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Hi all! Just poking my head in briefly to let you know that hubster got me a 'grown up' blog space to use. I'm still writing (and more than ever), but you'll find me at www.errantsoprano.com instead.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Hotbed Subjects
I find that while I have strong opinions about many subjects, I tend to be reticent about them, both in person and in this space. I hate alienating people and I hate the fallback. I much prefer to embrace everyone and their lives and life decisions as theirs - after all, they are the ones who must live with their choices, so why should I force my opinion on them? Perhaps this is also because that is how I prefer to be treated - my decisions respected no matter the other person's opinion one way or the other. So, while I try to write about many things, I often don't go into deep subjects, preferring to avoid any blow-back or negativity in this space.
However, I DO have strong opinions on many subjects, and, beyond that, I'm a researcher by nature. I want to know something? I start digging. I read books, I use my friend Mr. Google, I do academic searches, watch videos on the subject. Go to respected research and read it myself. So, you can guess that, while some of my decisions are 'gut' decisions, most of them have been well thought-out, heavily researched, and my decision has been made, one way or the other, by what I've found and careful thought on the subject. If it affects my family, hubster and I discuss it and share opinions and go from there.
Why do I mention this?
Simply because someday, I might be brave enough to not only voice those thoughts, but actually dedicate post space to them.
Because, maybe I'd like to voice some of those opinions in a slap-dash way right now, so that when it pops up in a post later, maybe, just maybe, that fallback will be smaller.
So, in a nutshell, some of my beliefs (and remember, I'm a researcher, so I've already done my research on all sides of the arguments):
However, I DO have strong opinions on many subjects, and, beyond that, I'm a researcher by nature. I want to know something? I start digging. I read books, I use my friend Mr. Google, I do academic searches, watch videos on the subject. Go to respected research and read it myself. So, you can guess that, while some of my decisions are 'gut' decisions, most of them have been well thought-out, heavily researched, and my decision has been made, one way or the other, by what I've found and careful thought on the subject. If it affects my family, hubster and I discuss it and share opinions and go from there.
Why do I mention this?
Simply because someday, I might be brave enough to not only voice those thoughts, but actually dedicate post space to them.
Because, maybe I'd like to voice some of those opinions in a slap-dash way right now, so that when it pops up in a post later, maybe, just maybe, that fallback will be smaller.
So, in a nutshell, some of my beliefs (and remember, I'm a researcher, so I've already done my research on all sides of the arguments):
- LOVE. love people. All people. Regardless of Race, Gender, Sexuality, etc, etc.
- RESPECT. treat all people with respect. Think before you speak. Treat others as you would like to be treated. If you can handle what you dish out, don't dish it out in the first place.
- LIVE AND LET LIVE. For all things this applies. See above.
- GOD/JESUS. Yes. I'm a Christian. I believe Jesus Christ is our savior and all that wonderful lovely stuff. But I'm not evangelical. I am a 'live-and-let-live' sort.
- CHILDREN. for me, yes. For other people - that's their decision. How many? Their choice.
- ABORTION. Hot hot hot subject. I'm not pro-abortion. But I'm not anti-abortion either. It's completely circumstantial and by situation. Too many grey areas for it to be one way or the other.
- CIRCUMCISION. No. 100x no. I could never let anyone needlessly (even harmfully) remove a part of my child . However, it's not my decision for other people's children and I won't force my opinion on them. (You can check this book out about it, though)
- BREASTFEEDING. Yes. 100x yes. For as long or as short is appropriate for your family. There are so many benefits for Mommy and Baby that it's silly to discredit it.
- BREASTFEEDING IN PUBLIC. Yes. Duh. Baby's gotta eat when baby's gotta eat. It's legal to breastfeed anywhere the mother is legally allowed to be. NO cover necessary. However, if you are more comfortable with a cover or pumping and giving bottles, that's fine too!
- VACCINATION. Yes. The diseases that are vaccinated against are nasty nasty thing. It's obviously completely up to the parents, but I feel safer having my little ones protected from the nastiness that are covered by those vaccinations and I'd rather have a child with autism than a child struggling or dying from whooping cough.
- GAY MARRIAGE. Some of the most wonderful people I know are gay and are in long-lasting, amazing relationships. Why would I want to deny them marriage and the corresponding rights? Why should it be up to me or the state or ANYONE but them? Remember my Live and let Live philosophy?
- POLITICS. I fall strictly.... nowhere. I'm Liberal on many subjects, but I'm Conservative on others. I don't align with any party and choose to vote on the issues rather than party lines. I voted for Obama in '08. I don't think he's all that bad. I don't think he's amazing. He's human. And that is the best thing to be. Why do we expect people to be superhuman and perfect when they are elected? They are still human!
Anyway. Those are the main hotbed subjects that come to mind. So now nobody is surprised when things pop up. :)
~E.S.
Friday, March 14, 2014
A.T.G.F.B. (Absolutely Terrified Gluten Free Baking)
I can't remember if I've mentioned it here before, but about a year ago, I decided to go gluten-free/limit my gluten consumption. No need to go into the reasons since that isn't the point of the post!
I used to bake a ton! My husband LOVED it. Pies, Cakes, and Cookies were regularly coming out of our oven and it was one of the best ways for me to de-stress after a rough week. Since going gluten free, however, I've been terrified to bake and have done very little. The baking I have done has been from boxes and mixes. I don't know if I'm nesting or what, but the urge to bake has been getting stronger. This has led to more baking (admittedly still from a box) but I'd like to share some of the little things that have worked well!
*please keep in mind that these are not trying to be healthy recipes*
GF mixed berry muffins using Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix. These came out SO good and I just pulled the recipe off the side of the package. I used frozen mixed berries from Trader Joe's that I defrosted while I mixed. Then I added my own 'streusel' topping that I made from Coconut oil, brown sugar, and a pinch of gf mixed flour. I used this recipe and modified to my preference. I'm not 100% dairy free, but since I'm sensitive to dairy, I used coconut oil in place of the butter.
GF birthday cakes for my munchkin:
all of these cakes (for Dec's first birthday) were made with Bob's Red Mill gf cake mixes. Both the chocolate and the vanilla. I was making a bunch of cakes that month since my boy and my mom share a birthday and we celebrated it twice! These were unmodified - I just followed the directions on the package - and were a pretty big hit!
and, right now, I've got my first GF banana bread in the oven... *crossing my fingers* that it comes out! It's also made with Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix (Which has nuts and dairy in it, for those with issues with either of those things) and some bananas that were going sad in my kitchen. Again I substituted Coconut oil for the butter. Let you know how it goes!
~E.S.
I used to bake a ton! My husband LOVED it. Pies, Cakes, and Cookies were regularly coming out of our oven and it was one of the best ways for me to de-stress after a rough week. Since going gluten free, however, I've been terrified to bake and have done very little. The baking I have done has been from boxes and mixes. I don't know if I'm nesting or what, but the urge to bake has been getting stronger. This has led to more baking (admittedly still from a box) but I'd like to share some of the little things that have worked well!
*please keep in mind that these are not trying to be healthy recipes*
GF mixed berry muffins using Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix. These came out SO good and I just pulled the recipe off the side of the package. I used frozen mixed berries from Trader Joe's that I defrosted while I mixed. Then I added my own 'streusel' topping that I made from Coconut oil, brown sugar, and a pinch of gf mixed flour. I used this recipe and modified to my preference. I'm not 100% dairy free, but since I'm sensitive to dairy, I used coconut oil in place of the butter.
GF birthday cakes for my munchkin:
all of these cakes (for Dec's first birthday) were made with Bob's Red Mill gf cake mixes. Both the chocolate and the vanilla. I was making a bunch of cakes that month since my boy and my mom share a birthday and we celebrated it twice! These were unmodified - I just followed the directions on the package - and were a pretty big hit!
and, right now, I've got my first GF banana bread in the oven... *crossing my fingers* that it comes out! It's also made with Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix (Which has nuts and dairy in it, for those with issues with either of those things) and some bananas that were going sad in my kitchen. Again I substituted Coconut oil for the butter. Let you know how it goes!
~E.S.
30 weeks
I'm 30 weeks already!
I swear, this pregnancy is flying by. There are some things from my first pregnancy that I miss- like getting to take a babymoon. We're just too busy to sneak off and I feel bad leaving Dec for a weekend. I haven't yet left him overnight!
So, I know I haven't done pregnancy updates at all this time, but it might be fun to just check in anyway.
At this point in my pregnancy...
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now and weighs almost 3 pounds (about the size of a large cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will shrink as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.
