QUINOA SALAD
(adapted from 100daysofrealfood.com)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup quinoa
2½ cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup onion
1 cup diced cucumber
1 red pepper,
diced
2 tomatoes (or equivalent amount of cherry tomatoes), chopped with juice
1/3 cup Feta cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool.
Sauté onions and red peppers.
Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and salt and pepper to make dressing.
Pour over quinoa and mix. Add all chopped vegetables, feta and mix it up.
Chill for a few hours before eating. Feel free to add whatever other vegetables you like.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
i'll never buy toys again
spending money on toys, it turns out, is completely pointless, if AJ is your daughter. she prefers anything that is not a toy, and would mostly rather it be something she's not allowed to have. keeping this in mind, i had to get creative for our flight to Virginia. we were meeting up with the extended family to celebrate my cousin's graduation, then continuing down to the outer banks in NC. (all the cool kids call it OBX.) because i made a pact with myself that we'd only fly direct until AJ was better able to entertain herself, we had to fly into Richmond, VA...drive 2 hours to Virginia Beach...attend graduation/family stuff...spend the night in a hotel...drive 2 more hours to OBX where a fantastic beach house and supposed relaxation was awaiting us.
know how little AJ enjoys sitting still, i knew i would need to pack an arsenal of distractions for the plane, car rides, and any other times we'd need her to chill while on this trip. since actual toys hold her attention for an average of 2.7 seconds, i started looking around the house for alternative solutions. here is what i came up with, and i have to admit...i'm rather proud of my handy work!
not a toy #1: the mini-wallet
not a toy #2: the box of baubles
not a toy #3 & #4: just random stuff
a retractable set of earphones, and another jewelry box with a snap on it. these are just random items i had lying around* that she's never seen before. and they had enough moving parts to fascinate her for a few moments at least. *it's a good thing i don't throw anything away! okay...i'm not a hoarder, but i have to admit this stuff probably should have gone a long time ago, and now here i am re-purposing it. it's never good when i can justify hanging onto more junk...my friend illana is groaning somewhere in Michigan right now.
when all else failed, AJ was actually very interested in reading the
flight safety booklet, which had no words, just pictures, so hubs made up the words. i was actually pretty entertained by that one...
"and then the people slid out the window into the ocean with their seat
cushions and lived happily ever after!"
needless to say, we made it safely to all our destinations. AJ saw the
atlantic ocean for the first time, and we had an amazing paradise of a
back yard for a few days.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
pray for... the bad guys?
it was mid afternoon on april 15, and i was desperately trying to finish my taxes by 4:30 so i could rush to the post office (sidebar: every year until now my taxes are filed and returned by march at the latest. yes i blame parenthood.) when i got a text from my sister that said "I love you and AJ. I'm praying hard." it was a very nice text, but way too somber for my sister. i knew immediately something was up... but i had no idea what so i responded quizically: "And we love you! Whatcha prayin' for?" When I saw her reply, my heart sunk and started pounding simultaneously.
"Did you see the news about the Boston Marathon?"
no, i had not. and i was scared to look. and i really had to finish my damn taxes. but against better judgement i did a quick peek at the news... 2 explosions at the finish line. people were very hurt, some maybe dead. it just takes a couple headlines for the fear to come roaring back. it gripped me and started playing images of anna running that race and being there and the worst. i had to focus. without learning any more details, i finished up my taxes and drove to the post office. i cried on the way there. it was senseless... these things always are. how do i process this?
i got angry. how could they? who are they? they attacked my sport. the sport that brings peace and healing to so many people. running is a sanctuary... the boston marathon is sacred and full of dreams realized. i took it personally. i think anyone who finds peace in running did.
i cried for anna and the world that i brought her into. she's too young now, to know what the heck is going on. but very soon i will have to explain evil and death to her, and try to muster up a decent answer to all the "why" questions she'll inevitably throw my way.
i can't even explain it to myself. i couldn't process it.
but as i drove home from the post office (envelopes down the chute of the blue mailbox at 4:49pm...11 minutes to spare in case you wondered) i began to process it... as i imagined the questions i might get from my curious sweet girl... i gave those same questions up to God. why? why? why?
when i got home, after tucking the peanut in and saying goodnight to hubs, i checked in to see what the masses were saying on twitter and facebook. "pray for boston"was already trending heavily.
i believed that was important. i believe in the power of prayer. there was also a lot of talk about "looking for the helpers" and finding good in the terror. this is all good and true. don't we see the best of humanity with the worst of humanity?
