This year is flying, and a little too fast for my comfort. At least the semester is about 6 weeks away from being over. (Although I dread the up coming weeks filled with papers, project, and finals!)
Even though my month of little to no technology is almost over, I caved in yesterday and went on to my sites. To my amazement I logged on to fb and realized it really isn't that fun and nothing I should be wasting my free time on. Don't get me wrong, I love socializing with my friends, but I'd prefer face-to-face or even an individual text or email over the public displays of "I'm a better friend than all of you."
I've hopped on twice since yesterday and really to only post on a networking site that I co-chair.
I did, however, miss the crap out of this blog. So, I'm back.
S. and I had our first home study visit a couple weeks ago and couldn't be more excited about this process. In our discussions with our social worker, we had this really therapeutic talk about privacy. Long story short, she put some things into perspective that made me realize I needed to change about this blog and our lives.
So with that being said, we're pulling back on the information strings here at Thriving for Baby, and sticking to generalities. :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Week 1 of planning our meals
I felt like a broken record every time S. went shopping for groceries: "can you please plan meals out in advance so we don't waste money buying stuff we won't use and things we don't need?"
My pleas went unheard and every week we found ourselves throwing out produce and dairy and leftovers because we just weren't planning. Not to mention the gobs of money spent on eating out due to the fact that we got lazy.
After doc's bomb dropped on me a couple weeks ago, we decided we really needed to watch more of what went into our mouths. So I sat down and took matters into my own hands and I planned.
Last week I went through recipes on line using the search "healthy dinners" or "vegetarian recipes"(among the likes) and came up with a handful that piqued my interest. So I went through the lists and made a shopping list for the farmer's market and Henry's.
This is how our meals went:
Sunday, March 7: S. improvised and made this sweet potato and walnut ravioli that was yum!
(here's were I stepped in)
Monday, March 8: Szechuan Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry.
I took the recipe from vegetariantimes.com and made a few tweaks. I should have gone with my better judgment because this recipe felt like something my Wisconsin-born grandmother would prefer rather than my China-born friend. The veggies weren't crisp and juicy, rather soggy and wilted. However, the taste was good. Next time, I'll go with my instincts.
Tuesday, March 9: Chili Sin Carne (but not really because instead of veggie crumbles, I used ground turkey).
Again, this recipe came from vegetariantimes.com, but I decided to make some changes. First, I sub'd the veggie crumbles (what the hell is that anyway?) and used lean ground turkey. I also didn't add nearly as much water as they suggested (thank GOD, too, because mine was perfect!) and I used canned corn instead of frozen. This was a super yummy meal. Steven was floored and we brought the leftovers to the office where our new agent basically gobbled this up. So good.
Wednesday, March 10: Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa Verde.
Also known as the night we sent ALL of our smoke detectors off, freaked out the animals, and realized that we shouldn't grill shrimp inside.
S. helped me a lot with this one because I wanted homemade tortillas and he's amazing at that. And because the smoke detectors were on full blast, I had to tend to the windows, fans, and making sure my animals didn't go psycho crazy. So he ended up grilling the shrimp. Everything else, though, was me and that avocado/tomatillo salsa verde rocked my socks.
Thursday, March 11: Eggplant Parmesan
S. didn't help one little bit with this one and I'm super proud of it. I made my own marinara sauce from scratch (that was probably the best I've ever done!) and I didn't use the skimpy grated mozzarella the recipe called for - no, I used the premium, whole milk mozzarella, which totally made a HUGE difference. Am I still patting myself on the back for this? Heck yes.
Friday, March 12: Our "one day out a week if we so chose to" night.
We ended up having steamed crab, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. YUM!
Saturday, March 13: Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries.
Now before I get to the dinner, let me start with lunch. We had been working in the garage trying to clean that sucker out and we both got super hungry. Enchilada House and Bonellos Pizza were on our "dude, we so should totally get that for lunch" menu. S. thought we were getting pizza until I went back inside and heard our fridge yelling at me to use food that was already in there.
So, I ended up making a thai-inspired chicken salad from my left over chicken and brown rice from Yard House (last weekend), snap peas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and carrots. With a little help from S. we made this peanut butter dressing that just made this salad killer! Steve was bummed about the no pizza at first, but ended up devouring the salad and we both felt SO much better knowing we didn't blow it.