SOURCE
So, I'm chugging along in this pregnancy and I have to share that pants are so not comfortable this time! I'm all about dresses and skirts. Along those lines I've just recently discovered maxi skirts... I know, they've been around forever, but I was never one to go for them. Until now!
This skirt is seriously the most comfortable thing ever! and I've been loving this flowy cardigan thing. it's a sweatshirt material and OH SO COMFY! I love feeling cute while I still feel comfy this pregnancy.
Quick facts about this pregnancy:
I swear, this pregnancy is flying by. There are some things from my first pregnancy that I miss- like getting to take a babymoon. We're just too busy to sneak off and I feel bad leaving Dec for a weekend. I haven't yet left him overnight!
So, I know I haven't done pregnancy updates at all this time, but it might be fun to just check in anyway.
At this point in my pregnancy...
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now and weighs almost 3 pounds (about the size of a large cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will shrink as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.
SOURCE
So, I'm chugging along in this pregnancy and I have to share that pants are so not comfortable this time! I'm all about dresses and skirts. Along those lines I've just recently discovered maxi skirts... I know, they've been around forever, but I was never one to go for them. Until now!
This skirt is seriously the most comfortable thing ever! and I've been loving this flowy cardigan thing. it's a sweatshirt material and OH SO COMFY! I love feeling cute while I still feel comfy this pregnancy.
Quick facts about this pregnancy:
- I can feel baby move SO much more this time. And he's an active one!
- Dec likes patting 'baby brother' and giving him kisses. If you ask him where baby brother is he generally pats the nearest adult stomach (usually mine) or pokes himself in the belly. It's hilarious and cute!
- I'm freaking out about how things are going to go with Dec after the new baby comes. He's so curious about babies and is so sweet and gentle with them. However, I've noticed this week that while he prefers independent play when I'm available and ready and willing to play with him, the second my attention is on someone else (aka, if I'm teaching and he has to be here for some reason) he just wants mommy and becomes a crazy, attention-seeking, screaming, turning the keyboard off toddler. So I'm understandably nervous about the transition!
- My tailbone and pelvic structure is feeling much more painful this time - I think because I'm carrying Dec as well as being pregnant. (and I haven't been doing as much yoga this time)
Generally, this time my pregnancy hasn't been the main place where I'm placing my attention, where last time, ALL my attention was on my pregnancy!
I'll leave you with these cheery flowers that my hubby brought home Wednesday night!
Happy Friday!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
On Self-love, Beauty, and Ideals
A recent post by fellow blogger and sister-in-law, Cori, got me thinking more. I've already been riding on the self-love boat since discovering the Birth Without Fear Self-love project, this, and this project by the amazing Jade Beall, but I've never talked about it and my feelings about it in this space, So here we go.
Since having Dec, I've been hyper-conscious about how he sees me perceive myself. I want him to learn how to appreciate all kinds of beauty, and love all kinds of beauty. My attitude towards my own looks and how I beat myself up was not how I wanted him to appreciate women and their bodies. If I ever have a daughter, I don't want her to learn that self loathing from me either. I am God's creation and so blessed by all the gifts He has bestowed upon me; life, good health, an amazing body that has delivered a beautiful child, and an amazing gift of a singing voice. I am not perfect, but I am blessed and God's creation and now it's my job to love that creation and pass on that tradition of self love to my children!
This, however, was not my mindset for much of my teenaged and adult life thus far. I was always self-conscious of how skinny I was (or not skinny), how big my nose was, how my smile was too big, how I looked too young, teeth too big, face too thin, my double chin (??? where did I get that from, btw?), whether my stomach was flat, my chest too small, my thighs and butt too big. I became a workout junkie, not because I wanted to be healthy, but because I wanted to be skinny. For a long time I was skinny- too skinny. The biggest turn arounds in my mindset happened during grad school, while I was pregnant (body image), and when Declan was born (how I feel about my face).
This is not to say that I still don't have moments, of course, but that I am working on changing my own outlook so that I'm not teaching my children that thought process.
So what were the factors to changing my thought process?
In Grad school, I started having lots of health issues tied to stress. Suddenly I realized that skinny didn't matter if you were sick all the time. I started doing yoga more - a lot more -and included a home practice which changed my world. In the process I found myself feeling stronger, healthier, and though I wasn't as skinny, I felt better about my body. I stopped worrying about weight or inches and started thinking about function, health, and strength.
A couple years later I got pregnant. I thought I would be this perfect fit pregnant momma, but life (and my body) had other plans. Pregnancy alone is rough on my metabolism and I was lucky to have enough energy at the end of the day to cook dinner, let alone get up early or workout before bed! I took myself to prenatal yoga, which was about all I could handle, but also ended up being perfect for me. Among other things, prenatal yoga taught me that yoga shouldn't be a competition of me against my body, but a melding of the two. An acceptance of my body's abilities at the moment. I grew to appreciate the day to day changes of my body and to respect it's limits. During pregnancy I also changed my thoughts on what beauty is. It is so easy to start feeling huge, out of control, or just start resenting your body when you're pregnant, but I found the magic of the changes freeing and loved every moment of getting bigger and rounder. I think I loved my body most when I was pregnant with Declan!
After Declan I discovered all of the projects I showed earlier. I also developed my first distinct wrinkles (!!!) and started to fall back into that pattern of insulting myself. It took me a year to start feeling 'normal' and to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I was softer around the middle, I had wrinkles and stretch marks in places I had never had them before. Sleeplessness gave me dark circles under my eyes, my hair fell out, then started growing back (and now, with this pregnancy, has gone thicker, wavier, and crazier). Again I came to the realization that I was letting society's view of beauty dictate how I felt about myself.
I've been doing pretty good lately. I generally feel really good about myself and almost never wear makeup or do my hair (who has time?) and feel confident in how I look most of the time. My exceptions are those days that I feel like I look really young and have a 'grown-up' job to do, the days I feel like my hair is OUTTA CONTROL, and the days when i'm busy thinking I'm too skinny, not fit enough, or ...
Wait.
Not the point. The point is that we are real women and that there is nothing more beautiful than a REAL woman and inner beauty is the really important part!
This all leads to me posting a self-love selfie on instagram (and facebook):
and I encourage you do the same! This is a good morning, no makeup, not much sleep face and it's beautiful!
Some related things to look at:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkm1Hg4dTI this video on selfies
-BWF Self Love Project
-Jade Beall's A Beautiful Body Project
-Beauty Revealed Project
- Operation Beautiful
Do you self-love or self-hate? Have you ever tried to change your mindset and what helps/motivates you to do it?
~E.S.
Since having Dec, I've been hyper-conscious about how he sees me perceive myself. I want him to learn how to appreciate all kinds of beauty, and love all kinds of beauty. My attitude towards my own looks and how I beat myself up was not how I wanted him to appreciate women and their bodies. If I ever have a daughter, I don't want her to learn that self loathing from me either. I am God's creation and so blessed by all the gifts He has bestowed upon me; life, good health, an amazing body that has delivered a beautiful child, and an amazing gift of a singing voice. I am not perfect, but I am blessed and God's creation and now it's my job to love that creation and pass on that tradition of self love to my children!
This, however, was not my mindset for much of my teenaged and adult life thus far. I was always self-conscious of how skinny I was (or not skinny), how big my nose was, how my smile was too big, how I looked too young, teeth too big, face too thin, my double chin (??? where did I get that from, btw?), whether my stomach was flat, my chest too small, my thighs and butt too big. I became a workout junkie, not because I wanted to be healthy, but because I wanted to be skinny. For a long time I was skinny- too skinny. The biggest turn arounds in my mindset happened during grad school, while I was pregnant (body image), and when Declan was born (how I feel about my face).
This is not to say that I still don't have moments, of course, but that I am working on changing my own outlook so that I'm not teaching my children that thought process.
So what were the factors to changing my thought process?
In Grad school, I started having lots of health issues tied to stress. Suddenly I realized that skinny didn't matter if you were sick all the time. I started doing yoga more - a lot more -and included a home practice which changed my world. In the process I found myself feeling stronger, healthier, and though I wasn't as skinny, I felt better about my body. I stopped worrying about weight or inches and started thinking about function, health, and strength.
A couple years later I got pregnant. I thought I would be this perfect fit pregnant momma, but life (and my body) had other plans. Pregnancy alone is rough on my metabolism and I was lucky to have enough energy at the end of the day to cook dinner, let alone get up early or workout before bed! I took myself to prenatal yoga, which was about all I could handle, but also ended up being perfect for me. Among other things, prenatal yoga taught me that yoga shouldn't be a competition of me against my body, but a melding of the two. An acceptance of my body's abilities at the moment. I grew to appreciate the day to day changes of my body and to respect it's limits. During pregnancy I also changed my thoughts on what beauty is. It is so easy to start feeling huge, out of control, or just start resenting your body when you're pregnant, but I found the magic of the changes freeing and loved every moment of getting bigger and rounder. I think I loved my body most when I was pregnant with Declan!
