Labels

I hate labels.

Maybe because it feels like a box.

And I hate trying to fit into a box.

But point is, as a parent, I hate labels.

 I hate bottle vs breast.

I hate rear vs forward.

I hate cloth vs disposable.

I hate co-sleeping vs crib.

I hate circumcision vs being intact

I hate it all.

And most of all, I hate how it all divides people.

I am a mother.

I try my best every second of every day.

I try to be awesome.

But some days, let's face it, I fall short.

Isn't that what being human is about?

My daughter is no better because I breastfed her.

She's still been sick a handful of times.

And she's just as smart (ok, I think she's a genius, but that's the mama in me talking ;) ) as the next (bottle-fed) baby.

Cloth was no better for her than disposable.

Infact, she hated cloth with passion.

It just didn't work.

She coslept with us for over 2 yrs

Not so much for all the benefits,

infact, come to think of it, I don't even know what the benefits are,

I just liked her next to me. We slept better cuddling together.

And rear vs forward?

If I had to listen to her scream one more time in the back of the car,

I swear, I might have had an anxiety attack and driven off the road.

She was forward facing at little after one year old and we were all happy for it, thank you very much.

I don't deserve the mama of the year award.

Infact, most days, I daydream about childless vacations with my husband

far away, on a beach with a cocktail the size of a fishbowl.

But I love her

I love her with every ounce of my being.

And I try.

Every day, I try.

I try to be the best.

 I strive to hear her giggles.

I work towards being better.

And I don't need labels to prove that to me.

So step away from the labels.

You aren't going to change anyone.

You can only be the best YOU can be.

As Ghandi once said, Be the change you want to see.

And remember, we've all had sleepless nights

We've all stressed over this vs that

We've all been first time moms.

We've all been there.

And it's not easy.

So why divide us up even more?

We're mamas.

And that's all we can be.

A very Happy Birthday Poppy.

Today, my family remembers not only that night my Poppy passed away 9 weeks ago but also, what would have been his 77th birthday.

We went to Pho and ate lots of noodles, his favorite. My gramma cried. My mom remembered. My brother teased. I laughed. B yelled our "Poppy's Birthday Party!" And we celebrated him in the lowkey way he would have wanted.

And then I came home and in memory of him, M and I donated $25 to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation to help find a cure for this horrible disease. My great-great uncle passed away from lung cancer. Poppy was diagnosed with PF a year and a half ago and it took him all too quickly. And shortly after his passing, we found out his sister was diagnosed with the same horrible disease as well.

This disease affects and takes lives.

If you have a dollar, please consider donating it to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation today to help find a cure.

For all those who have suffered, are suffering and will suffer.

Donate for them.

Happiest of Birthdays Poppy.

E-mealz

I've been hearing a lot of talk about the Dave Ramsey backed, E-Mealz and have secretly been wanting to try it for awhile.

It seems like a mother's (and any other busy woman, for that matter!) great dream, having someone else do the dirty work of figuring out the week's menu and writing out the grocery list.

But I couldn't commit.

It sounded like something totally up my alley. At $1.25/wk, it seemed like I would save SO much more money then not by doing it, but I was hesitant.

What if I didn't like the stuff?

What if it's a wasted effort?

What if I don't want to make something on the list?

A flood of questions and doubt clouded my mind.

And then my friend Brenda mentioned that Moolala, had a deal. $12 for a six-month subscription. 60% off the normal fee. I just couldn't pass it up.

But my dilemma was that I'm incorporating vegetarianism into our diet in addition to our low-fat quests. So how was I going to do this? My solution. Buying both menus and using them both. Since it worked out to be 2 for essentially the price of one.

My plan?

To print the menus and shopping lists each week, use the menus to plan our meals and incorporate my own recipes in when and where I see fit. (i.e., when I crave them)

Hopefully it will really help cut back on our grocery bill and wasted food, since I haven't had that great of a handle on it in the past couple months. :)

So here goes nothing! I'll be sure to report back soon.

My first Wine Wednesday!

So, my dear friend Alana over at Life on the Mom List shares my deep love for wine (or is it alcohol in general?) and when she came up with the awesome idea for Wine Wednesday, I pretty much sang her praises to the heavens (and world!)

So when I got to the grocery store last week and saw some Crane Lane wine for 3 for $10, I immediately thought, "OMG, WINE WEDNESDAY!"

I usually pick up their Riesling but I thought, hmm, I guess I can try something different and so I did.

My pick for the week?

Crane Lane Moscato

I couldn't wait to get home. It had been a long day and we were grocery shopping at 7P. With an unhappy toddler.

It was about to get ugly.

So the minute I got home, I told M, "Crack that baby open and pour me a glass!"

And he more than happily obliged.

He took the first sip and I saw his lips purse. I got nervous and I watched anxiously to see his reaction because, let's face it, he's a tough cookie to please with food and alcohol. But I knew it was a good choice when he closed his eyes and lightly shook his head from side to side in enjoyment. It was going to be a winner.

And indeed it was.

Light, fruity, and the perfect amount of not-too-sweet. It was perfect for the day I had had. Not to mention, one glass took the edge off not TOO much but just the right amount without having too much of an alcohol flavor. It was yummy straight out of the fridge (which is how I store my wine people. Don't judge. I like it cold.) but even more surprisingly, it was one of those wines that I could drink at, GASP! Room Temperature.