i was filing all this away for my conversation with future aj. but it wasn't enough. the anxiety was still gripping me. with each image or headline it grew worse so i turned it off and went to bed. i started to pray. for boston. like everyone said to do. but really i was praying for God to make the fear go away.
then, i clearly i heard a little voice say... 'pray for your enemies'. hm. when i was online, amidst the #prayforboston, i saw a lot of anger, fear and speculation about who did this heinous act. the president assured justice would be served, and they were called cowards and terrorists. and rightfully so. i was angry too. but no one was praying for them.
don't they need the most prayer?
as i prayed this new prayer, imagining people that were so so very in need of a savior... my fear started to vanish. i'm not kidding... it melted away. my favorite martin luther king jr quote came to mind:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
but what does this light and love look like? i think it looks like praying for our enemies. the bad guys.
dear future aj: evil happens when there is an absence of God. not because God isn't there, but because people aren't willing to let him in. this is why it is so important for us to pray, stay close to Jesus, and keep God in the center of our lives. but even more importantly...we have to pray for the bad guys. no one wants to do this because it is hard and goes against our culture in the biggest way, but that is what God told us to do.
he said "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."
you see, this is the only way the world will change. pray for boston. look for the helpers. but above all, pray for the bad guys.
"Did you see the news about the Boston Marathon?"
no, i had not. and i was scared to look. and i really had to finish my damn taxes. but against better judgement i did a quick peek at the news... 2 explosions at the finish line. people were very hurt, some maybe dead. it just takes a couple headlines for the fear to come roaring back. it gripped me and started playing images of anna running that race and being there and the worst. i had to focus. without learning any more details, i finished up my taxes and drove to the post office. i cried on the way there. it was senseless... these things always are. how do i process this?
i got angry. how could they? who are they? they attacked my sport. the sport that brings peace and healing to so many people. running is a sanctuary... the boston marathon is sacred and full of dreams realized. i took it personally. i think anyone who finds peace in running did.
i cried for anna and the world that i brought her into. she's too young now, to know what the heck is going on. but very soon i will have to explain evil and death to her, and try to muster up a decent answer to all the "why" questions she'll inevitably throw my way.
i can't even explain it to myself. i couldn't process it.
but as i drove home from the post office (envelopes down the chute of the blue mailbox at 4:49pm...11 minutes to spare in case you wondered) i began to process it... as i imagined the questions i might get from my curious sweet girl... i gave those same questions up to God. why? why? why?
when i got home, after tucking the peanut in and saying goodnight to hubs, i checked in to see what the masses were saying on twitter and facebook. "pray for boston"was already trending heavily.
i believed that was important. i believe in the power of prayer. there was also a lot of talk about "looking for the helpers" and finding good in the terror. this is all good and true. don't we see the best of humanity with the worst of humanity?
i was filing all this away for my conversation with future aj. but it wasn't enough. the anxiety was still gripping me. with each image or headline it grew worse so i turned it off and went to bed. i started to pray. for boston. like everyone said to do. but really i was praying for God to make the fear go away.
then, i clearly i heard a little voice say... 'pray for your enemies'. hm. when i was online, amidst the #prayforboston, i saw a lot of anger, fear and speculation about who did this heinous act. the president assured justice would be served, and they were called cowards and terrorists. and rightfully so. i was angry too. but no one was praying for them.
don't they need the most prayer?
as i prayed this new prayer, imagining people that were so so very in need of a savior... my fear started to vanish. i'm not kidding... it melted away. my favorite martin luther king jr quote came to mind:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
but what does this light and love look like? i think it looks like praying for our enemies. the bad guys.
dear future aj: evil happens when there is an absence of God. not because God isn't there, but because people aren't willing to let him in. this is why it is so important for us to pray, stay close to Jesus, and keep God in the center of our lives. but even more importantly...we have to pray for the bad guys. no one wants to do this because it is hard and goes against our culture in the biggest way, but that is what God told us to do.
he said "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."
you see, this is the only way the world will change. pray for boston. look for the helpers. but above all, pray for the bad guys.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
no one told me about the fear...
when i was pregnant with peanut, i had a few people warn me about the love. one friend wrote: "you
can't really prepare yourself for it, but be, um, prepared to have your
heart pretty much explode with love and gratitude when you meet your
child face-to-face." (it was in response to a facebook post where i asked how to prepare for this impending life changing event.) they were right... i was totally taken off guard by the enormity of the love i felt toward aj from the moment i held her tiny little bundled up body in my arms. it was huge. pacific ocean huge and so fun.