After Declan I discovered all of the projects I showed earlier. I also developed my first distinct wrinkles (!!!) and started to fall back into that pattern of insulting myself. It took me a year to start feeling 'normal' and to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I was softer around the middle, I had wrinkles and stretch marks in places I had never had them before. Sleeplessness gave me dark circles under my eyes, my hair fell out, then started growing back (and now, with this pregnancy, has gone thicker, wavier, and crazier). Again I came to the realization that I was letting society's view of beauty dictate how I felt about myself.
I've been doing pretty good lately. I generally feel really good about myself and almost never wear makeup or do my hair (who has time?) and feel confident in how I look most of the time. My exceptions are those days that I feel like I look really young and have a 'grown-up' job to do, the days I feel like my hair is OUTTA CONTROL, and the days when i'm busy thinking I'm too skinny, not fit enough, or ...
Wait.
Not the point. The point is that we are real women and that there is nothing more beautiful than a REAL woman and inner beauty is the really important part!
This all leads to me posting a self-love selfie on instagram (and facebook):
and I encourage you do the same! This is a good morning, no makeup, not much sleep face and it's beautiful!
Some related things to look at:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkm1Hg4dTI this video on selfies
-BWF Self Love Project
-Jade Beall's A Beautiful Body Project
-Beauty Revealed Project
- Operation Beautiful
Do you self-love or self-hate? Have you ever tried to change your mindset and what helps/motivates you to do it?
~E.S.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Toddler Tuesday: Things my toddler threw tantrums about this week
By 8 am this morning, we were two tantrums down the hatch. The closer we get to two, the more I'm seeing these! So here are some things that we are throwing tantrums about this week.
(they are funny once I'm removed from the tantrum situation)
Not being allowed to play on the computer, even though he NEVER has been.
Wearing Pants.
Starting his current favorite movie, A Monster in Paris (we let him watch tv while we're cooking) in the 'wrong spot' (aka, the beginning).
Socks
Shoes
Having chicken on his plate
Someone else's toy car at the park
Mommy vacuuming
Playing at the park. literally about playing - he only wanted the big kid playground and, at 7 months pregnant, mommy isn't up to that!
What has your toddler been throwing tantrums about?
~E.S.
(they are funny once I'm removed from the tantrum situation)
Not being allowed to play on the computer, even though he NEVER has been.
Wearing Pants.
Starting his current favorite movie, A Monster in Paris (we let him watch tv while we're cooking) in the 'wrong spot' (aka, the beginning).
Socks
Shoes
Having chicken on his plate
Someone else's toy car at the park
Mommy vacuuming
Playing at the park. literally about playing - he only wanted the big kid playground and, at 7 months pregnant, mommy isn't up to that!
What has your toddler been throwing tantrums about?
~E.S.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Things My Toddler Does; Episode 2
Good Morning all!
It's time for another episode of Things My Toddler Does!
So, we did mostly annoying/funny things last time, so lets start with some CUTE things my munchkin does!
Many mornings start with a pre-wake up at 5:30 am (or earlier), but if left to himself he promptly goes back to sleep. <3 nbsp="" p="">
Slides are best if you insert a "weee" at the bottom.
Lately, he's been in a definite 'learning' mode. He was super excited when he found out that mommy could make make 'music' by blowing into the openings of different size and shape recycling bottles. This led to D, laying on the couch with the gallon vinegar bottle up to his mouth trying to get it to resonate. Pretty sure there were some last drops of vinegar consumed as he smelled like vinegar for the rest of the day. Take that, sweet baby smell!
His latest choice of bedtime stories is "Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs" by Byron Barton. He lets us know he wants that book by rawring at us!
It's time for another episode of Things My Toddler Does!
So, we did mostly annoying/funny things last time, so lets start with some CUTE things my munchkin does!
Many mornings start with a pre-wake up at 5:30 am (or earlier), but if left to himself he promptly goes back to sleep. <3 nbsp="" p="">
Slides are best if you insert a "weee" at the bottom.
Lately, he's been in a definite 'learning' mode. He was super excited when he found out that mommy could make make 'music' by blowing into the openings of different size and shape recycling bottles. This led to D, laying on the couch with the gallon vinegar bottle up to his mouth trying to get it to resonate. Pretty sure there were some last drops of vinegar consumed as he smelled like vinegar for the rest of the day. Take that, sweet baby smell!
His latest choice of bedtime stories is "Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs" by Byron Barton. He lets us know he wants that book by rawring at us!
 |
| Source |
Fun Breakfast Fact: Cheerios in your munchkin snack holder are much better if you pour lemon-orange-honey tea into them. Mommy's reaction is better that way too!
Fun Trash Fact: It's really hard for mommy to tell you off for throwing something in the trash when it's a) something that actually belongs in the trash and, b) you proudly clap for yourself afterwards.
While helping hubby with dinner the other night, D decided to show off his favorite skills - Standing and balancing. We turn around to see him standing on the chair with his hands in 'flying/balancing' position!
At Nana's house, one of our favorite activities is moving canned good from one cabinet to another and then stacking them into precarious, yet curiously balanced leaning towers. My little engineer!
His sense of humor is starting to show itself! When D made a funky face at me, I made one back and he busted up laughing. Then I made a fishy face. He now asks for 'hwi-shie' face all the time and busts up laughing when I make that face.
D loves bath time these days and when the tub starts draining he starts splashing in protest - that's when Mommy gets her showers! ;)
Also, Hats.
Hope this cures all cases of the Mon-Days!
~E.S.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
A Day in the Life
I love these posts on other blogs so I thought I'd try one!
Wednesday, February 12
5am - wake up (again) to go to the bathroom and roll over so my hip will stop screaming at me (one small downside to pregnancy). Fall back to sleep feeling the baby squirm. <3 nbsp="" p="">6:30 am - hear some little noises over the baby monitor. Ignore, hoping he'll go back to sleep (usually he doesn't and I get a half hour before "mommy. mommy? mommy!" happens
6:45 am - realize all has gone quiet again, peek at monitor. Wonder of all wonders, he DID actually go back to sleep!
7:20 am - stumble out of bed to get breakfast and tea. Say 'good-bye, have a nice day' to the hubster.
7:30 am - can't believe Dec isn't awake. Go check on him and inadvertently wake him up. darn! Plus side, he's a 'slow-to-go' kinda guy, so I grab the dirty diapers and run them out to the laundry in the garage while he wakes up.
7:40 am - get Dec out of bed, change his diaper, take him to the dining room for breakfast. Breakfast this morning (not inspiring) is granola (me) and Honey Nut O's and bananas for Dec.
8:14 am - release the boy from his high chair for some play time while I fold laundry and we listen to the radio. He comes up intermittently asking for a "puppy" or a "kitty" on his magnetic drawing board. I draw them and still manage to get the laundry folded without too much re-folding.
9am - I see the time and get us both dressed to leave the house so we can (attempt) to get some 'paperwork' done for a subbing job I'm doing next week.
9:30am - finally out of the house and at the college administration office. They tell me that TB tests can only be administered on Mon-Tuesday. shoot. (yes, I had called ahead and the person who I talked to said they were available all week long)
10:00am - after abandoning my 20 minute parking and finding a new parking space, Dec and I trot along campus to the Campus Police office for Live Scan. They inform me that I have to go to another building to pay before I can do the live scan there. I tell them I'd rather go to a free-standing place and can they tell me who they accept that from?
10:40am - I get Dec BACK in the car (with no little fighting and have to remove shoes due to a mud-puddle incident...) and call the hubster for a quick (ok, not quick) vent. GRRRR
10:45am - on the road again! this time headed to my parents' house for the first lesson of the day. We get there with PLENTY of time and go for a walk in the neighborhood.
11:15am - lunch! I whip up some scrambled eggs and (frozen, gf) waffles for lunch so that we can eat before my student comes. Declan eats the eggs and some crackers. today is not a winning day for diet for this boy!
11:45am - I put Dec down in my old room at my parents for a nap. They have it all set up for him and with the right 'props' he's usually good about going down and napping.
11:47am - screaming from the bedroom. I go in expecting to see him on the floor (having climbed/fallen out - he is at that age after all!) and instead find him standing in the middle of the pack-n-play. we snuggle and I put him back down. (disclaimer: usually my dad is around to entertain my little monkey, but he was on vacation)
12pm - my student shows up. We start the lesson about as usual...