Ok, so back to dinner, the original recipe I had was from Food Network and it was actually a Jerk Turkey Burger with Mango Slaw dish. We couldn't find this mango chutney that it called for, so I improvised. I kinda read through the recipe and decided to just push it aside and "wing it." I ended up seasoning the turkey meat with salt, pepper, minced onions, and balsamic vinegar. I then took carrots and a green apple and julienned them into a bowl. Then I chopped up some green cabbage and cut up a couple green onions and put them in the bowl. I added some mayo and some apple cider vinegar and mixed it up. That coleslaw kicked butt. Seriously.
I then asked S. to cut up my sweet potatoes to look like fries and I baked them. S.is a master griller so he cooked the burgers. I put the coleslaw on the burger and tada! M.'s Turkey Burger. (I'll actually think of how to write up the recipe later because most of it was just eyeballin' and guesstimates.)
.....
We just went through the fridge and already have dinners for the next week planned AND didn't have to throw anything out this week - saving us TONS of cash. Highly recommend this and really wish we had started this sooner.
My pleas went unheard and every week we found ourselves throwing out produce and dairy and leftovers because we just weren't planning. Not to mention the gobs of money spent on eating out due to the fact that we got lazy.
After doc's bomb dropped on me a couple weeks ago, we decided we really needed to watch more of what went into our mouths. So I sat down and took matters into my own hands and I planned.
Last week I went through recipes on line using the search "healthy dinners" or "vegetarian recipes"(among the likes) and came up with a handful that piqued my interest. So I went through the lists and made a shopping list for the farmer's market and Henry's.
This is how our meals went:
Sunday, March 7: S. improvised and made this sweet potato and walnut ravioli that was yum!
(here's were I stepped in)
Monday, March 8: Szechuan Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry.
I took the recipe from vegetariantimes.com and made a few tweaks. I should have gone with my better judgment because this recipe felt like something my Wisconsin-born grandmother would prefer rather than my China-born friend. The veggies weren't crisp and juicy, rather soggy and wilted. However, the taste was good. Next time, I'll go with my instincts.
Tuesday, March 9: Chili Sin Carne (but not really because instead of veggie crumbles, I used ground turkey).
Again, this recipe came from vegetariantimes.com, but I decided to make some changes. First, I sub'd the veggie crumbles (what the hell is that anyway?) and used lean ground turkey. I also didn't add nearly as much water as they suggested (thank GOD, too, because mine was perfect!) and I used canned corn instead of frozen. This was a super yummy meal. Steven was floored and we brought the leftovers to the office where our new agent basically gobbled this up. So good.
Wednesday, March 10: Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa Verde.
Also known as the night we sent ALL of our smoke detectors off, freaked out the animals, and realized that we shouldn't grill shrimp inside.
S. helped me a lot with this one because I wanted homemade tortillas and he's amazing at that. And because the smoke detectors were on full blast, I had to tend to the windows, fans, and making sure my animals didn't go psycho crazy. So he ended up grilling the shrimp. Everything else, though, was me and that avocado/tomatillo salsa verde rocked my socks.
Thursday, March 11: Eggplant Parmesan
S. didn't help one little bit with this one and I'm super proud of it. I made my own marinara sauce from scratch (that was probably the best I've ever done!) and I didn't use the skimpy grated mozzarella the recipe called for - no, I used the premium, whole milk mozzarella, which totally made a HUGE difference. Am I still patting myself on the back for this? Heck yes.
Friday, March 12: Our "one day out a week if we so chose to" night.
We ended up having steamed crab, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. YUM!
Saturday, March 13: Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries.
Now before I get to the dinner, let me start with lunch. We had been working in the garage trying to clean that sucker out and we both got super hungry. Enchilada House and Bonellos Pizza were on our "dude, we so should totally get that for lunch" menu. S. thought we were getting pizza until I went back inside and heard our fridge yelling at me to use food that was already in there.
So, I ended up making a thai-inspired chicken salad from my left over chicken and brown rice from Yard House (last weekend), snap peas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and carrots. With a little help from S. we made this peanut butter dressing that just made this salad killer! Steve was bummed about the no pizza at first, but ended up devouring the salad and we both felt SO much better knowing we didn't blow it.
Ok, so back to dinner, the original recipe I had was from Food Network and it was actually a Jerk Turkey Burger with Mango Slaw dish. We couldn't find this mango chutney that it called for, so I improvised. I kinda read through the recipe and decided to just push it aside and "wing it." I ended up seasoning the turkey meat with salt, pepper, minced onions, and balsamic vinegar. I then took carrots and a green apple and julienned them into a bowl. Then I chopped up some green cabbage and cut up a couple green onions and put them in the bowl. I added some mayo and some apple cider vinegar and mixed it up. That coleslaw kicked butt. Seriously.