but no one warned me about the counterpart to that giant love bath... the fear. oh the fear. it has taken me over a year to even write about this fear, because it is too raw and too heavy for me to entertain for more than a few minutes. the world suddenly became a dark and evil place. i couldn't get through the day without catching a headline or hearing a whisper about abuse, rape, a tragic accident. nothing was off limits. my little bundle of love was always a heartbeat away from certain death. it might sound like hyperbole, but i promise you this was my reality. i would lay in bed, exhausted yet unable to sleep, as i scrolled through my phone. there was a recall for this infant sleeper thingy, tied to an infant fatality, and the thought of "what if..."
what if that was our little one...
for months, i lived in a world that was a stark contrast of love and fear. i loved holding aj. i loved her little smile. i loved watching her reach for a toy. i loved watching her hold her head up from day 1 it seemed. i loved seeing her dance with her dad. oh how much she loves her dad. i loved hearing her laugh for the first time. i'm telling you...the love thing is legit.
but the fear was always there casting a shadow.
milestones like moving aj to her crib from our bedside bassinet, going back to work, taking our first trip together were all marred by the fear. on our first night away from aj, we dropped her off at grandma & grandpa's then headed to an indy b & b for our 3 year anniversary. (hubs planned it). just as we arrived downtown, we got into a car accident. i think we were still in motion when i blurted out "oh thank GOD aj isn't in the car!" we were fine. it all worked out, but it gave the fear all the more ammunition. WE ARE NOT SAFE. that night at dinner, i told mark if anything happened to aj, i'm fairly certain i would never ever recover. he told me i had to, as he couldn't bear losing us both. yes. our romantic dinner conversation revolved around the hypothetical tragedy that would inevitably strike. cheers to us. this is how powerful of a grip the fear had on me.
i know God was with me through all this. there were moments where i clearly felt his peace, but mainly i felt scared and lost and drowning in worry. i wasn't fun anymore, and i didn't care. my sole purpose in life was to make sure i kept my daughter alive.
finally, finally he broke through.
i got this book in a care package from my mom. it was a devotional book called Jesus Calling. yeah it doesn't get cheesier than that. (sorry mom.) i immediately wrote it off as 'not my style' and put it in the donate pile. a few weeks later i saw it sitting there and for no reason i can identify, i opened it up to that day's devotional. it was august 24th. the entry read:
"Entrust your loved ones to me; release them into my protective care. They are much safer with me than in your clinging hands. If you let a loved one become an idol in your hands, you endanger them- as well as yourself."
it couldn't have been more clear if God tapped me on the shoulder and said it to me right there in a morgan freeman voice. it went on to talk about the story of isaac and abraham...my least favorite story in the bible. i mean, how sadistic can you get? but i started to understand. the fear was ruining me. i was idolizing my daughter, and it was wrecking me very slowly.
this was the beginning of the love overcoming the fear. i had help. i had this team that made up of my amazingly supportive hubs, my sister and a couple best friends... i also had a good dose of therapy... and so much prayer...the cloud was lifting. the fear was still there, but i started to stare it down. i stopped peeking into aj's room to check if she was breathing. hubs and i instituted a NO INTERNET BEFORE BED rule (which i highly recommend). i halted the downward spiral of crazy by repeating "i cast all my cares upon him". when i heard a story involving a child or a mother or some horrible evil in the world...i plotted how i would make a difference. how aj would make a difference someday.
the cloud was lifting.
the fear still exists. it lurks in corners and sometimes jumps out at me when i'm vulnerable. today was one of those days, when a headline that was so grotesque and unfathomable caught my eye, and i was short on sleep and premenstrual... i had to run outside and cry in the parking lot at work. it haunted me all day and reminded me of a time when fear won everyday. but this time, i fought back. i emailed those closest to me, begging for prayers. "i cast all my cares on him...i cast all my cares on him...he is in control". by 5pm i was calm and slowly remembered that love wins.