12:15pm -we hear fussing
12:20pm - fussing is now full out crying. I go get Dec and set him up with some toys, books, and his blanky in 'papa's chair'
1pm - lesson was mostly a success, though Dec tried his best to distract us with cute antics and 'reading' all the words he knows. *favorite moment was when he pointed to a picture of a tomato and said "FISHY!" he was very proud of himself*
1:30pm we head home. Dec (unsurprisingly) falls asleep in the car.
1:45pm I transfer Dec (apparently successfully) to his crib. All quiet on the toddler front. I sit down with lesson plans for next week and start perusing.
3pm - I go to wake Dec up, only to find him wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling. Creepy! I ask him if he's ready to go see "ti-ti" (his name for his friend at daycare) and he sadly says "no."
3:10pm - we leave the house only a little bit late. The drive to daycare takes 15 or so minutes.
3:25pm - drop Dec off at daycare. Warn her that he might be a little out of sorts, but he happily gets playing! We chat for a couple minutes about life and everything. "ti-ti" wakes up, so I sneak out while Dec is distracted by the exciting prospect of his favorite playmate!
3:45pm - shoot. construction on the way home... this is going to slow me down!
3:55pm - realize I didn't start dinner in the crockpot. double shoot! i'm going to have to squeeze it in in the milliseconds between students!
4:02pm - I'm home! a little late, but I made it. Immediately turn on the keyboard and start lesson #1
4:30pm - lesson 2 arrives!
5pm - lesson 3 starts
5:30pm - Lesson 4.
6pm - make sure everything is in the crockpot to be cooked. Hightail it to the car to go get Dec. We've only got 1.5 -2 hours before bedtime.
6:20pm - pick the Decmeister up. He's sad to see me instead of daddy. Sorry, buddy!
6:25pm - non-stop asking for daddy. We detour to the dojo for a quick visit.
6:45pm - stop in at the Dojo and see daddy. The guys are all doing their thing - Daddy is in horse stance holding a bo staff above his head. Declan is confused, but takes the time to run around the dojo a bit.
7pm - we head home from the dojo. Dinner is ready-ish. ready enough and Dec and I eat. Sitting down was a mistake. Now I don't want to move!
7:45pm - Time for bed. I drag myself out of the chair and we do bedtime routine - Diaper, pajamas, teeth, book, Nigh-nights.
8pm - jump in the shower
8:05pm - jump out of the shower (it is a drought after all!) realize I haven't put the diapers in the dryer. Start putting Cloth diapers on my baby registry instead.
8:45pm - hubby is home - manage to convince him to move diapers to the dryer. we realize I would have had to take his clean clothes out anyway...
9pm - we watch an episode of the Mentalist.
9:45pm - I convince him to start another episode and promptly fall asleep on the couch.
11pm - Hubster wakes me up. I brush my teeth and crawl in bed. We have a bonding moment with the baby (hubster puts his head down on the belly to listen to the heartbeat - i'm so jealous he can do that! - and the baby kicks him in the head.) Love it!
11:15pm - I crash. on to another day!
Wednesday, February 12
5am - wake up (again) to go to the bathroom and roll over so my hip will stop screaming at me (one small downside to pregnancy). Fall back to sleep feeling the baby squirm. <3 nbsp="" p="">6:30 am - hear some little noises over the baby monitor. Ignore, hoping he'll go back to sleep (usually he doesn't and I get a half hour before "mommy. mommy? mommy!" happens
6:45 am - realize all has gone quiet again, peek at monitor. Wonder of all wonders, he DID actually go back to sleep!
7:20 am - stumble out of bed to get breakfast and tea. Say 'good-bye, have a nice day' to the hubster.
7:30 am - can't believe Dec isn't awake. Go check on him and inadvertently wake him up. darn! Plus side, he's a 'slow-to-go' kinda guy, so I grab the dirty diapers and run them out to the laundry in the garage while he wakes up.
7:40 am - get Dec out of bed, change his diaper, take him to the dining room for breakfast. Breakfast this morning (not inspiring) is granola (me) and Honey Nut O's and bananas for Dec.
8:14 am - release the boy from his high chair for some play time while I fold laundry and we listen to the radio. He comes up intermittently asking for a "puppy" or a "kitty" on his magnetic drawing board. I draw them and still manage to get the laundry folded without too much re-folding.
9am - I see the time and get us both dressed to leave the house so we can (attempt) to get some 'paperwork' done for a subbing job I'm doing next week.
9:30am - finally out of the house and at the college administration office. They tell me that TB tests can only be administered on Mon-Tuesday. shoot. (yes, I had called ahead and the person who I talked to said they were available all week long)
10:00am - after abandoning my 20 minute parking and finding a new parking space, Dec and I trot along campus to the Campus Police office for Live Scan. They inform me that I have to go to another building to pay before I can do the live scan there. I tell them I'd rather go to a free-standing place and can they tell me who they accept that from?
10:40am - I get Dec BACK in the car (with no little fighting and have to remove shoes due to a mud-puddle incident...) and call the hubster for a quick (ok, not quick) vent. GRRRR
10:45am - on the road again! this time headed to my parents' house for the first lesson of the day. We get there with PLENTY of time and go for a walk in the neighborhood.
11:15am - lunch! I whip up some scrambled eggs and (frozen, gf) waffles for lunch so that we can eat before my student comes. Declan eats the eggs and some crackers. today is not a winning day for diet for this boy!
11:45am - I put Dec down in my old room at my parents for a nap. They have it all set up for him and with the right 'props' he's usually good about going down and napping.
11:47am - screaming from the bedroom. I go in expecting to see him on the floor (having climbed/fallen out - he is at that age after all!) and instead find him standing in the middle of the pack-n-play. we snuggle and I put him back down. (disclaimer: usually my dad is around to entertain my little monkey, but he was on vacation)
12pm - my student shows up. We start the lesson about as usual...
12:15pm -we hear fussing
12:20pm - fussing is now full out crying. I go get Dec and set him up with some toys, books, and his blanky in 'papa's chair'
1pm - lesson was mostly a success, though Dec tried his best to distract us with cute antics and 'reading' all the words he knows. *favorite moment was when he pointed to a picture of a tomato and said "FISHY!" he was very proud of himself*
1:30pm we head home. Dec (unsurprisingly) falls asleep in the car.
1:45pm I transfer Dec (apparently successfully) to his crib. All quiet on the toddler front. I sit down with lesson plans for next week and start perusing.
3pm - I go to wake Dec up, only to find him wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling. Creepy! I ask him if he's ready to go see "ti-ti" (his name for his friend at daycare) and he sadly says "no."
3:10pm - we leave the house only a little bit late. The drive to daycare takes 15 or so minutes.
3:25pm - drop Dec off at daycare. Warn her that he might be a little out of sorts, but he happily gets playing! We chat for a couple minutes about life and everything. "ti-ti" wakes up, so I sneak out while Dec is distracted by the exciting prospect of his favorite playmate!
3:45pm - shoot. construction on the way home... this is going to slow me down!
3:55pm - realize I didn't start dinner in the crockpot. double shoot! i'm going to have to squeeze it in in the milliseconds between students!
4:02pm - I'm home! a little late, but I made it. Immediately turn on the keyboard and start lesson #1
4:30pm - lesson 2 arrives!
5pm - lesson 3 starts
5:30pm - Lesson 4.
6pm - make sure everything is in the crockpot to be cooked. Hightail it to the car to go get Dec. We've only got 1.5 -2 hours before bedtime.
6:20pm - pick the Decmeister up. He's sad to see me instead of daddy. Sorry, buddy!
6:25pm - non-stop asking for daddy. We detour to the dojo for a quick visit.
6:45pm - stop in at the Dojo and see daddy. The guys are all doing their thing - Daddy is in horse stance holding a bo staff above his head. Declan is confused, but takes the time to run around the dojo a bit.
7pm - we head home from the dojo. Dinner is ready-ish. ready enough and Dec and I eat. Sitting down was a mistake. Now I don't want to move!
7:45pm - Time for bed. I drag myself out of the chair and we do bedtime routine - Diaper, pajamas, teeth, book, Nigh-nights.
8pm - jump in the shower
8:05pm - jump out of the shower (it is a drought after all!) realize I haven't put the diapers in the dryer. Start putting Cloth diapers on my baby registry instead.
8:45pm - hubby is home - manage to convince him to move diapers to the dryer. we realize I would have had to take his clean clothes out anyway...
9pm - we watch an episode of the Mentalist.
9:45pm - I convince him to start another episode and promptly fall asleep on the couch.
