Finding your inner circus act

I like to make jokes about my balance since an inner ear infection on my 20th birthday left me a little off kilter. While my personal equilibrium will never be the same, I try to make attempts at finding balance in the rest of my life. I don't always succeed.

This year my anti resolutions were part of my small first steps to help me find more balance in my life (and perhaps a smaller size me as well). I am happy to update and say that they are going well. If the scale is telling the truth, then I've lost somewhere around five pounds in the month of January. A perfectly acceptable start to the new year.

Since that is going so well, for February I'm going to try to add to my list of things to keep on track. I'm going to try to finish one knitted project a month, and exercise at least three times a week. I'm still not sure what that means. For the most part I should be able to go for walks in the skyway downtown (even if it is to go to Target to get diapers). However, the work schedule may get in the way of that some. If that doesn't work, I'm debating the purchase of some kind of either video or equipment. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, since it will be warm enough for morning/even walks before you know it. For the knitted stuff, so far so good. There are plenty of babies on the way, and I intend to keep as many of them as I can in warm sweaters.

No matter what, I'm committed to making sure that as M gets older I set a good example. You can be a good employee, a mom and good spouse all at once. Find your inner tightrope walker...

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by BOCA

Enough with the excuses.

2008 has really been a wonderful year for me, but I've let a number of things slide. All for good reasons. See, there was the major project at work, the second job, the nursing baby, the now toddler, the list goes on and on. However, I'm running out of excuses. Here is my list for next year.

Work one job, and do it well. (more on that later)

Figure out why I could do a mean bearded lady impersonation. That means likely a lot of time off for going to the Dr, getting tested, and trying new medications. I don't tolerate meds well usually. However, I would like to look at myself in the mirror and have my picture taken again.

Spend more time my with toddler. She's going to be two(!?) in April, and I keep forgetting that there are more things all the time that we can do together.

Be a better wife. With two jobs, I haven't spent much time with anyone other than my computer.

Lose weight. This may relate to the facial hair issue, but it is also just excuses on my part. I quit nursing, I'm going to cut down on stress and time sitting, so I need to just suck it up and commit.

Improve my writing. Hopefully if I write less I can spend more time making sure what I do write is awesome.

Spend time on my hobbies again. I've really gotten into doing photography again, I miss knitting, and I keep meaning to sew things. I also want to take some classes again. M's steady bedtime of 7 PM means that is possible if I'm not spending all of my time writing.

Be more organized. If you only knew the state of my desks (home and work).

Spend more time with extended family. The more we talk about it, the more it seems that M will be an only child. I need to make an effort to make sure she spends time with her cousins. Some day, they may be all she has.

Be a better me. Yeah, I know...



This list and post are part of a blog blast by Parent Bloggers Network, sponsored by Big Tent. If only writing it meant that I would actually do all of it.

Super secret pumpkin bread recipe

I have always dreamed of hosting big family holiday dinners. Unfortunately my in-laws already have trenched in family traditions (that nearly everyone complains about, but no one changes) and I have a small house, and small family. (though you know, we're working on that, my brother is getting married next year) That doesn't mean that I don't aspire to cook legend worthy meals when I get the chance. Last year it was a beef roulade stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts. Seriously spectacular, if I do say so myself.

For the firmly entrenched family plans at the in-laws I bring one small dish, and all the good ones are taken. You are also required to make the same thing, every year, made exactly the same way. The year I tried to branch out and make a really awesome Brussels sprout dish, the only one who really got into was A's cousin's English husband. While I adore him, I'm not so sure about having my food compared to beloved English food. The track record over there, not so good.

So, my one dish is my pumpkin bread. It is based on the pumpkin bread recipe from the Joy of Cooking. Here are my changes/additions. I'm not going to print the entire recipe here for fear of copyright infringement. I'm sure you can find the cookbook at the library for the details, or you know, contact me.

Replace the 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour with 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I like a pastry flour, but any is fine) and 3/4 c. all purpose flour

Replace all of the spices with 1/2 to 1 T Chinese Five Spice (I get my from Penzey's who has a number of local stores, and does catalog and internet) powder and a small amount of fresh grated nutmeg. This is the secret part that no one ever figures out. Unless of course they are familiar with 5 spice. Which not nearly so many are in the Midwest.

Reduce the amount of sugar (using the brown sugar variation) to 1/2 cup (that makes it 1/2c packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar) And seriously, use cane sugar. The stuff made from beets just isn't the same.

Unless you like lots of work, use canned pumpkin. I use the big can, and make a double batch. (have to have some to save for home) Watch your cans or you'll end up with the presweetened, preseasoned pumpkin puree. You want the pure stuff which usually is actually sqaush, not pumpkin

To butter/flour the pan use Baker's Joy. That stuff is amazing, and I'm only sorry I didn't discover it until it was in a basket I won at a work event.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Butterball. I consider myself a pretty knowledgable cook, but I've actually called their hotline. It so rocks. Raw turkey does not. So pay attention to those thawing instructions and cooking times.