but no one warned me about the counterpart to that giant love bath... the fear. oh the fear. it has taken me over a year to even write about this fear, because it is too raw and too heavy for me to entertain for more than a few minutes. the world suddenly became a dark and evil place. i couldn't get through the day without catching a headline or hearing a whisper about abuse, rape, a tragic accident. nothing was off limits. my little bundle of love was always a heartbeat away from certain death. it might sound like hyperbole, but i promise you this was my reality. i would lay in bed, exhausted yet unable to sleep, as i scrolled through my phone. there was a recall for this infant sleeper thingy, tied to an infant fatality, and the thought of "what if..."
what if that was our little one...
for months, i lived in a world that was a stark contrast of love and fear. i loved holding aj. i loved her little smile. i loved watching her reach for a toy. i loved watching her hold her head up from day 1 it seemed. i loved seeing her dance with her dad. oh how much she loves her dad. i loved hearing her laugh for the first time. i'm telling you...the love thing is legit.
but the fear was always there casting a shadow.
milestones like moving aj to her crib from our bedside bassinet, going back to work, taking our first trip together were all marred by the fear. on our first night away from aj, we dropped her off at grandma & grandpa's then headed to an indy b & b for our 3 year anniversary. (hubs planned it). just as we arrived downtown, we got into a car accident. i think we were still in motion when i blurted out "oh thank GOD aj isn't in the car!" we were fine. it all worked out, but it gave the fear all the more ammunition. WE ARE NOT SAFE. that night at dinner, i told mark if anything happened to aj, i'm fairly certain i would never ever recover. he told me i had to, as he couldn't bear losing us both. yes. our romantic dinner conversation revolved around the hypothetical tragedy that would inevitably strike. cheers to us. this is how powerful of a grip the fear had on me.
i know God was with me through all this. there were moments where i clearly felt his peace, but mainly i felt scared and lost and drowning in worry. i wasn't fun anymore, and i didn't care. my sole purpose in life was to make sure i kept my daughter alive.
finally, finally he broke through.
i got this book in a care package from my mom. it was a devotional book called Jesus Calling. yeah it doesn't get cheesier than that. (sorry mom.) i immediately wrote it off as 'not my style' and put it in the donate pile. a few weeks later i saw it sitting there and for no reason i can identify, i opened it up to that day's devotional. it was august 24th. the entry read:
"Entrust your loved ones to me; release them into my protective care. They are much safer with me than in your clinging hands. If you let a loved one become an idol in your hands, you endanger them- as well as yourself."
 |
| Jesus Calling |
it couldn't have been more clear if God tapped me on the shoulder and said it to me right there in a morgan freeman voice. it went on to talk about the story of isaac and abraham...my least favorite story in the bible. i mean, how sadistic can you get? but i started to understand. the fear was ruining me. i was idolizing my daughter, and it was wrecking me very slowly.
this was the beginning of the love overcoming the fear. i had help. i had this team that made up of my amazingly supportive hubs, my sister and a couple best friends... i also had a good dose of therapy... and so much prayer...the cloud was lifting. the fear was still there, but i started to stare it down. i stopped peeking into aj's room to check if she was breathing. hubs and i instituted a NO INTERNET BEFORE BED rule (which i highly recommend). i halted the downward spiral of crazy by repeating "i cast all my cares upon him". when i heard a story involving a child or a mother or some horrible evil in the world...i plotted how i would make a difference. how aj would make a difference someday.
the cloud was lifting.
the fear still exists. it lurks in corners and sometimes jumps out at me when i'm vulnerable. today was one of those days, when a headline that was so grotesque and unfathomable caught my eye, and i was short on sleep and premenstrual... i had to run outside and cry in the parking lot at work. it haunted me all day and reminded me of a time when fear won everyday. but this time, i fought back. i emailed those closest to me, begging for prayers. "i cast all my cares on him...i cast all my cares on him...he is in control". by 5pm i was calm and slowly remembered that love wins.
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."
1 John 4:18
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
happy 1st birthday bonny lass!
we have a ONE YEAR OLD!!! how did this happen?