11pm - Hubster wakes me up. I brush my teeth and crawl in bed. We have a bonding moment with the baby (hubster puts his head down on the belly to listen to the heartbeat - i'm so jealous he can do that! - and the baby kicks him in the head.) Love it!
11:15pm - I crash. on to another day!
Fitness this pregnancy
Much like my last pregnancy, I had all these pictures of how awesome I was going to be at pregnancy and how fit I was going to be!
and again
I've failed.
I'm not super fit momma. In my defense, both pregnancies have been quite active for me. Last time I worked a fairly physical job where I was walking a lot and generally physically active. This time I'm a (mostly) Stay At Home Mommy (SAHM) and chasing, picking up, and playing with my toddler is almost better exercise than going to the gym for my current physical state! I can't make it to yoga most of the time, so I do some at home when I can. I've also struggled with gaining weight this time- I know, I know... everyone wishes they had THAT little problem!
so fitness this time has looked like:
*park dates with my little guy
*lifting and carrying my 'little' guy (26lbs at last dr appointment!)
*cleaning the house
*some walking
*at home yoga
*dance parties with munchkin
:) hopefully I'll gain some weight so i'm not afraid of losing it if I exercise!
~E.S.
and again
I've failed.
 |
| first pregnancy - 31 weeks and still rocking crow pose! |
 |
| 26 weeks, JUST hit 120lbs |
so fitness this time has looked like:
*park dates with my little guy
*lifting and carrying my 'little' guy (26lbs at last dr appointment!)
*cleaning the house
*some walking
*at home yoga
*dance parties with munchkin
:) hopefully I'll gain some weight so i'm not afraid of losing it if I exercise!
~E.S.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Things My Toddler Does
A few days ago my sister-in-law posted that she's feeling a bit pent up and exhausted and likened the feeling to being a toddler (really, not far off). In response a bunch of us started posting things for her to do to act more like a toddler. While posting some of the antics of the day on her post, I realized that the things that he did during the day that I found really frustrating were actually pretty hilarious in retrospect. This has inspired this post of things that my toddler does...
I'm thinking that this will become a series of posts! Monthly perhaps?
What do you think friends? Do you have toddlers? What kinds of antics to they get up to?
If you're interested in the post that inspired this post (and the woman who got me writing again) Check out Let's Eat Grandpa!
Have a fabulous Tuesday, Everybody!
~E.S.
Every night and naptime when we put him down we'll hear him practicing his vocabulary in his crib. He always starts with names of his favorite people:
"Mommy. Dada. Papa. Nana. Jah. Puppy. Kitty. Keys. Car...." etc, etc
when he gets bored with that he'll rawr randomly. "RAWR!"
There were a couple nights where he was fighting a cold or the flu and we had put his mattress at a slant. One night when he was starting to feel better we heard "WEEEE!!!!" coming from his room. Looking in our video monitor we spotted the stinker walking up and down the slope! Every time he went down he would squeal "Weeeee!" as he ran.
My son is a major re-organizer. Be wary letting him into your kitchen if we come to visit!!! One of his favorite games right now is to take all of the tupperware out of the drawer we have it in and put it into another cabinet across the room.
In the past he has emptied the tupperware on the floor so that he can climb into the drawer and 'drive' it in and out! 
He also gets a kick out of emptying cabinets in order to sit in the cabinet himself: 
Speaking of climbing into cabinets...
He loves climbing into small spaces. here are photos of him playing in the repurposed tv-stand and my suitcase (that I was trying to pack for a trip to visit family for thanksgiving)
He's got a new interest in 'helping' mommy and daddy. This has led to him picking up bits of trash (and some things that aren't trash) and throwing them in the trash can. When mommy shouts "NO!" he smiles and claps for himself.
He loves helping with the dirty dishes. I love that he wants to 'Helpee' however, I'm less than thrilled when he grabs a spoon from the soapy, dirty dishwater and starts drinking from it!
Similarly, he will drink bathwater either when he's laying on his stomach in the tub or pouring it out of the plastic bucket we have in there. *shudder*
He has slowly been figuring out body parts. About 6 months ago he figured out belly and belly button. With this discovery, he started going up to people (thankfully just family so far!) and pulling up their shirts to poke them in the belly button.
This month's discovery is noses. he'll point to his nose and say "Nose" then shove his finger up my nose and say "mommy nose."
He often asks for something to eat (usually from mommy or daddy's plate) then, when it's on his plate he will pick it up, maybe put it in his mouth, then hand it back to you. At that point it can no longer even be on his tray, so it has to go in your hand or he throws it on the floor. Your choice!
Another recent food-related game is how he eats out of bowls - particularly things like applesauce, hummus, and thick soups. It starts perfectly; he eats neatly with his spoon until the level gets too low for it to be really easy. Then the bowl comes up and he starts 'drinking' from it like a cup. When that's not working the fingers go in. OR the bowl goes on his head and he pushes it down so that it a) squishes his forehead down and he looks like a pug and b) squishes all the food into his hair.
He LOVES drinking tea. However, tea gets joined by whatever's on his tray for breakfast. (bananas, cheerios, raisins...)
He LOVES drinking tea. However, tea gets joined by whatever's on his tray for breakfast. (bananas, cheerios, raisins...)
I'm thinking that this will become a series of posts! Monthly perhaps?
What do you think friends? Do you have toddlers? What kinds of antics to they get up to?
If you're interested in the post that inspired this post (and the woman who got me writing again) Check out Let's Eat Grandpa!
Have a fabulous Tuesday, Everybody!
~E.S.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Pregnancy with a Toddler
Oy.
That about sums it up!
I wasn't prepared for it at all. I thought I was. But it's different this time. SO different!
I skated by with my first. This one has more of those icky icky pregnancy things that I didn't get with my first. Sciatica would be the biggest one. and Insomnia. Holy Insomnia. I will not miss you at all!
The hardest part has been taking care of our little monkey. He's reaching that age where they push all the boundaries and it's been tricky to keep my patience some days! I'm more tired than usual and the mild sciatica this times makes it hard to haul my 26 (maybe more) pounder around. I also blame him for my failure to gain much weight this time... I'm still hovering around 7lbs total gain - at 25 weeks! With declan I had gained about 12-15!
He also hasn't figured out that mommy is growing a baby in her belly and the belly isn't just his own personal pillow/landing pad! Luckily he's generally super gentle with younger children and babies, so I hold out hope that it will be relatively smooth sailing once the little one arrives!
I've been much better about belly pictures this time (I get Hubby to take them, so they are less awkward than last time) and can share the progression of a second belly!
That about sums it up!
I wasn't prepared for it at all. I thought I was. But it's different this time. SO different!
I skated by with my first. This one has more of those icky icky pregnancy things that I didn't get with my first. Sciatica would be the biggest one. and Insomnia. Holy Insomnia. I will not miss you at all!
The hardest part has been taking care of our little monkey. He's reaching that age where they push all the boundaries and it's been tricky to keep my patience some days! I'm more tired than usual and the mild sciatica this times makes it hard to haul my 26 (maybe more) pounder around. I also blame him for my failure to gain much weight this time... I'm still hovering around 7lbs total gain - at 25 weeks! With declan I had gained about 12-15!
He also hasn't figured out that mommy is growing a baby in her belly and the belly isn't just his own personal pillow/landing pad! Luckily he's generally super gentle with younger children and babies, so I hold out hope that it will be relatively smooth sailing once the little one arrives!
I've been much better about belly pictures this time (I get Hubby to take them, so they are less awkward than last time) and can share the progression of a second belly!
 |
| 16 weeks! |
 |
| 18 weeks |
 |
| 23 weeks (with a yucky Cold) |
 |
| 24 weeks! |
I feel like I grew faster this time but the belly is about the same!
Happy February! I'll be back with more later! Including -
things my toddler does, Inspired by this post by my Sister-in-Law. Read it for the laughs, stay for the cute pictures (and to spot my toddler!)
and What fitness looks like this pregnancy!
Have a lovely day!
~Errant Soprano
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Baby Blog!
I am guilty of Writing Hiatus...
So Guilty!
I could throw out excuses (I have so many good ones!) but will instead give you some life updates. :)
Since my last blog post I (we) have:
So Guilty!
I could throw out excuses (I have so many good ones!) but will instead give you some life updates. :)
Since my last blog post I (we) have:
- gone to two family weddings. BEAUTIFUL weddings full of beautiful people that I'm so excited to call my in-laws.
 |
| Wedding in the Santa Cruz Mountains! |
- Another family Hawaii trip with my gorgeous boys...
- Discovered that my sweet boy is going to be a big brother!