I was impressed. So impressed that I contemplated taking my other two bottles of Rieslings back to the store and exchanging them for Moscatos. Because I'm classy like that.

And did I mention that it was 3 for $10. 3 for $10! Let me break that down for you people...that is $3.33 PER bottle! That's wine-ing on a serious budget.

Surprisingly though, I've only found this gem at my local Sprouts, Henrys and TJs. So if you spot this little gem out and about in your local wine aisle, nab this baby up. You won't be disappointed, I promise!

And be sure to go visit Alana at Life on the Mom List, Lindsey at Tidbits Parenting and Johnna at Domesticated Delight and hear what they drank for the week!

Wine Wednesday was started and created by Alana at Life on the Mom List. I do not condone excessive use of alcohol. Drink at your own risk. This is strictly for fun and for blogging purposes only. I did not get paid for this review and bought my 3 for $10 bottle on my own. However, if Crane Lake would like to send me a lifetime supply, I am on board with that.

Drowning.

I feel lost.

Holed up.

And lost.

Slipping.

Desperately trying to hold on.

Get a gasp of air.

I hope I find my footing.

Because I'm drowning.

Spring is here

I've been anxiously awaiting spring, which means time to figure out what we're planting and growing this year. It was especially special and important to me this year since gardening was my Poppy's thing and he would always come over and help me plant and figure out what to do next.

So when I had the chance a few weeks ago, I took a chance I had to visit the local Home Depot and Lowe's, pick up some plants and get ready. 

I was a bit anxious about it, since last year, the yard was no bueno. And I ended up with a huge flooded, messy mess. We had some success with the cucumbers and tomatoes but really? Nothing to that helped my self-esteem much. And the grass seed? Horrible.

And add in the fact that we added this cute girl to the mix. 

I just didn't know how it was gonna work out this spring.

But I was insistent. This was my way of connecting with my Grandpa. And I had to do it.

So two weekends ago I got out there and rototilled a section of the yard that gets the most sun. Got the ground ready. Then I planted my new orange tree (a favorite of my grandpa's) and I replenished the cucumber and tomato plants he had bought me last year. Got the jalapenos ready. And planted all my fun Hawaiian varieties. All together we have: 1 jalapeno, 3 cucumbers, 1 zucchini, 4 ti plants, 1 ginger, 1 hibiscus, 1 plumeria, 2 gardenias, 1 navel orange, 1 strawberry, 1 white rose and 1 blueberry.

And I've been hit by the gardening bug because I don't want to stop there. Maybe cauliflower? Melons? Peppers?

Here's hoping this year will be a bit more successful. I'm not sure how a few of them will do but that's ok. The zucchini plant looks amazing already!!

Taking a time out

I've been taking a time out from life. And you know what, it feels good and I don't feel one bit guilty about it.

I've been focusing on school, purging my life and (working on) getting my house clean, spending time with my family and crocheting my life away.

It feels amazing.

I'm trying to get back on schedule.

Cooking dinner every night.

Doing Zumba 4 nights a week.

Getting ready for my best friend's wedding this Friday.

Figuring out something that works for B and I.

And letting my husband know I love him very much.

I've realized that life is really so short.

I say it all the time.

But really, there is never enough time.

And I think I'm learning a lot about myself.

Which is always really nice.

Hope all is well with everyone. Thanks so much for ALL the support! xo.

WW French Onion Soup

I confess, I've never had French Onion Soup. It just didn't sound good to me.

But in the attempt, as everything settles down, to get back into cooking, I've decided I need to expand my recipes. On top of that, I'm trying to prepare 2 vegetarian/vegan (ish) meals every week in an effort not to consume so much meat  So when I saw this in one of my cookbooks, I decided it was worth a shot. Plus it was healthy(er) and didn't require a lot of fuss. My kind of dinner.

WW's French Onion Soup

Makes: approx 2-3

Ingredients:
-2 medium onions

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 cup beef broth

-1 cup water

-4 tsp Parm cheese

-1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese

-1 leek, cleaned and slived

-1/8 tsp ground black pepper

-2 toasted slices of semolina bread

Directions:

In a nonstick pan, over medium heat, heat oil. Saute onions and leek until onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Add stock, pepper and water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Set 2 flameproof bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into bowls; top w/toasted bread. Sprinkle with Parm cheese, then with Swiss cheese. Broil until cheese melts, about 2 minutes

Mama Heada Thoughts:

Ok, so first off, I tripled or maybe even quadrupled this recipe. There was no way that was gonna feed us! I was also bad and substituted swiss cheese slices for the shredded swiss cheese. I also bought a La Brea Bakery Roasted Garlic Loaf instead of the semolina bread. I'm bad I know.

I was worried about how it would fill up M, but you know what? It was FILLING. And really yummy. My hardest judge to win over (the hubby) declared it a good one and said to add it to the books.

And what I liked most was that, being a Weight Watchers recipe, it didn't have a lot of butter like other recipes. 

And it was good the next day as leftover lunch. And I never eat leftovers.

Nutritional Facts (taken from WW cookbook): per serving, 264 calories, 10g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 492mg sodium, 32 g carbs, 4g fiber, 14g protein and 132 g calcium