"why are you all staring at me? what did you put in this cake?"
 | ||||||||||
| AJ's vegan chocolate cake |
as i was finishing up the icing, i said to the hubs, "i think i'm going to try and write her name on it with green icing". hubs response: "i love your sense of optimism and bravery." based on his tone, you would have thought i had said "i think i'm going to negotiate peace in the middle east today." no faith. i'm so glad i proved him wrong! her name is totally legible and kind of cute, in my opinion! (disclaimer: the icing is store bought from whole foods and has sugar and butter and all the stuff i avoided in my cake. whatevs.)
here is the rest of the spread:
 |
| cupcakes, green veggie tray, rainbow fruit kabobs, PB & J shamrockwiches, and green apple italian soda. |
 |
| i even made goody bags for all the kids. they had bubbles and crayons and these shamrock rubber duckys in them. i also wrote their names on them. |
 |
| when guests arrived, they filled out their name tag with their leprechaun name and we all got a good chuckle. especially if you first name ends in e... haha. what's up warty! |
 |
| AJ's friends got into it... check out Rosemary rockin' her green tu-tu. and rainbow tights. i really like this holiday. |
 |
| birthday girl on her birthday ride! thanks grandma & grandpa smiley! |
 | |||
| "my first taste of sugar...nom nom nom. still like green beans better though." |
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
our sick cebu
Anna started daycare last Monday. In related news, she has been so sick
the past 4 days, it makes my heart hurt. I've never seen so much snot
come from one tiny nose. Her normally happy feisty self has turned into a
sad, tired and clingy stranger child. I love the extra hugs and cuddles
(yes, snot included) but I'd prefer to have our healthy Peanut back.
After finding out two of the girls from her daddy daycare were treated with the croup, we took her in to the pediatrician. Turns out she is sick! Just kidding, we knew that part...turns out she had an ear infection in both ears. Uhg, how miserable! I would do anything to take that away from her. So the pediatrician whipped up a prescription for an antibiotic and wished us well. Easy right?
And now for the semi-crunchy part of me dilemma...
I have read that many ear infections go away on their own. So I felt obligated to ask: "Does she need the antibiotic or could this clear up on its own?" The doc paused (inevitably thinking 'Hm, North Face jacket and Coach purse? Is it possible she's one of those naturalist crunchy ones? Didn't see that coming..."). She must not have seen me drive up in my Prius. Her response: "We do have some parents elect to hold off on the meds. Studies show that in kids over age 2, 80% of ear infections clear up in 3 days with antibiotics, 70% without. But, in babies, the risks are higher if the infection doesn't clear up- the ears are so close to the brain, it could cause a meningitis type situation (I start sweating here) or an abscess." She must have seen my mortified look of fear because she quickly clarified in her whole career as a doctor she's only heard of this happening once.
So there it is in a nut shell: it's riskier, because it happens almost never ...but when it does happen, it is terrible terrible. So we (western society) take the less terrible route and over-use meds to get a 10% more likelihood of fast recovery. The dilemma must have been making my head spin, because my head started to, well, spin and I suddenly had that "oh crap I'm going to either puke or pass out" feeling. The doctor clued into this right away and helped me get Anna into her carseat while calling a nurse to get me some juice. A little embarrassing! But a testament to motherhood. When your little one is sick, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself. I hadn't eaten anything all day. As my friend Erin says, I need to set a better example to Anna. Hubs came and got us (he's always competing for husband of the decade) and fed us both.
So, back to the debate. I hemmed and hawed about filling the prescription. Why don't we just give her the antibiotics for goodness sake? I'm sure I'd get this response from many parents...many of my friends and family even. The thing is, antibiotics aren't harmless. They mess with your good bacteria in your gut. They can cause allergic reactions (and often do) and they can build up a resistance. There are studies finding they are totally over prescribed, and messing with our kids. I'm just not excited about introducing Anna to them if they are not totally necessary. Don't get me wrong. Antibiotics are AMAZING AND LIFE SAVING...when you actually need them.
So long story short, I'm in this dilemma because I want to do the best thing for my daughter... but am conflicted on what that is. Result: We're going to see if it clears up in a few days, and check back with our Doctor. And pray. For both healing and freaking sanity.
Anna, someday when you slam the door in my face and get sassy with me at the mall, I'm going to have you read this post to remind you how much I love and care about you and am obsessing over how to best treat your first ear infection.
Update: It didn't clear up. We gave her the antibiotics. Then I got sick...it lasted for two weeks...so I ended up on antibiotics too. Hippie Mel - 0, Modern Medicine - 1. Eh well.
 |
| I'm a sick cebu. |
After finding out two of the girls from her daddy daycare were treated with the croup, we took her in to the pediatrician. Turns out she is sick! Just kidding, we knew that part...turns out she had an ear infection in both ears. Uhg, how miserable! I would do anything to take that away from her. So the pediatrician whipped up a prescription for an antibiotic and wished us well. Easy right?
And now for the semi-crunchy part of me dilemma...