- Made a trip with my boys to meet my Husband's family (finally)!
- Christmas craziness
- and...
Here we are!
Baby Boy No. 2 is on his way - Due in May!
Our little family is Growing!
I'll be back, Sooner rather than later to share our Shenanigans!
~Errant Soprano
Friday, June 28, 2013
Love Thyself { possible TMI }
Ok.
That sounds biblical.
But shouldn't it? Shouldn't we love ourselves as much as our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, and children do?
This has been on my radar a lot lately. Since becoming a mom, I've come to love my body more and hate it more. To love myself more and hate myself more.
It's not exactly fair, it's definitely not right. The teeter-totter is tottering back and forth and I'm not sure of the reason for the round about. I suppose I've been on that teeter totter since I was a preteen. Maybe younger, but I remember being a lion when I was a child. Relatively fearless, self confident. I dealt with bullies with aplomb. It wasn't until I was starting puberty that the words hurt.
I want to go back to being that little, self-confident Lion.
I was never the smartest in class. I always struggled in math, but I made up for it in History and English. I thrived in my classes under the loving tutelage of my teachers. But I was almost always the smallest in my class. In 5th grade I finally hit 60lbs. That was amazing to me and I was so excited! I was still the smallest in class.
But I was a LION. Self-confident and bold.
Then came puberty, that life-changing, life-affirming, brutal time of life.
Other girls had breasts. I had none. I stayed short and small and skinny and breastless. But that was ok. For a while. Junior High was great! I hit 100lbs and developed breasts. Small ones, but they were definitely breasts. I was average. Still a little small, perhaps, but average. Because we were all dorky looking. I got glasses and thought they were the coolest thing ever. I made friends, friends who were actual friends, who teased for jokes instead of to hurt. We laughed at my tendency to fall down stairs and hurt myself. Joked about goodness knows what. Just being preteens.
High School was great. I was still small, short, and slender. But I had friends and did fairly well in school. I didn't stick out, so there wasn't any bullying. Not really. I did get told to eat a sandwich. Regularly. But by now I was used to it and I developed methods to deal. I was skinny, but if I wore baggy clothes, no one really noticed. I was short, but I came to love that.
I tried track, Mock Jury, Mock Congressional Hearings, and Choir. I found myself in Choir and ended up majoring in Voice. Went to University and got a degree in voice. Went to Conservatory and got myself another. Along the way I discovered exercise and confidence in my petite self. I was fit, and healthy, and happy. THRIVING. I was a Lion again.
But every now and then, I'd hear the voices in my head: "You're so skinny." "Your arms are too skinny."
Not their voices anymore. MINE.
When did I become my worst Critic?
I graduated, got married to an amazing man who loves how I look always, Got pregnant.
Never once while I was pregnant did I feel uncomfortable in my skin, ugly, or self-conscious. The Lion was back. I felt at home in my skin, sexy, glowing. I was healthy and happy, growing life in me and loving every minute.
I worried about stretch marks - my mom got them badly on her stomach.
I got them on my breasts. My stomach is stretched, but stretch marks are minimal. I 'lucked out.' I kind of wish they were more present. Stretch marks are a trophy! How did I not realize that when I was pregnant?
I went into preterm labor. 4 weeks of bedrest. Had my baby vaginally, but there were complications and I ended up on bedrest for 8 weeks postpartum. (see: Birth story part 1; Birth story part 2; Birth Story part 3 ;4week follow up)
Better yet, I had a healthy baby. A gorgeous baby worth every week of the 12 I was on bedrest.
Then the guilt came in. I used to love fitness and was super in shape. Now I could barely walk a mile. How did I let this happen? My tummy was saggy, my arms 'too skinny'.
I got back on track eventually, with starts and stops, and eventually, with great care, I'm doing great and feeling great and PROUD of my mommy body. But I still get frustrated with myself, and my body. I forget that this body and its gifts are a BLESSING. I brought life into the world.
Things are different, I can LIST them. But no one knows except the people who knew before.
My voice is different - warmer, harder to support, more mature.
My waist is higher - my pants don't fit the same!
my hips are wider, flatter.
my breasts are constantly changing wonders.
My stomach is no longer perfectly flat.
But you know what? It was worth it. My body is perfect the way it is. I just have to remind myself and get my self-defeating attitude to admit defeat.
I was so lucky to hear about a project that a friend of a friend was doing. I participated and the result blew my mind.
Stacy J. Garrett - Every Woman Project
She's not the only one doing projects like this! Also Check these out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/a-beautiful-body-book-project-jade-beall-photos_n_3467178.html
https://www.facebook.com/Beautyrevealedproject?fref=ts
SO THERE! (ok, maybe I never grew up out of the jr. high age! ;)
I have to admit, I've taken steps to force myself to see how amazing I am. Its work these days. But I have some amazing friends and acquaintances who have helped. Every body, every human, is a miracle.
That sounds biblical.
But shouldn't it? Shouldn't we love ourselves as much as our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, and children do?
This has been on my radar a lot lately. Since becoming a mom, I've come to love my body more and hate it more. To love myself more and hate myself more.
It's not exactly fair, it's definitely not right. The teeter-totter is tottering back and forth and I'm not sure of the reason for the round about. I suppose I've been on that teeter totter since I was a preteen. Maybe younger, but I remember being a lion when I was a child. Relatively fearless, self confident. I dealt with bullies with aplomb. It wasn't until I was starting puberty that the words hurt.
I want to go back to being that little, self-confident Lion.
I was never the smartest in class. I always struggled in math, but I made up for it in History and English. I thrived in my classes under the loving tutelage of my teachers. But I was almost always the smallest in my class. In 5th grade I finally hit 60lbs. That was amazing to me and I was so excited! I was still the smallest in class.
But I was a LION. Self-confident and bold.
Then came puberty, that life-changing, life-affirming, brutal time of life.
Other girls had breasts. I had none. I stayed short and small and skinny and breastless. But that was ok. For a while. Junior High was great! I hit 100lbs and developed breasts. Small ones, but they were definitely breasts. I was average. Still a little small, perhaps, but average. Because we were all dorky looking. I got glasses and thought they were the coolest thing ever. I made friends, friends who were actual friends, who teased for jokes instead of to hurt. We laughed at my tendency to fall down stairs and hurt myself. Joked about goodness knows what. Just being preteens.
High School was great. I was still small, short, and slender. But I had friends and did fairly well in school. I didn't stick out, so there wasn't any bullying. Not really. I did get told to eat a sandwich. Regularly. But by now I was used to it and I developed methods to deal. I was skinny, but if I wore baggy clothes, no one really noticed. I was short, but I came to love that.
But every now and then, I'd hear the voices in my head: "You're so skinny." "Your arms are too skinny."
Not their voices anymore. MINE.
When did I become my worst Critic?
I graduated, got married to an amazing man who loves how I look always, Got pregnant.
Never once while I was pregnant did I feel uncomfortable in my skin, ugly, or self-conscious. The Lion was back. I felt at home in my skin, sexy, glowing. I was healthy and happy, growing life in me and loving every minute.
I worried about stretch marks - my mom got them badly on her stomach.
I went into preterm labor. 4 weeks of bedrest. Had my baby vaginally, but there were complications and I ended up on bedrest for 8 weeks postpartum. (see: Birth story part 1; Birth story part 2; Birth Story part 3 ;4week follow up)
Better yet, I had a healthy baby. A gorgeous baby worth every week of the 12 I was on bedrest.
Then the guilt came in. I used to love fitness and was super in shape. Now I could barely walk a mile. How did I let this happen? My tummy was saggy, my arms 'too skinny'.
I got back on track eventually, with starts and stops, and eventually, with great care, I'm doing great and feeling great and PROUD of my mommy body. But I still get frustrated with myself, and my body. I forget that this body and its gifts are a BLESSING. I brought life into the world.
Things are different, I can LIST them. But no one knows except the people who knew before.
My voice is different - warmer, harder to support, more mature.
My waist is higher - my pants don't fit the same!
my hips are wider, flatter.
my breasts are constantly changing wonders.
My stomach is no longer perfectly flat.
But you know what? It was worth it. My body is perfect the way it is. I just have to remind myself and get my self-defeating attitude to admit defeat.
I was so lucky to hear about a project that a friend of a friend was doing. I participated and the result blew my mind.
Stacy J. Garrett - Every Woman Project
She's not the only one doing projects like this! Also Check these out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/a-beautiful-body-book-project-jade-beall-photos_n_3467178.html
https://www.facebook.com/Beautyrevealedproject?fref=ts
SO THERE! (ok, maybe I never grew up out of the jr. high age! ;)
I have to admit, I've taken steps to force myself to see how amazing I am. Its work these days. But I have some amazing friends and acquaintances who have helped. Every body, every human, is a miracle.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Flying
Its funny.