I then asked S. to cut up my sweet potatoes to look like fries and I baked them. S.is a master griller so he cooked the burgers. I put the coleslaw on the burger and tada! M.'s Turkey Burger. (I'll actually think of how to write up the recipe later because most of it was just eyeballin' and guesstimates.)
.....
We just went through the fridge and already have dinners for the next week planned AND didn't have to throw anything out this week - saving us TONS of cash. Highly recommend this and really wish we had started this sooner.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Unplugging from the technology leashes...
Within the past 3 months life has gone from a calm 70 mph to insane autobahn speeds of 160 mph. A lot of it stems from good things like a severe influx of business and our adoption, but these 5 classes I'm taking this semester are seriously harder than I anticipated. If I am gone for one class period I feel lost and behind.
At any rate, S. and I found ourselves overwhelmed and stressed to the max. Our relationship hasn't been 100% and we're feeling the effects.
Our whole goal in life is to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle that will positively impact our children and we needed to figure out how to wrangle our whirlwind life back to calm serenity before we completely lost it.
After a lot of thought, I realized that I was too "plugged in": I visited a few sites MULTIPLE times a day, which compromised my productivity at work and at school. So I asked S. to change my passwords (so I wouldn't be tempted to have a 'quick look') and am now on a month long (or perhaps longer if I wish) break. That being said, I already have found way more time during the day then I know what to do with. Homework here I come.
In addition, we realized we were unwinding at the end of the day with copious amounts of TV. We were using so much of our brain during the day that TV felt good as it offered a chance to completely veg. But one show turned into two, turned into 5. And before we knew it, we were up until 11:30-12 and not waking up at a decent time. It was a vicious cycle.
So, we have severely limited our TV and put ourselves on a strict bedtime policy. The past few night have been amazing. We were in bed by 10p and awoke naturally between 7-7:30a. We have also decided to let the sun wake us so we have been keeping the blinds cracked. It has been awesome and refreshing.
And this leads me to my blog - this will be my last active post for a month or so, as I really need this disconnect. I know many of you are actively following this to see what's going on with the adoption, so don't fret. This is actually a great time for a break because we're in a waiting period with not much going on.
Can't wait to come back with news and a refreshed soul. Much love and happiness.
At any rate, S. and I found ourselves overwhelmed and stressed to the max. Our relationship hasn't been 100% and we're feeling the effects.
Our whole goal in life is to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle that will positively impact our children and we needed to figure out how to wrangle our whirlwind life back to calm serenity before we completely lost it.
After a lot of thought, I realized that I was too "plugged in": I visited a few sites MULTIPLE times a day, which compromised my productivity at work and at school. So I asked S. to change my passwords (so I wouldn't be tempted to have a 'quick look') and am now on a month long (or perhaps longer if I wish) break. That being said, I already have found way more time during the day then I know what to do with. Homework here I come.
In addition, we realized we were unwinding at the end of the day with copious amounts of TV. We were using so much of our brain during the day that TV felt good as it offered a chance to completely veg. But one show turned into two, turned into 5. And before we knew it, we were up until 11:30-12 and not waking up at a decent time. It was a vicious cycle.
So, we have severely limited our TV and put ourselves on a strict bedtime policy. The past few night have been amazing. We were in bed by 10p and awoke naturally between 7-7:30a. We have also decided to let the sun wake us so we have been keeping the blinds cracked. It has been awesome and refreshing.
And this leads me to my blog - this will be my last active post for a month or so, as I really need this disconnect. I know many of you are actively following this to see what's going on with the adoption, so don't fret. This is actually a great time for a break because we're in a waiting period with not much going on.
Can't wait to come back with news and a refreshed soul. Much love and happiness.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Smacked in the face by the truth
S. and I, as many of you know, went on a mainstream diet back in June of last year. It was great, we lost a lot of weight, learned portion control and re-tuned our bodies to crave healthy things instead of french fries and cheeseburgers. We felt so good that we came off it early and did pretty well for the next month and change. Then the holidays hit and our schedules changed drastically - leaving us little time to prepare meals and snacks.
We fell.
We both have gained weight back - depending on the day I'm anywhere from 8-13 lbs heavier.