In which I eat my words...

I swore to a friend of mine, shortly before meeting A that I would never ever date another gamer. No, not computer games (though there are those in our life too), but you know, D & D, GURPS, Rolemaster (if you recognized any of the last couple, well, here's to you). You see, being the geeky, theater loving small town girl that I was, I was once a gamer too.

So I swore no more, never again. Then I used a quote from Monty Python on my online personal ad. Yeah... ok, so maybe I didn't really mean it.

A was and still sort of is a gamer. He's also a collector. Which means that the third bedroom in our house is full of books, miniatures, and well, more books. There are also our computers, since well, we're both professional geeks.

While I wouldn't call it a man cave, it is most definitely our cave. Parenthood has slowed our collecting, since we would rather spend time with M than just about anything else. Our new found status as hermits does mean that we're in here an awful lot. So much so we're planning on moving rooms around to give it more space to be a family friendly room.

Here is a part of A's collection.


Lest you think I am innocent, here is part of mine. The good books life in the living room.

I should totally do a contest to see if you can see what icon of Monty Python is in his, and what amazing published blogger's book is in mine.

This post is part of a blog blast from Parent Bloggers Network, sponsored by Bill Me Later. Because you know if I win, I'm totally using the money to buy more books from Amazon. Write your own post to enter, let your cave show!

Working Mom Toddler Food

When M was little and just breastfed or maybe ate a few solids, the whole working mom thing was easy. Sure, I pumped at work, fed her right before daycare, and right away the moment I walked in the door at home. When she started eating real, you know, normal people food I started having issues.

We knew from the start that we didn't want to get in the habit of just feeding her "kid" food. The processed stuff is full of things we didn't want, especially sodium. Good food habits start early too, and we had seen how busy parents we knew (with now 23 year old kids, lest anyone thing I'm talking about them) had ended up with kids who wouldn't eat anything except bread, meat and cheese. However, working doesn't make that easy. It is time to eat the moment I get in the door.

Most of the time, she eats what we eat, or what we ate last night since it is ready right away. But sometimes there are no leftovers, or we're being slackers and eating malt-o-meal for dinner. I can steam veggies for her quickly, and I alway do a couple of servings worth, but my challenge has always been protein. Easily portioned food she would eat. (the kid still isn't as big of a fan of chicken as I'd like)

My solution, mama's meatballs. I make little meat balls that I freeze and can reheat a portion at a time. Here is my basic recipe:

1 lb lean ground beef (sometimes I double it or use half ground turkey)

combine in mixer (love my kitchen aid, saves huge amounts of time with this one) using batter attachment.

1 Tb each of dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme.
ground pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of garlic or three cloves finely chopped (she eats the more quickly the more garlicy they are)

1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs (optional)

Make sure to lock the mixer, and mix until combined

Portion into small meatballs. Another time saver, I use an ice cream scoop, the spring loaded kind (thank you Alton Brown for that idea) and I get 16 per pound. Two meatballs is an ideal serving size, 2 oz of meat. Roll. Brown in a pan with a little olive oil. (Eventually I want to try baking them in the oven in muffin tins like I saw on Good Eats, but so far it hasn't been cool enough. )Then simmer on low for at least an hour (I've gone close to two hours with a large batch in a larger pot), in a mixture of 1/2 jar commerical pasta sauce (I use a higher end brand) and and equal amount of water. Make sure to put a tight lid on it. If it isn't covered tightly enough, you may need to add more water to keep it from burning.

Lay on cookie sheet, freeze, then transfer to a bag or some such. M couldn't have tomatoes because of the acid for a long time, but this was mellow enough since I took them out of the sauce. They are really flavorful, but still healthier than processed food. It is a bit of work to make, but I think it pays off in knowing she's getting good food.

My other favorite shortcut, just make her a cheese omelet. The loves them.

I've been meaning to write about my meatballs for awhile, but I finally did it because of the Blog Blast at PBN, sponsored by Ore-Ida (time to make some tater tot hotdish). I am curious about the whole steamed mashed potatoes, since I'm totally loving steam in bag spinach.

Just what sound does a zebra make?

One of my favorite programs growing up was A Prairie Home Companion. We didn't have electricity, so my TV watching was limited, but my imagination grew with the radio show. My favorite parts were the ones that involved human sound effect man Tom Keith. He could make any noise you could think of. More recently they've added Fred Newman (who you may know from Between the Lions) I always wanted to be as good as them, but I never will.

However, M seems to be on her way. While she isn't talking that much yet, her repertoire of animal noises is increasing daily. She has monkeys, lions, tigers, bears, horses, chickens, cows, turkeys (thanks to our run in with a flock of tame wild ones at the orchard today), snakes, and is working on mastering the lips for her first one, fish. Her obvious love of animals and noises that they make has created a bit of an issue, since A and I are running out of animals we know the noises for. Which is why the reason for the question above, just what sound does a zebra make? I watched a lot of Nature and Wild Kingdom when I was a kid, and I can't figure it out.

