes and came back to it later.

A small safe (messy) place. My place is small enough where I can let Marlowe wander throughout my whole house and not have to worry. You can stand at one end and see the other end. I just let her roam and play. Sure, she makes a mess, but I'd rather be able to cook a good meal, and clean up some toys later, than not cook or eat at all. Don't have a teeny tiny home? Make a play area full of toys and entertainment near you. More times than not the child is going to want to be near your side, in the kitchen, anyway.

Let them explore. I have one cabinet locked in the kitchen. The rest are all free for Marlowe to explore. Anything not baby safe is up high and out of reach, the rest is down below. Her favorite "toys" to pull out are the juicer pitcher, the coffee maker, and the lids to the pots. Being able to open and close all the cabinets is a huge entertainer for her. If she wasn't able to go through and curiously pull out a few items, she would be bored out of her mind when she entered the kitchen and would throw a fit and look to me for entertainment.

Hand them a spoon..... or anything else. Simple enough. Your baby strolls in and is looking for entertainment, hand them something new. A wooden spoon, a cup, a can of beans, whatever. Unless they have passed the point of grumpiness and have hit full fledged anger, a new item... is just that: new! It's fascinating and exciting to them! (Of course this won't always work. This has worked for a while, and works for this current stage. I'm sure a spoon wont entertain a two year old).

Grapes and other snacks. Every mom knows that snacks is one of the best ways to have a kid sit still. One step further, is to hold the snacks yourself. Hand them a few things every once in a while instead of giving them all the snacks at once. I don't know why this works here, but it does.

If all else fails: hold a baby or strap on a baby carrier and put that baby on your back. Just use caution, ya know?

Obviously not every one of my tips will work for every parent and child, each kid and need level is different and each cooking situation is different. Not all my tips will even work for me on all days. No matter how you do it, it's a bit of a challenge, especially by yourself, but it's not impossible. Healthy, wholesome eating, (and all the cooking that comes a long with it) is possible with a baby!


Have any more tips that work for you in your household? Any tips you learned a long the way? I would love to hear more suggestions! I think we all would! Please feel free to leave any other ideas in the comments or do your own post on your own personal tips to cooking with a baby, and link it back here. I'd love to try your tips and share them with other mamas (and fathers too)!