The Days FLY by. The weeks DRAG on. The months disappear at light speed.
Can you believe it's almost July?
I can't. A year ago right now, my son was 1 month old.
This week he is 13 months. 
A walking, babbling, taking things apart, stacking nesting pans, climbing 13 months.
Time FLIES, I tell you.
You know what else flies? The Flies in my house. Seriously, where did they come from. GROSS. ok. Not really a sticking point, but we had some lovely rainy weather for 3 days earlier this week and they all decided to move in. And now it's supposed to be almost 100*F today. and over 100 until the 3rd of July.
Anyway. I've not been here blogging, (surprise, surprise) because I've been working. Ok. really. no excuses. Shall I list the life?
The Days FLY by. The weeks DRAG on. The months disappear at light speed.
Can you believe it's almost July?
I can't. A year ago right now, my son was 1 month old.
A walking, babbling, taking things apart, stacking nesting pans, climbing 13 months.
 |
| We are in SO much trouble... |
Time FLIES, I tell you.
You know what else flies? The Flies in my house. Seriously, where did they come from. GROSS. ok. Not really a sticking point, but we had some lovely rainy weather for 3 days earlier this week and they all decided to move in. And now it's supposed to be almost 100*F today. and over 100 until the 3rd of July.
 |
| EEEEEEEW (p.s. I fail at screen shots, sorry) |
Anyway. I've not been here blogging, (surprise, surprise) because I've been working. Ok. really. no excuses. Shall I list the life?
- Baby Boy turned 1 and is now no longer baby boy, but Toddler Boy. oh Boy.
- I took on a summer project working with the local youth symphony that is keeping me BUSY on top of my regular teaching/being a mommy schedule.
- Trying to get back in Shape. No. Really. I've actually been doing really well on this for the past couple of months and it's showing. I'm doing Fitnessista's Summer Shape Up (and it's kicking my butt). A recent Body Mass Caliper experiment resulted in this:
- Weddings! Two of my Hubby's lovely stepsibs are tying the knot this summer and several of my friends are doing the same. SO Exciting. and crazy. :)
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| Can you read it? 17% body fat. WHOAH |
I keep hoping to get my butt back to blogging REGULARLY. I have so much to say, right? And so many posts I want to share. It's not like my life is particularly exciting, but its a life worth having with an adorable TODDLER boy, and fun and love going around. So, soon.
In the meantime. Here's what the little tyke is up to.
- Walking (eek)
- Climbing (double eek!)
- Babbling (All.The.Time. but, no real words yet other than Mmmummm, dada, nana. We swear he's just going to break out in sentences one day)
- Dancing!
- Singing!
- 'playing' the piano
- Fighting sleep (always, but when he's down, he's down)
- Shape Sorter! He's doing it! :)
- 'Reading' Books
- Working on figuring out door handles (triple eek!)
- teething! we're up to 7 teeth so far. 4 bottom, 3 top. he's lopsided and its SO cute when he gives you a cheezer grin.
That's all I can think of for the moment. Have a lovely day all! I'll leave you with a birthday cake photo!
And if you're looking for a fitness thing - Try out that Summer Shape Up. you will NOT regret it!
~Errant Soprano
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Working out a schedule
Hey all,
Poking my head out again - and once again after a long(ish) absence.
Someday I'll get all my ducks in a row, I swear.
(but probably not, lets be real here!)
We've been busy bees over here and I'm finally figuring out how to be a WFHM (Work From Home Mommy) - keeping up with housework, feeding my little family, and caring for a baby as well as doing the little bits of work that I do (aka, teach music lessons).
SYS has wound down for the season, and now the Summer Chamber Workshop is taking over for me. I have to say, despite not being the most organized in my private life, I relish this opportunity to organize EVERYTHING to keep it going smoothly. Maybe it'll transfer over to other parts of my life and I'll blog more again!
haha
Anyway. I've gotten us on something of a schedule (Huge thank you to Gina over at the Fitnessista on this one). I've watched one of my favorite bloggers plan for her week every week and decided to finally take a page from her book and loosely schedule my weekly meals, fitness, and cleaning in advance. It's made a huge difference in how I shop and tidy and I've actually been managing 3 workouts a week (minimum) again! Woo hooo! I'm feeling better, my house is looking better, my son is enjoying messing up the house more (re:cheerios everwhere)... it is WIN WIN WIN.
In other news, we are only 1 week away from the big 1!!!! Can you believe it? I sure can't. My sweet boy is turning one and I'm wondering what happened to the past 2 years. So, quick update of what he's up to now (that I can think of off the top of my head, because you KNOW this was an impromptu, during naptime post):
Poking my head out again - and once again after a long(ish) absence.
Someday I'll get all my ducks in a row, I swear.
(but probably not, lets be real here!)
We've been busy bees over here and I'm finally figuring out how to be a WFHM (Work From Home Mommy) - keeping up with housework, feeding my little family, and caring for a baby as well as doing the little bits of work that I do (aka, teach music lessons).
SYS has wound down for the season, and now the Summer Chamber Workshop is taking over for me. I have to say, despite not being the most organized in my private life, I relish this opportunity to organize EVERYTHING to keep it going smoothly. Maybe it'll transfer over to other parts of my life and I'll blog more again!
haha
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| My Guys at a friend's Birthday party |
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| Helping mommy keep the house tidy. Yeah Right! |
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| Check me out!!! |
- He took his first steps... and then a couple more and then a couple more. And then he stopped. no more solo steps.
- He is cruising like crazy, climbing like crazy, and practicing using his go-go gadget arms... yee haw, guard your everything in his presence!
- Lots of solid foods, eating EVERYTHING then screaming for more. My boy is a voracious little eater, just like his daddy.
- singing up a storm, just like mommy (he even hums when he eats like I do!)
- Lots of syllables, but still no real words, though I swear he knows Mum, Dada, and Nana and uses them accordingly when he feels like it.
- Lots of his own versions of baby signs, its getting easier and easier to figure out what he wants.
- 'Dancing' - whenever we put on music with a strong beat - he particularly likes music like J.Lo's On The Floor for the beat. He holds on to something and bounces away.
- careful destruction of everything, particularly to see how things work. He took apart his cool mist humidifier the other day - oh Joy.
That's all I can think of and I hear a little voice calling me, so my catch up post will have to end...
TTFN
~Errant Soprano
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| Mommy's Little speed demon |
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Boston
As many of you know, I did my grad studies in Boston and the city is very dear to my heart as are the friends I made there. I was relieved to learn that my friends all seem to be fine. I can't help feeling like I am in the wrong place right now and wishing that I was in Boston to help, hug, and soothe.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones and with those healing from injuries suffered in the explosion.
Boston, I love you! Stay strong!
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Lamest Ducky
I am the lamest ducky in the world when it comes to blogging...
Every since the Bebe arrived (and really, since I found out I was preggers) I've failed to keep this blog updated. My excuses are many; There is so much (or so little) going on. It takes too long (blargh, I'm a fast typer, that's a pitiful excuse!). I'm tired. I can't get to the computer (actually, our office is a disaster of Everest proportions and it IS hard to get to the desktop and I HAVE rather killed my netbook, so that one might be valid), I have no ideas, I have too many ideas... etc, etc.
You get the point.
Well, I'm hoping that things are really getting better this time. I'm trying to be a new, motivated plunker, mommy, exerciser, homemaker - ummm... we'll see about that one, did I mention our office?
So, What we've been up to in a Nutshell since I haven't posted since October or so 0_0
Every since the Bebe arrived (and really, since I found out I was preggers) I've failed to keep this blog updated. My excuses are many; There is so much (or so little) going on. It takes too long (blargh, I'm a fast typer, that's a pitiful excuse!). I'm tired. I can't get to the computer (actually, our office is a disaster of Everest proportions and it IS hard to get to the desktop and I HAVE rather killed my netbook, so that one might be valid), I have no ideas, I have too many ideas... etc, etc.
You get the point.
Well, I'm hoping that things are really getting better this time. I'm trying to be a new, motivated plunker, mommy, exerciser, homemaker - ummm... we'll see about that one, did I mention our office?
