I have converted to the dark side…

I got an IPad 3.  I never thought I would succumb to Apple but I did.  And it is lovely.

I’ve been wanting to get some sort of tablet for a while now.  I was contemplating the Asus TF7000 or the Galaxy Note 10.1.  Both of these tablets are pretty nice and have HD screens.  What got me though was the retina display.  It is so much better than anything else out there.  Pretty much makes other tablets look like POSs.

When I got the IPad, I was initially disappointed that it didn’t play Flash or Adobe products.  After doing some research, I found that Steve Jobs was morally opposed to using Adobe products because they refused to make software for iMac.  So he never put them on the iPhone, iPad, or the iPod.  There is a work around though.  If you want to view things like full episodes of shows, each network has an app that you can download and you can watch the shows from there instead of the website.  Kind of a pain cause you need the app but they are usually free and these iPads come with a ridiculous amount of memory so a tiny app is usually not cause for concern.

Another thing about the iPad, is that it is very intuitive.  My 3 year old daughter picked it up and immediately knew how to swipe it open and get to apps.  She can’t read but she can use an iPad.  I don’t plan on letting her use if very much.  Just for times when I really need her to sit still and this is the only activity that will work.

The baby is growing like a weed.  I weighed her yesterday and she was 15 lbs, 11 oz.  She’s almost toddler sized!  Her clothes are 12 month sizes now.  And she is tall.  About 27 inches.  That puts her in the 97th percentile for height.  Incredible since neither dad or I are very tall…

I haven’t discovered any must have apps yet.  But I am glad I can retire my Sony eReader.  Sorry but the new software that came out very recently is terrible.  I had to download it because the hubby cleaned off the hard drives of both computers and the software wasn’t backed up.  No problem I thought.  Yes there is.  The new software that is available cannot see any library books or docs.  And it is not intuitive.  No help menu exists that is helpful.  Sony is shooting the eReader and letting it rot in its own blood by releasing this software.  I am sad about the books I bought from the dumb Sony store though.  I should have known better and bought thru Amazon.  At least I can read on any tablet and my computer.

We’re farmers…

Of one tomato plant, mint, basil, cilantro, and two corn plants.  lol.  I love fresh herbs for cooking and they are quite expensive.  I’ve never had a green thumb.   In fact, I’ve had a plant graveyard in the past.  But I’m trying to be I can optimistic that I can bring these plant to harvest.
My mom is a wonderful gardener.  She maintains a huge garden with citrus and avocado trees, tomato, eggplants, and even lettuces.  She is also a lover of all things orchid.  It takes her hours to water and feed these plants which in arid southern CA may not be the greenest thing.

My 3 year old (aka love bug) started the two corn plants at her preschool.  They studied corn for a week.  Planting it, learning foods made with corn, shucking it, and eating it!  She is now an enthusiastic corn eater:)

I’m having a hard time scheduling exercise in.  Instead of beating myself up about it, I decided to exercise when I have a chance.  But to spend the rest of my maternity leave enjoying my kids.  I still want to lead an active lifestyle and I think running after my kids counts.  That just means I need to be really careful with my diet.

I think I’m addicted to sugar.  Unfortunately, that’s a really easy drug to find.  I know it’s bad for your body and mind.  Cause obesity, diabetes, wrinkled skin, etc.  I don’t think I can eat it in moderation.  So, I’m vowing to stop eating refined sugar and packaged foods.  Stuff like whole wheat bread is ok.  Cinnamon buns are not.  Fruit sugar is ok too.  And I need to stay away from dairy.  Eggs are easy because I hate them but I love cheese and dessert.  I have started dabbling in baking my own treats for my kiddo.  She loves pumpkin bread and asked me to bake some for her preschool snack time today.

 

True Food Kitchen

I ate here today for lunch and had a wonderful meal.  It’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow and my sister wanted to take her out for lunch here.  The restaurant was very large and open, lots of space.  Decorated with lots of planters filled with herb and edible plants.  The bathrooms were separated into men and women’s restrooms but shared a sink area.

I started out with the Natural drink. It’s a mixture of ginger, agave syrup, and soda water.  Totally refreshing.  They do have some fruit infused water at the entrance for you to try while waiting for your table.  Today’s flavor was pear mint.

I had the mixed Autumn salad.  Lots of roasted veggies like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.  But the star was the pomegranate seeds and the dressings.  I asked to have all three of their salad dressings on the side and my favorite was the lemon vinaigrette.  

