Things I like

I love these products so much I thought I'd dedicate a blog post to them and maybe some of you will find them useful as well!

1. Water filtration system: Clear2O

Delicious tasting water in a matter of SECONDS - no joke. Very reasonably priced and the filters are replaced as they are used, NOT just after a certain amount of time has elapsed (something that's always bugged me about Brita.) We've had ours for a month and the filter replacement indicator is still over 3/4 full. The only possible downside to this system I can think of is that you'll have to fit the adapter to your sink faucet (the pitcher fills via hose which attaches to your faucet) which in our case required simply removing the aerator on the faucet and screwing on the one that came with the Clear2O system. It may not be so simple on a more "fancy" model faucet. We got the little extension hose, which I would highly recommend - it allows us to keep the pitcher on the counter while filling, instead of maneuvering it in and out of the sink. The water tastes amazingly good, which is saying something because I don't even like brushing my teeth with the tap water in our city - it SMELLS.

2. Reusable food storage bags: LunchSkins

I recently ordered a sampling of products from reuseit.com to prepare for daily lunches when Val starts kindergarten. I can't stand how much plastic I *still* go through in my kitchen, and Ziploc bags are the biggest culprit. I absolutely adore the LunchSkin bags. They come in three sizes and are dishwasher safe! I don't usually run them through the dishwasher as they usually just need to be rinsed out, but I love having that as an option if they're ever used to hold something really messy and tough to clean. They're made of a very durable-yet-flexible cloth - heavy duty, but not stiff and cumbersome. Additionally, they're made in the US! What's not to love?! Oh, wait, I thought of ONE thing that MIGHT be something not to love... the Velcro closure. It's very effective and also very loud and attention-getting if you're trying to open it in a quiet environment. Open it ahead of time if you're hoping to sneak some snacks without anyone (in my case, my children!) noticing.

The good, the bad, and the food.

Let's see what I can write in 30 minutes.

Tonight after dinner I asked Superman if I could have an hour alone. Since he's Superman of course he said yes and I'm holing up in our bedroom feeling... I dunno... glum.

I'm still adjusting to living in moderation with my emotions. I watch myself constantly, sometimes more closely than necessary, trying to determine if I'm depressed or merely having a bad day. I'm not sure I quite know how to tell the difference. I guess if I have 17 bad days in a row, that might be a clue that it's depression, since apparently "normal" folk don't ever consider having 17 bad days in a row. I don't really want to try and figure out what my bad day record is...

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Perhaps focusing on the positive would be more helpful.

I've been married for 1,866 days! Woo hoo!

My parents have been married for 10,574 days. WOW.

I've been alive for 10,242 days. Hooray me!

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Anyhow, what was I saying... oh yeah, so I have difficulty simultaneously acknowledging the good and the bad in any aspect of my life. I'm kinda extreme. It's either all way good or all so horrifically bad I can't possibly imagine why I ever thought anything was ever good. Need I tell you that I'm more often in the "bad" place? Or that I'm there now? =)

Except, each time I am in either extreme, I try to remind myself that life is both, all the time, even when I'm not feeling it. Good and bad together, simultaneously. Apparently my body can only accept one at a time and this is a difficult thing to unlearn.

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I saw a nutritionist today to talk about weight gain. I'm underweight and have spent most of my life being underweight. I come by it honestly, genetically, even, but I am striving to have a healthy BMI just as much as I assume overweight people strive for healthy BMIs (not that health should be judged by BMIs alone, but, you know.)

She was checking back through my medical history and said - ah ha! Here it says you had a BMI of 22! I then pointed out that I had probably just given birth and that I gained 40 pounds with each of my pregnancies. Gaining weight! Wheeeeee! Postpartum depression! Boooooo!

After I assured her I was NOT anorexic (just anxious and depressed, thank you!) she and I talked about all sorts of ways to consume more calories more of the time. In the end we decided that it would be easiest for me to mix a high-calorie smoothie in the morning and drink it all throughout the day, because it's just me that needs the extra calories, not my family. Also, nuts and seeds are my new best friends and did you know there's such a thing as avocado smoothies? I didn't. I think I'd much prefer to just eat the avocado.