Then we go to our family doctor for our physical in mid February. We get our blood work done and S. passes everything with flying colors. Mine not so great. I have high bad cholesterol and apparently they tested my blood and I get a paper back saying "mixed hyperlipidemia." He wants to see if we can manage this with simple dietary changes: little to no red meat, use cheeses sparingly (or omit if possible), watch milk intake - only fat free (eww), and eat certain fish sparingly. He also mentioned eating more oatmeal in the morning.
Doc says we both are in desperate need to shed some weight. He wants S. to lose about 30 more pounds and for me to lose about 15-20. So he wants us to be active for 20-40 min 5-6 times per week and to make sure that there's a puddle under us (sweating a lot).
He also advised us on some personal life changes to try to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a baby. The advice he gave wasn't remarkable, it wasn't something you've never heard, but it made sense and came right at a time we needed it. Basically he said to start getting these healthy eating, exercising, and living habits down pat now. We should also get healthier sleeping habits down to prepare ourselves for an early riser.
We've slowly started changing. I wish I could say we perked up and are doing everything to a T. We've started eating oatmeal (almost) every morning. It's yum! And I've cut wayyyyyy down on my red meat intake, which is really hard for a gal like me whose family raised her on meat and potatoes.
I'm glad that we had our physical because it really smacked us in the face with the need to make changes NOW rather than later.
We fell.
We both have gained weight back - depending on the day I'm anywhere from 8-13 lbs heavier.
Then we go to our family doctor for our physical in mid February. We get our blood work done and S. passes everything with flying colors. Mine not so great. I have high bad cholesterol and apparently they tested my blood and I get a paper back saying "mixed hyperlipidemia." He wants to see if we can manage this with simple dietary changes: little to no red meat, use cheeses sparingly (or omit if possible), watch milk intake - only fat free (eww), and eat certain fish sparingly. He also mentioned eating more oatmeal in the morning.
Doc says we both are in desperate need to shed some weight. He wants S. to lose about 30 more pounds and for me to lose about 15-20. So he wants us to be active for 20-40 min 5-6 times per week and to make sure that there's a puddle under us (sweating a lot).
He also advised us on some personal life changes to try to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a baby. The advice he gave wasn't remarkable, it wasn't something you've never heard, but it made sense and came right at a time we needed it. Basically he said to start getting these healthy eating, exercising, and living habits down pat now. We should also get healthier sleeping habits down to prepare ourselves for an early riser.
We've slowly started changing. I wish I could say we perked up and are doing everything to a T. We've started eating oatmeal (almost) every morning. It's yum! And I've cut wayyyyyy down on my red meat intake, which is really hard for a gal like me whose family raised her on meat and potatoes.
I'm glad that we had our physical because it really smacked us in the face with the need to make changes NOW rather than later.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Growing a baby in my heart
On Sunday we went to a fund raising event. I was seated next to this amazing couple who, although they were a few generations older, we had a lot in common. Anyway, we got to talking about kids and something compelled me to tell her about our plans. (I guess the fact that I may not see her again, nor do we run in the same social circles helped a lot!) She was happy for us, then got quiet, turned to me and then said the most amazing thing I've ever heard:
"You're growing a baby in your heart as opposed to your belly."
I love this so much.
Just thought I'd share.
:)
"You're growing a baby in your heart as opposed to your belly."
I love this so much.
Just thought I'd share.
:)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Baby Dream
Last night/this morning I had my first adoption-related dream and I didn't want it to end. I fell in love with this little one so hard, I thought my heart would burst. It was a boy and he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. He had thick, black hair and soft Japanese features. I had wondered if he was hapa, like his daddy. I, unfortunately, woke up and immediately turned over to see if S. was awake so I could share this with him...but he wasn't.
I'm glad I had this dream because a fear that started creeping into my recent thoughts has been "will I truly be able to love this baby as my own?" I'm sure this is something every adoptive parent has cross their mind at least once, (just like a pregnancy - we have so much fear and anxiety to deal with) but I didn't want to feel that.
I can not wait to meet our baby. I love you already.
I'm glad I had this dream because a fear that started creeping into my recent thoughts has been "will I truly be able to love this baby as my own?" I'm sure this is something every adoptive parent has cross their mind at least once, (just like a pregnancy - we have so much fear and anxiety to deal with) but I didn't want to feel that.
I can not wait to meet our baby. I love you already.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Projects.