I have read that many ear infections go away on their own. So I felt obligated to ask: "Does she need the antibiotic or could this clear up on its own?" The doc paused (inevitably thinking 'Hm, North Face jacket and Coach purse? Is it possible she's one of those naturalist crunchy ones? Didn't see that coming..."). She must not have seen me drive up in my Prius. Her response: "We do have some parents elect to hold off on the meds. Studies show that in kids over age 2, 80% of ear infections clear up in 3 days with antibiotics, 70% without. But, in babies, the risks are higher if the infection doesn't clear up- the ears are so close to the brain, it could cause a meningitis type situation (I start sweating here) or an abscess." She must have seen my mortified look of fear because she quickly clarified in her whole career as a doctor she's only heard of this happening once.
So there it is in a nut shell: it's riskier, because it happens almost never ...but when it does happen, it is terrible terrible. So we (western society) take the less terrible route and over-use meds to get a 10% more likelihood of fast recovery. The dilemma must have been making my head spin, because my head started to, well, spin and I suddenly had that "oh crap I'm going to either puke or pass out" feeling. The doctor clued into this right away and helped me get Anna into her carseat while calling a nurse to get me some juice. A little embarrassing! But a testament to motherhood. When your little one is sick, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself. I hadn't eaten anything all day. As my friend Erin says, I need to set a better example to Anna. Hubs came and got us (he's always competing for husband of the decade) and fed us both.
So, back to the debate. I hemmed and hawed about filling the prescription. Why don't we just give her the antibiotics for goodness sake? I'm sure I'd get this response from many parents...many of my friends and family even. The thing is, antibiotics aren't harmless. They mess with your good bacteria in your gut. They can cause allergic reactions (and often do) and they can build up a resistance. There are studies finding they are totally over prescribed, and messing with our kids. I'm just not excited about introducing Anna to them if they are not totally necessary. Don't get me wrong. Antibiotics are AMAZING AND LIFE SAVING...when you actually need them.
So long story short, I'm in this dilemma because I want to do the best thing for my daughter... but am conflicted on what that is. Result: We're going to see if it clears up in a few days, and check back with our Doctor. And pray. For both healing and freaking sanity.
Anna, someday when you slam the door in my face and get sassy with me at the mall, I'm going to have you read this post to remind you how much I love and care about you and am obsessing over how to best treat your first ear infection.
 |
| "I want to feel better so I can chase the cat around the house some more." |
Friday, January 18, 2013
logging the miles
i used to log the miles i ran. each day i'd go out, start the running gps app on my phone, then post it to facebook or whatever when i was done. i'd say something like "felt great! sun was shining!" or "my left ankle is acting up again, bleh" or "it was 10 degrees this morning. my eyelashes have icicles on them!"*. and people would comment or 'like' or give suggestions on sore ankle. having a community that shared in my joy/misery was helpful in a lot of ways. it held me accountable, gave me a little something to think about while running and satisfied that small narcissistic part of me that i'm just going to admit right now - we all have it, fools!
being a mom isn't so different. i hardly get a chance to run anymore, but it has been replaced with a new kind of endurance. parenting. waking up to a crying baby. endless loads of laundry. trying to get her/me fed, clothed and out the door in the am. navigating the extremely long "do this/don't do this" list that floats around in magazines and mommy blogs and in the eyes of other moms at the park. remembering that my husband still needs a wife. choosing the right child care. pumping while traveling for work. endurance.
it felt weird to start blogging again under Unexpectedly Expecting as that was such a different life. this blog is a blog about our family. our new and sometimes-awkwardly-figuring-out-what-it-means to-be-a-family-of-three family. written from my (mel's) perspective... here are the Smileys. our life, our miles.
*that really happened. in 2011. i have pictures.
being a mom isn't so different. i hardly get a chance to run anymore, but it has been replaced with a new kind of endurance. parenting. waking up to a crying baby. endless loads of laundry. trying to get her/me fed, clothed and out the door in the am. navigating the extremely long "do this/don't do this" list that floats around in magazines and mommy blogs and in the eyes of other moms at the park. remembering that my husband still needs a wife. choosing the right child care. pumping while traveling for work. endurance.
it felt weird to start blogging again under Unexpectedly Expecting as that was such a different life. this blog is a blog about our family. our new and sometimes-awkwardly-figuring-out-what-it-means to-be-a-family-of-three family. written from my (mel's) perspective... here are the Smileys. our life, our miles.
*that really happened. in 2011. i have pictures.
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