Peace & Joy (10 Month Old Style)

Remember all the trouble we went to to get Jane’s picture taken in time for our Christmas cards?  Yeah.

Well, the cards came out great… but we don’t have enough of them.  So, we thought we’d just grab a cute shot of her in a dress in front of the tree and make some cards of our own.

Call me crazy, but this doesn’t really say “Tidings of Comfort & Joy” to me, you know?  It’s more like, “May the people in your life learn how to focus a camera properly and respect your personal boundaries regarding frilly dresses.  Amen.”  Those are the same thing, right?

Entitling this post “One is the Loneliest Number” would seem a bit heavy-handed…

All 3 of us are sick.  On any given day, that would suck.  But today was supposed to have been our Christmas party.  And we had to cancel.  We couldn’t very well entertain folks in The House of Sick.

But I really needed this party.  I am feeling kind of friendless right now.  Actually, I just feel disconnected from the friends I do have.  I just don’t know how to get into a groove where it is just easy and natural to meet someone out for a cup of coffee.  Right now, even with my friends, a cup of coffee feels more like a date (an awkward first one at that).  And that is if we ever even make it out for that cup of coffee–and, let’s be honest, we don’t.

When I quit drinking three years ago, I lost the core group of people I hung out with.  I do have two very good friends who have remained close… but we never hang out.  I just know they are there, if I need them.  I had hoped I would meet some friends once I had Jane.  I figured other moms might want to be friends, right?  And it isn’t that I am not making friends.  It just seems like such a slow process.

I just want some to take the kids to the park with.  Someone to share the joys, trials and mishaps of married life and parenthood with.  I want to have a cup of coffee.  I want someone to tell me if the jeans look okay on me or not.  I just want a friend.   Or two.

Grab You Some of Those Green Beans…

Is it green bean season?  Or did Publix over-buy, miscalculating Tampa’s exuberance for the green bean?  What is really going on?  Why was an entire bag of fresh green beans 65 cents?!?  I think they gave me the green beans for free and just charged me for the packaging and the pricing sticker.  65 cents?!?  So, yeah, yay for green beans!  We had them with Gardein Crispy Tenders (don’t even get me started on that deliciousness!) and sweet potatoes.  Hurray for easy, nutritious dinners when I am trying to meet an editing deadline.  Will I ever learn not to procrastinate?  The short answer to that is no.  No, I will not.  But green beans … yay!

After meeting my deadline, I promptly got sick.  Like I had been hit by a truck.  But I was only incapacitated for about 24 hours.  Today, I felt much better.  Better enough to make something quick for dinner (last night was take out for Ames & soup for me… sad trombone.)

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Mexican food?  (This seems like an non-sequitur, doesn’t it?) I love it so much that Amy once had to put a moratorium on Mexican food, because I asked for it every time we went out to eat.  Every time.  When I decided to become vegan (thanks, Forks Over Knives!), I thought Mexican food would be a complete loss.  I mean, wasn’t the cheese and sour cream the point?  Turns out… no.  I am still just as passionate about Mexican food as ever, but now I am a bit more adventuresome with my choices in hot sauces and salsas.  Sweet!  (Sometimes literally)

Tonight, we had black bean refried beans on corn/wheat tortillas topped with mushrooms & zucchini sauteed in olive oil and cumin.  I tossed some black olives and jalepenos on.  And then… then… the salsa.  Newman’s Own Peach Salsa.  Oh. my. stars.  The spicy sweetness of the peach salsa really pushed this meal into one of my new favorites.

That is all I have for you today… green beans and salsa.  But not together, okay?  We do have standards here at the Pensive Pea.

Picture Perfect Janie

Saturday morning found us heading to our local mall to have Janie’s pictures taken.  The portrait studios inundated us with coupons (FREE SITTING!  $3.99 portrait sheets! lots and lots of fine print!) when she was born, and we thought it high time to take them up on their offers.  Besides, we needed some decent shots of her for our Christmas cards, and the kid will not hold still.  Time to seek out the professionals.

We dressed Jane in a little black velvet number and stuck a bow in her hair–and that is when the shenanigans began.  She pulled that dang bow out every time I put it in.  And then she would pull at her hair some more, just to make sure the bow really wasn’t there anymore.  Because you know how tricky those bows can be.  The bow created such a fiasco that the photographer actually got photos of Jane pulling the bow out of her hair, accurately capturing how stubborn both mother and child can be.

But even before we got into the portrait studio, things began to get a bit squirrelly.  Maybe we didn’t look at Jane before we left the house, or maybe we were just scrutinizing a bit more closely, since her image would be immortalized momentarily… but suddenly we noticed that it looked like no one had brushed the back of her hair (or even tried to smooth it out), that she had some food on her cheek… and a booger in her nose, and… wait… was that oatmeal in  her hair?!?  I could feel my Mom of the Year prize slipping further away, as my booger-nosed kid did acrobatics in the lobby of the portrait studio, because we had forgotten to bring any toys to entertain her.