So, What we've been up to in a Nutshell since I haven't posted since October or so 0_0
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| January's mini-show |
- I started working out
- I auditioned for, and got cast in, a show
- Rehearsals started
- I stopped working out
- Baby 5 months
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Baby 6 months
- Christmas
- Did a one off show! :)
- Baby 7 months
- I was in rehearsals
- Baby 8 months
- Husband was sent to Maryland for work
- Tech Week
- Baby got Croup
- I was in a show
- Baby 9 months
- 5 Colds (spread over all this time)
- I started working out, got sick, stopped again
- Baby 10 months
- work, life, stuff...
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| My little fam! <3 td=""> |
So now we're caught up! ;)
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| Workout planning! |
3 weeks ago, I decided to get off of my sad, fatigued butt and get moving. I decided to start small - one large glass of water in the morning before anything else and Yoga - before the baby wakes if possible, during his first nap if not.
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| See? today's workout! |
That is going swimmingly!
In the past week or two I've started adding occasional 'hard' workouts and we're trucking on that!
Last weekend I read a gluten thingy that listed some of the possible side effects of gluten intolerance (as in, when you eat it, this can happen). I had over 6 of the health problems on the list. Sharing may be TMI, so I won't ;), but the long and the short is that, Starting last weekend I started cutting back, Monday I dropped it all together and Yesterday and Today I'm feeling better. I hope this lasts!
Ok, Baby is waking, but I want to throw some photos and move on with our day! ;)
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| Did I mention that he's getting big? |
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Baby's First Christmas
Hi All.
Sorry for being such a blogger slacker! I never knew how crazy busy I would be with a baby under my wing. I'm finally feeling like I have my feet under me again, but am just figuring out how to manage time as a mommy, singer, and wife. Not to mention blogger :)
I am LOVING being a mom. it's challenging, but there is always a baby giggle, laugh, or new achievement to make it all worth it. Saturday is 7 months with our baby boy. I can't believe its been 7 months already and yet, I can barely remember our lives without him!
So, Tuesday was his first Christmas and I was so busy helping with the food preparation that we didn't take many pictures.
He lucked out on toys from family and is LOVING the puzzle ball, Stacking cups, and a shape sorter! Santa gave him a very hungry caterpillar rattle and mommy and daddy got him a fun mini version of the wire/bead things - like they have at dentist offices!
Since the 6 month update never went out, this is what our little man is up to these days:
Sorry for being such a blogger slacker! I never knew how crazy busy I would be with a baby under my wing. I'm finally feeling like I have my feet under me again, but am just figuring out how to manage time as a mommy, singer, and wife. Not to mention blogger :)
I am LOVING being a mom. it's challenging, but there is always a baby giggle, laugh, or new achievement to make it all worth it. Saturday is 7 months with our baby boy. I can't believe its been 7 months already and yet, I can barely remember our lives without him!
So, Tuesday was his first Christmas and I was so busy helping with the food preparation that we didn't take many pictures.
He lucked out on toys from family and is LOVING the puzzle ball, Stacking cups, and a shape sorter! Santa gave him a very hungry caterpillar rattle and mommy and daddy got him a fun mini version of the wire/bead things - like they have at dentist offices!
Since the 6 month update never went out, this is what our little man is up to these days:
- army crawl. Oh yes. it's happening!
- Laughing at mommy:
- grabbing things
- Babbling. we've got "NaNaNaNa", "DaDaDaDa" and now "BaBaBa down! We don't read him Traditional Baby Books at the moment - Daddy prefers to read from 'Basic Economics' and Declan likes to interject like he understands what Daddy is saying!
- Grabbing Toes and bringing them to his mouth
- Rolling and stopping mid-roll to hang out in a yoga-like twist.
He's Eating 'solids' now - Pureed fruits and veggies and oatmeal! He loves his Pears, Peaches, Green Beans, Pumpkin and Apples! I can't wait to introduce more as we go along!
I hope everyone's holidays were lovely and filled with family and love.
~Errant Soprano
Monday, November 5, 2012
New Leaf?
Without me doing much about it, my weight has been going down and I'm getting skinnier. Whoo hoo! The downside is that, except for baby lifting muscles, I have fairly minimal muscle tone. So, with this in mind, I'm attempting to achieve a new goal - 2 workouts minimum a week (on top of what I was already doing) and I'm going to attempt to be more active on weekends... maybe some hiking with the baby?
So, with a nod to the old bodyrock - the one where Zuzana was still there - Here was today's workout.
16 rounds, 10 sec rest: 30 sec work.
Exercises:
1) up/down planks
2) low squats with calf raises
3) pike press-legs fly- jump up
4) side-lunge switching
5) push ups
6) v-ups
7) Mountain Climbers
8) surfers
Scores for both rounds:
1) 9, 7
2) 12, 10
3) 6, 6
4) 29, 28
5) 9, 10
6) 11, 12
7) 30, 27
8) 6, 6
and now i'm feeling it already!
I miss when I felt like a 'bad ass.' It wasn't that long ago (though definitely pre-baby, pre-pregnancy) and I was awesome! so tough and fit. Abs of steel, buns of steel, looked great in a bikini! ;-)
here's to getting some semblance of that back
Cheers!
~Errant soprano
So, with a nod to the old bodyrock - the one where Zuzana was still there - Here was today's workout.
16 rounds, 10 sec rest: 30 sec work.
Exercises:
1) up/down planks
2) low squats with calf raises
3) pike press-legs fly- jump up
4) side-lunge switching
5) push ups
6) v-ups
7) Mountain Climbers
8) surfers
Scores for both rounds:
1) 9, 7
2) 12, 10
3) 6, 6
4) 29, 28
5) 9, 10
6) 11, 12
7) 30, 27
8) 6, 6
and now i'm feeling it already!
I miss when I felt like a 'bad ass.' It wasn't that long ago (though definitely pre-baby, pre-pregnancy) and I was awesome! so tough and fit. Abs of steel, buns of steel, looked great in a bikini! ;-)
here's to getting some semblance of that back
Cheers!
~Errant soprano
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Four and a half month update. Baby and Mommy
ok. So I completely failed at getting this out at 4 months, so it's a 4 month and 2 week update.
Baby:
D is doing so well! He's growing and happy (most of the time), sleeping through the night, fighting naps, eating well, and generally being adorable (when he's not driving me crazy from overtired screaming!).
Milestones he's met:
Baby:
D is doing so well! He's growing and happy (most of the time), sleeping through the night, fighting naps, eating well, and generally being adorable (when he's not driving me crazy from overtired screaming!).
Milestones he's met:
- Rolling. For a long time (3 weeks is a long time now!) he was rolling back to tummy, but only back to tummy. Now he rolls tummy to back too... baby on the move. Time to babyproof!
- Reaching for toys. He does this more when someone is holding a toy out to him, but he'll pick things up off the floor now too. He just started reaching for things today. Like purposefully reaching for my hair to pull... Seriously considering cutting it off except... he is so cute when I tickle him with my hair!
- 'talking' - he coos at us regularly now. Tells us stories and spreads the love... it's the BEST.THING.EVER. See?
- 'singing' - I'm pretty sure this is what he's trying to do... with a singer for a mommy, how could he not? :) I don't have any videos of it, but he'll find a pitch and sort of hum it and then hum notes around it. He is now Humming when he eats - like mommy does! It's one of my more
annoyingendearing habits! - Supported sitting - if you help, he will sit! Such a big boy
- Supported Standing - he's been doing this for a while.
- Supported 'dancing' - he has two moves that rock - the 'cowboy stomp' and the 'surfer'. no vids yet, but definitely adorable
- Laughing - it still takes a lot to get a giggle out of him, but he does laugh and giggle as well as smile now and it's amazing.
- Chewing/Teething - the dreaded teething has begun and we have days of screaming for no apparent reason. mommy-no-like.
- Playing by himself. Sort of. he'll play by himself sometimes which is great because it lets me do things like update this blog!
His Size:
at Birth: When we took him home: 4 months:
20" long 20" long 26" long
6lbs, 14oz 6lbs, 4oz 15lbs
Postpartum Mind:
honestly, nothing crazy different here other than I'm way more emotional than I used to be. I have a feeling this'll hang around though... Mrs. I-never-cry now bawls at movies and commercials and sentimental moments... no reason at all.
Postpartum Body:
Body is nowhere near what it was, but getting closer to fitting in my pre-pregnancy clothes.
Pre-pregnancy Measurements: End of Pregnancy: 4 months Post-partum:
Bust: 32.5" Bust: 35" Bust: 35.5"
Waist: 25" Waist: 40" Waist: 28.5"
Hips: 36.5" Hips: 38" Hips: 37"
awful picture, I know.
I haven't been working out as much as I'd like, but hope to get there soon. Life with a new baby and a kitchen in re-model is a life in upheaval.
be back soon with more things relating to life and a fun 'announcement'
~Errant Soprano
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