I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day and I wish I was better at time management so I could accomplish everything I need AND want.
Case in point: I like becoming more domesticated, however with the business taking a huge jump in business (GREAT news) and me acting like a crazy person taking 5 classes this semester, I have ZERO time to clean the house, let alone finish crafty projects I've been wanting to do.
I still can't believe that we were trying to get pregnant through this and, since we hit a snafu there, now going for adoption! There is SO MUCH PAPERWORK and Is to dot and Ts to cross.
I pray just about daily for strength from my maker to help get us through this.
We are yet one more step closer to meeting our child. It's definitely baby steps, but we couldn't be more excited.
Anyway, I really wanted this post to be my a reference point for me to be able to come back to and start tackling things when I do get a chance to do them. So, without further adieu, here are my crafty wishes to complete:
* Mothers' Wedding Album. S. and I have been married 3 years, going on 4, and have yet to get a smaller, more personal version of our wedding album to them.
* Wedding Party Photos. Following in line with the previous bullet point, I still have yet to get my little keepsakes together for our wedding party. :-/
* Blankets for Friends. Back in like 2004, I started a blanket for one of Steven's friends, finished it, gave it to him, then was asked by the other 3 guys in his group of friends to make one for them. A few years passed and then I was hassled by one of them reminding me that I was severely slacking on this blanket. I started it up only to mess it up and now it's sitting in my guest room unfinished.
* Etsy Preserved Lemons Shop. Steve started preserving lemons last year, they became a huge hit with our chef friends, and I would really like to start a cute little side business with them. I was going to ask my friends to submit recipes to use with them and I'd send that a long with a jar of lemons.
* Cooking & Baking Classes. I really want to start cooking at home WAY more. I love the idea of finding something new to cook ad enjoy, however I'm usually way too pooped to even think about it by the time I get home. I have also started diving into baking and would seriously learn to love proper techniques.
Travel Photo Collage. Steve and I had a great trip to Europe back in 2007 and then to Japan in 2008 and took some AMAZING photos. I wanted to make a collage and get it professionally matted and framed for the house. We started on the project, only to find that most of the original photos from Europe are gone (we only have the thumbnail size) and so it came to a halt.
I am hoping that I can update once a project is finished! Hopefully that will be motivation to continue to the next project.
Case in point: I like becoming more domesticated, however with the business taking a huge jump in business (GREAT news) and me acting like a crazy person taking 5 classes this semester, I have ZERO time to clean the house, let alone finish crafty projects I've been wanting to do.
I still can't believe that we were trying to get pregnant through this and, since we hit a snafu there, now going for adoption! There is SO MUCH PAPERWORK and Is to dot and Ts to cross.
I pray just about daily for strength from my maker to help get us through this.
We are yet one more step closer to meeting our child. It's definitely baby steps, but we couldn't be more excited.
Anyway, I really wanted this post to be my a reference point for me to be able to come back to and start tackling things when I do get a chance to do them. So, without further adieu, here are my crafty wishes to complete:
* Mothers' Wedding Album. S. and I have been married 3 years, going on 4, and have yet to get a smaller, more personal version of our wedding album to them.
* Wedding Party Photos. Following in line with the previous bullet point, I still have yet to get my little keepsakes together for our wedding party. :-/
* Blankets for Friends. Back in like 2004, I started a blanket for one of Steven's friends, finished it, gave it to him, then was asked by the other 3 guys in his group of friends to make one for them. A few years passed and then I was hassled by one of them reminding me that I was severely slacking on this blanket. I started it up only to mess it up and now it's sitting in my guest room unfinished.
* Etsy Preserved Lemons Shop. Steve started preserving lemons last year, they became a huge hit with our chef friends, and I would really like to start a cute little side business with them. I was going to ask my friends to submit recipes to use with them and I'd send that a long with a jar of lemons.
* Cooking & Baking Classes. I really want to start cooking at home WAY more. I love the idea of finding something new to cook ad enjoy, however I'm usually way too pooped to even think about it by the time I get home. I have also started diving into baking and would seriously learn to love proper techniques.
Travel Photo Collage. Steve and I had a great trip to Europe back in 2007 and then to Japan in 2008 and took some AMAZING photos. I wanted to make a collage and get it professionally matted and framed for the house. We started on the project, only to find that most of the original photos from Europe are gone (we only have the thumbnail size) and so it came to a halt.
I am hoping that I can update once a project is finished! Hopefully that will be motivation to continue to the next project.
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