Sheesh.

But all was not lost.  The photographer got some great shots, even though Jane was pretty committed to doing the opposite of everything the photographer asked.

Stand in this gift box?  Okay, I’ll sit.

Sit still on this red dot?  Okay, I’ll crawl toward you.

Hug this bear?  I rather just sit and stare into space, thank you.

But, honestly, I loved every minute of it.  Jane is a character, to be sure.  And some of the photos really capture what Amy and I get to see (and love) every day.  And, besides, I am not sure how much longer she will agree to velvet dresses.  Seize the day, you know?

Parenting, Running & Pizza–This Post Has It ALL!

Three tidbits for your reading pleasure:

1) In a lame parenting moment, I told Amy to mix some brown rice from the refrigerator into Jane’s tomato & carrot baby food.  Neither one of us could figure out Jane’s lackluster response to dinner, even though she usually practically makes out with the tomato & carrot combo.  As I was cleaning up after dinner, I realized that the rice was hard as a rock.  Seems as though you have to actually warm up cold rice for it to be edible.  Poor monkey.  She got a consolation dinner of plain yogurt.  This development pleased her.

2) Jane and I did some speed work on our run today.  Earlier in the week, I had to deal with some frustration in trying to get a midfoot strike going.  After watching a couple videos, I could finally visualize what I needed to do.  So, armed with my new knowledge (and with a much more successful run on Wednesday buoying my confidence), I decided to work on my speed.  I have never done speed work before.  My running has always been about making sure I could cover the distance.  My time just naturally improved with practice.  But, since I want to be more serious about my training, speed work seemed in order.  I did the first 2K at a very easy pace.  I went all out for 1K.  Went to an easy run for 1K, and finished out with an all out for the last 1K.  Then I took my time with the last two miles.  All in all, pretty successful.  Jane slept through the whole thing.

3) Our new favorite pizza:  wheat crust from Whole Foods, pizza sauce from Publix, Gimme Lean veggie sausage, mushrooms and green olives.  Amy’s half is missing the sausage but has cheese.  This pizza is for real good.  Every time we make it, I find that my half just doesn’t seem like enough.  It is that delicious.  Good thing for Ames her half has cheese; otherwise, I couldn’t make any promises….

Unexpected Joys

The past couple days, Jane has been a crying, teething mess.  Apparently, it is tough to be 10 months old.

I wish I could say I have infinite patience.  I don’t.  Yesterday, I went to the YMCA more for the free babysitting than for the workout.  I just needed some time to breathe.

But…

For the past couple days, every time I take her out of her car seat, she hugs me.  And not just a quick hug.  She hangs on to me for a bit.  We spend several minutes snuggled up in the car before we go about our business.  And each time, the hug catches me off guard, and I am amazed by this wonderful little girl I get to love.

Those hugs make even her bad days seem like a gift.

Lentil Burger Shmerger (and a bonus recipe for a quick curry dish)

I enjoy cooking.  I particularly love finding recipes and trying them out on poor, unsuspecting Ames.  I do not enjoy the time crunch that often surrounds dinner preparation.

If you are thinking, “But you are a stay at home mom.  Why is it a struggle to get dinner ready?,” then either a) you don’t have children or b) you need a swift kick in the face.  Maybe both.

Jane hits her fussiest point of the day around 4:00 p.m.  From that time until Amy gets home, at about 5:15 or so, I am either serving as her personal jungle gym, swinging her in her swing in the front yard, or staring out the window, with Jane in my arm, trying to will Amy to get home faster.  Clearly, no dinner prep is happening then.

Amy comes in, and I begin the mad dash to get dinner done.  What is the rush?  Jane goes to bed at 6:30.  And, of course, there are baths to be had and books to be read before bedtime.  So, essentially I need to have dinner on the table no later than 6:10.

But… I am a slow cooker.  Not a crock pot.  But I chop slowly.  I read the recipe about 20 times (I am also a perfectionist).  I do not economize my movements about the kitchen.  Slow.  And that would be fine, except for the bedtime looming over my head.

Why don’t we just eat after Jane goes to bed?  Well, several night out of the week, Amy has obligations outside the house that require her to leave by 7:30 (at the latest).  See the problem here?

Perhaps all of this will help you understand my frustration with the Lentil Chipotle Burgers I made last night. Cilantro, zucchini, and onion all had to be chopped.  So did the super hot chipotles in adobo.  And they had to be deseeded.  The veggies had to be sauteed.  Then everything had to be put in the food processor.  But we have an itty bitty food processor (I swear, it is for elves), so I had to do two different batches, then mix it together.  When I type it out, it doesn’t sound too horrific.  But I swear, it took me over an hour to make those burgers. Oh, and they were impossible to flip.