My parents both had meat dishes and my sis had the ravioli.  She wasn’t too impressed by the size of her dish.  It held only 5 raviolis.  The menu was clearly labeled to let you know what was vegan, vegetarian, and meat dishes were obvious.  A big plus for me.  They even had a vegan option on the kids menu.  My 3 year old had the almond butter, apple, and banana sandwich with carrot sticks.

I wish I took some pictures but of course having the kids there, I was a busy mama.  I will be back though.  A definite visit for vegans and vegetarian diners.

 

I’m one year older

36.  I’m one year older.  This year has flown by.  So much has happened.  I had a baby.  She’s 4 months old.  My oldest baby turned 3.  But it feels like a blur.  I barely remember any of it.  I am going to chalk that up to sleep deprivation. 

I don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep since my 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy.  That’s going on 3.5 years now.  I’ve always been a light sleeper but now I wake up at the slightest change in anyone’s breathing.  I’ve never been able to sleep with a fan on or the air conditioner much to the disappointment of my heat generating husband.  I know this will be for just a short period in my life.  Once my babies decide to leave my bed, I will once again enjoy a full night’s rest.  All of the annoyances and inconveniences of babies and toddlers will be short lived and will be replaced by other worries of school aged and teen aged daughters.  I shudder to think about what my nights will be like when my oldest turns 12.

Milestones for this year

• Kate was born on 5/26
• Delilah turned 3 on 8/22
• Delilah potty trained on 8/29

I really need to keep better track of the baby’s milestones.  She’s already smiling and grabbing at objects.  She started turning from her tummy to back a few weeks ago.  I did weigh her yesterday and she comes in at a whopping 14 lbs 13 oz.  Quite a difference from my petite older daughter who at 3, weighs in at 27 lbs.

Hmmm…. Goals for this year.

• Work out for 1 hour a day 5 days a week.
• Cook at home at least 5 days a week.  We’ve been a family who relied on take out or cheap restaurant foods.  It will be healthier and cheaper for us.
• Up my savings to my kids’ college funds.  I already save $250 a month for Delilah.  I think I am going to start another 529 plan for Kate when I go back to work.
• Get a small snap and go camera to capture photos.  My hubby has a big huge one that takes great pictures.  But it is very inconvenient.  I can’t take it anywhere because it is massive.  I’ll research one today and start snapping away.
• Start knitting again.  I love knitting but haven’t had much time.  Now that my little girl isn’t nursing nonstop anymore, maybe I can take it up again.
• Work out a budget and stick to it.  My husband is always complaining that we don’t save enough money whereas I disagree. 

I’ve tried to save money by using cloth diapers for the baby.  I invested about $250 in 18 cloth diapers and I haven’t bought disposables since she was born.  I used to spend about $50 per month in diapers.  I am also trying hard to cook dinner at home.  It’s very hard considering my husband doesn’t come home until 7:30 or 8 pm every night.  With 2 small children who break down at around 6 pm, cooking usually gets pushed back until he gets home and we resort to going out for a burrito.  When I go back to work in about a month, my plan is to do a prep day during the weekend while the hubby is home so that we can have meals during the week that don’t take too much time.

To sum up, I don’t feel too old.  But I don’t feel young again.  Maybe I need to go out for a walk…

 

 

 

I love peanut butter!

My daughter licking a spoonful of peanut butter.  I am encouraging her to eat lots of healthy foods.  She doesn’t like peanut butter sandwiches but a spoonful she will eat:)

Perfunctury Introduction

I am a mom of two little girls, a nurse, and at the moment stay at home mom.  A job that I find immensely challenging and rewarding.  I will be going back to work in November and am very sad that I cannot remain a full time mommy and home maker.  I live in sunny Southern California and am an accidental Attachment Parenting practitioner.  Meaning all of the parenting I do actually has a name.  I breastfeed, baby wear, cloth diaper, and co-sleep.  The breastfeeding was deliberate.  Baby wearing and co-sleeping evolved out of necessity.  I also am newly plant based.  I have been a long time ovo-lacto vegetarian.  However, after reading all the health benefits of a plant based (aka vegan) diet, I am transitioning.  It’s hard with societal and familial pressure to eat unhealthy foods.  I am definitely not perfect but I am trying hard.

I’m not quite sure why I decided to start a blog.  Perhaps to chronicle my daughters growing up.  Maybe to keep track of recipes I have tried.  Maybe to share photos.  I love books, food, and I’m attempting to get more fit by exercising.  With two little ones, it is very hard to find the time but I know how important it is.  I’m lucky enough to have my parents close by who will take the kids at a moments’ notice.

I will try to post regularly.  But who knows.  I don’t even know if I’ll tell my friends and family that I am writing this blog.  Maybe it will be just for me.