I bet Tom or Fred would know. I wonder if they offer preschooler internships on the show. She does a mean chicken. (bock, bock, bock)

This weekend Parent Bloggers Network is partnering with Generation Next and their iKnow Animals, Letters and Sounds toy to do a blog blast. (partnering with the awesome San Diego Zoo) The topic - I Live in a Zoo - While mine may not be one yet, it certainly sounds like one.

This used to be a snack free zone.

As someone who has battled her weight all of her adult life, I have learned that snacks are my downfall. So, much to my husband's chagrin, we don't really have many snacks in the house.

Except, toddlers need snacks. If you don't feed them regularly, you get the monster toddler instead. So, we've had to start stocking up on the snacks again. Here is a list of the snacks in the house. I'm taking suggestions for other toddler friendly ones since I'm feeling uninspired.

Cheese - Ok, so I never quit having cheese in the house, now there is just more. M won't drink milk, so the lucky girl gets cheese with most meals.

Whole Grain Goldfish - I realize whole grain doesn't mean unprocessed, but since the all natural alternatives are also as hard as can be, this was a compromise.

Barbara's Organic O's

Annie's Organic Bunny Love - a very lightly sweet answer to O's type cereals, pretty tasty

Raisins - We're having issue with these cause they're poisonous to the dog

Whole grain breakfast/snack bars - I found a few varieties at the coop that are lower sugar than the mainstream ones.


Husband is pretty happy, since some of these he likes too. However, I still feel like I'm missing something. Maybe I can see if I can find these locally.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as an entry for a contest sponsored by Brothers-All-Natural. If you write a post by well, today, you can be entered to win 250 bucks in groceries, and you know, that is a lot of snacks.

No Hugs In Minnesota

Along with growing up on an organic vegetable farm, without running water and electricity, I was also home schooled. It was only for kindergarten. When I was old enough for first grade the school district gave my parents some options for what they would need to do if I continued to be home schooled, and they decided to leave it up to me. Being a pretty social kid, I decided to go to school.

It was about a month into the school year when I started, and I was beyond excited. I still remember being just over the moon about getting to meet all of the other kids, and my teacher, and about learning. I was an early reader, and truth be told, I think I wanted access to more books.

I don't remember much about my first day except one story that still gives me a little funny feeling in my stomach. A kid in my class, Jesse, was crying. I don't remember the reason, but I decided that he needed what I had been taught everyone needed, a hug. I went over to hug him only to be told by Mrs. Fisher that "we don't do that". I was heart broken.

When I moved back to Minnesota, I went to Jesse's wedding. (our moms ended up being very good friends) While we were growing up, he had been one of the kids who had teased me the most. (see what you get for hugging?) However, when we were in high school, we'd talked about all of that, and made our peace. Something he reminded me of when I did the dollar dance.

With all of the concern about good and bad touch in school, I wonder who comforts kids when they cry. M's daycare gives hugs, and she comes from very a very huggy family, so I am sure that it is something that we'll have to deal with eventually. At least we have four more years to worry about it.


This post has been brought to you by the letters PBN, as part of a blog blast sponsored by Hanes. You can enter to win free undies, who doesn't need more undies? (or in our case, undershirts, since um, diapers still)

Generous is as generous does

I struggle on a daily basis with the priorities of my life. I live comfortably in the middle class (most likely on the lower end, but who isn't these days). Bottom line, I have more than enough.

However, I didn't grow up like that, and I feel comfortable saying that I don't take it for granted. A number of the choices I've made in my adult life, good or bad, are a direct result of the situations around my growing up. While I always had enough, I know that it seeming like that was hard work for my parents. That they made sacrifices. They also made sure that when we had more than enough, we shared. When we didn't, we gave of our time. I was a regular volunteer at a number of events for as long as I can remember.

As an adult, I've tried to continue that. I donate when I can, I volunteer when I have time, and I even make time to do it. I'm fortunate to work for a company that takes community involvement very seriously and supports and encourages my generosity. I am lucky in so many ways.

When I became a parent, I thought long and hard about how to make sure I pass that on to my daughter. I've seen the other side, the people who think only of themselves or who volunteer and contribute, but never passed on those values to their kids. I know what I want to pass on to M. She is still a little young, since she's just starting to learn how to give you something when you ask for it, let alone share at will, but I have a plan.

We will do things to help others together. She will help make choices about what we do as a family to support our community. To help teach some good money management skills, as well as philanthropy, a portion of gifts she receives/allowances, will be donated where she chooses. Toys that we cull from her room (since I'm also trying to lead a less cluttered life), will be donated by her directly.

When she's older, hopefully she will do this and more without prompting.

In the mean time, we're working on sharing our toys, giving hugs, and this holiday season, I'll start making donations in her name. (she got her share of the stimulus to start her savings account) We're going to do our best to get off on the right foot because it is a long journey ahead.

This post has been brought to you by the letters PBN, since the Parent Blogger's Network is partnering with Generations Cures, and brought the whole darn thing to my attention. They're also running a very cool contest to get the word out, see their site for how to participate.