Okay, I have to be honest here.  The burgers I made were too soft.  And they folded over the spatula, instead of  holding together to be flipped.  Here is the problem:  during my whirlwind trip to Publix, during which I was wearing a 10 month old who wanted to do backflips out of the Ergo, I couldn’t find canned lentils and went with pinto beans instead.  Look, I know they are not nearly the same thing.  Turns out, the lentils (like everything else good) are probably in the “ethnic” isle.  I didn’t know that yesterday.  So I grabbed a can of pinto beans and called it a day.  And there is the unvarnished truth about why my burgers were mushy.

But, even if they hadn’t been mushy, I thought I put in too much time making burgers that were just okay.  I will definitely eat the leftovers, but I won’t make them again.

For listening to my sad tale about so-so burgers, I offer you this:  Mustard Greens & Kidney Bean Curry.  The name may lack imagination, but the final product tastes amazing.  The recipe is quick and easy.  Definitely one of our staple recipes.  To make it vegan, I used vegan margarine instead of ghee and soy creamer instead of half & half.  Enjoy!

Snuffy

The baby has been snorting and snuffling for multiple nights now.  Yesterday, she fell victim to several sneezing fits.  And today, she woke up with a snotty nose.  It is official:  she has her first cold.

As I type this, I can hear her snuffly breathing through the baby monitor.  Pobrecita.  I hate that she can’t breathe well.  And the stuffy nose really impedes her ability to breastfeed and to eat, which is the closest thing to tragic that happens in this kid’s life.  

Amy knew that Jane was sick this morning when she was willing just to cuddle up and wait for me to come back from my run.  Usually, Jane goes about 90 mph from the time she wakes up until she falls asleep (occasionally pausing for a nap, but usually only under duress).  So, quiet cuddles are a clear indication of a problem.  And, as soon as I picked her up, she promptly sneezed right in my face.  What is it about baby sneezes that makes them so cute?  I mean, they are still full of germs.  But CUTE.

Anyway, the little monster has her first cold.  Looks like we may have to skip out on the Y tomorrow.  But there is no rule that we can’t take out the bike & the new trailer, even if Janie has the sniffles…

Rattlesteak Salad

Amy, Jane & I visited my parents for the Thanksgiving holiday.  As always, the entire trip revolved around food.  This isn’t usually a problem for me–hey, I like food.  But, being vegan has made going out to eat with my folks a bit stressful.  

On Wednesday night, I suggested sushi take-out, so I managed to avoid actually having to go to a restaurant until Friday night.   We decided on a local place that my parents and I love (Big Bear Brewing Company, if you happen to be kicking around Coral Springs, FL).  To be honest, I went into the meal figuring I would end up with a garden salad type number.  I hesitate to ask too many questions about the food when I am eating out with my dad.  He is easily embarrassed, which in turn makes me uncomfortable.  I would rather take the easy route and pick something I know is vegan.

I had just resigned myself to a generic salad, when Amy pointed out… the Rattlesteak Salad.  (Cue angels singing).  Check out the ingredients: soba noodles, mango, peanuts, mint , basil, tomato, arugula, spinach, avocado and peanut dressing.  Oh, and they threw on some La Choy-type chow mein noodles (which, according to my research are also vegan), for some added crunch.  Hello, delectable salad!  

I am not exaggerating (I swear!) when I say that this was the best salad I have ever had.  I was actually full when I finished it–probably because it was also the largest salad I have ever seen.  But I did eat it ALL (except for a tiny pile of peanuts that got passed over for a fry or two off my dad’s plate).  

I can’t wait to make this salad at home and to figure out how I can incorporate more soba noodles into my life.  Yum!

Stride Right

Since the half-marathon, I have run 3 times.

The first time, I felt like I might die.  Each step felt like a sledgehammer pounding my joints.  My left knee hurt.  I had no energy.  My calf muscles felt so taut they might snap.  3.1 miles stretched out endlessly.  As I struggled to finish the last .5 miles, I remembered that the photo taken of me during the final sprint of the half-marathon showed me blatantly heel striking.  Blatantly.  So, I thought I would switch up my stride.  Born to Run describes running with short, quick steps, of course with a midfoot or forefoot strike, so I thought I would give it a shot.  And… the running got easier.  And I got quicker.  Just for that last half mile.

I kind of figured it was a fluke.  Maybe I just changed my attitude.  Maybe I caught a second wind.  Or maybe… maybe… it was the stride?

My second run was on Thanksgiving.  I just need to pause to tell you that I never thought I would choose to run on Thanksgiving.  Running has become my idea of relaxation; it is what I do on vacation.  Weird.  Anyway, I ran four miles with those little bitty strides.  My run was pain free.  And quick.  For me, at least.  I could kind of just zone out and cruise along.  Such a huge change from that first run.

I did the third run today.  6 miles.  Might have been the fastest I have ever run 6 miles.  If not, it was darn close.  Again, I used those itty bitty strides.  I kept my feet under my hips, and I zipped right along.  Crazy how much a stride can effect my perceived effort output (something discussed in Chi Running–which I have yet to finish.  But it is next on my list!).

These new developments have cemented my decision to run the Gasparilla Half-Marathon in March 2012.  Bring it on, I say.