And, like anything, I need to change the way I think about food if I expect any long term changes in my food-related actions. Thoughts drive actions. Sheer will-power can override thoughts and make different actions for a while, but eventually the thoughts rule again. I currently see food as a kind of nuisance that interrupts what I'd really rather be doing. And I'd rather be doing almost anything else than prepare food or eat. I eat because it's necessary. Rather ironically, I've been blessed with a high metabolism, so I'm fairly certain that even just getting the required number of calories I need is a struggle, much less 500 MORE per day.

Meh.



Game on

Everyone just left our house after the game night we hosted. I guess I can go get all the dirty dishes I hid in the garage sink now.

It was so fun! We did play games, too, so success all around. The kids played a fun game called Zingo and then later the adults played girls-against-boys Pictionary and the boys won. It was... loud. I think we'll have to modify the rules (perhaps no all plays?) if we do it again because it was pretty tough to hear at times! Their best win was "dumbbell" guessed in six seconds and ours was "orchestra" guessed in ten seconds. (I drew the orchestra, which consisted of a stand-up bass, cello, and half a flute before someone guessed it and I'm completely blanking on who - take credit in the comments please!)

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Earlier Val and I went on our first clothes shopping trip EVER together and found a lovely flower girl dress and shoes for the wedding next month. (Mista & Mrs Blades? I never know what to call you.) Val also got to pick out a pair of flip flops that are made entirely of plastic (die, environment, die!) and light up each time she takes a step. Also, pink! Purple! Ladybugs! Butterflies! Sparkly!

I need to be careful how much I complain about over-the-top girly girl things such as this because I do want Val to know that what matters to her is very important to me, I just do not at all share the same interests. =)

 

Piece of cake

Today was Val and Elaine's well child check-ups. Today Val had two pieces of cake for breakfast.

Today I woke up to hear, "Mommy? MOMMY? Why did you put the cupcakes on the top shelf of the freezer?"

THAT's why, my dear.

Then I got up and saw she had settled for left over birthday cake instead.

Also, very terrifying to discover she decided to just wake up and do whatever instead of come into our room like she has always done in the past. EEK.

I must get on the whole clock in the kids' bedroom bandwagon.

In which Daddy beats out strawberries

I've been doing my best to make dinnertime a place of connecting and sharing instead of shoveling food into kids mouths with one hand while reading email with the other. They do know the difference, you know. I've been pleasantly surprised with some of the topics that have come up over the past several weeks. The standard starter question is, "what is the best/worst thing that happened to you today?"

Tonight, Val decided the best thing was playing with her dolls. The worst thing was the fact that Elaine pooped. The worst thing is usually in some way related to Elaine's poop.

The best thing that happened to me today was playing hide and seek with my kids. The worst thing was getting blood drawn.

Val and I usually come to an agreement on what Elaine's best and worst things probably were but tonight was different. I decided to pose possible best/worst questions to Elaine herself. She sat in her high chair, cramming strawberries into her mouth as fast as she could, chubby cheeks chomping away.

"What was the best part of your day, Elaine?"

*strawberry-faced stare (with chewing)*

"Did you like playing outside?"

*head shaking*

OK, maybe we'll try a not-as-fun thing.
"Did you like taking a nap?"

*head shaking*

"Did you like playing with Val?"
Trying to get a yes, here.

*head shaking*

Ah-ha! Strawberries!
"Did you like eating strawberries?"

*head shake* followed by, "dah-DEE!"

"OH! Did you like playing with Daddy?"

*rapid nodding*

First 'conversation' with Elaine? I'll take it!

Soup's on

Val, it's time to eat. Are you ready for soup?

"Um, no not yet. I'm reading."

Well it's ready for you!

"OK, let me get a spoon!" She ditched her library book and ran for the silverware drawer.

I wonder if bedtime would go differently if I tell her the bed is ready for her. =)

Food for thought

We got a pretty rad double jogging stroller off Craigslist. The only (minor) downside is that the front wheel doesn't swivel which means in order to fully appreciate it I need to become a hard core jogger.

The past few nights Superman and I have gone for walks/runs around the neighborhood. I must say our new location is prime for runners and bikers. Lots of trails and wide residential streets.

I must also say that HOLY SMOKING COW I AM OUT OF SHAPE. I thought exercise was suppose to feel good? I was waiting for my flood of endorphins... and I'm still waiting. Instead all I got was the feeling of my absolutely-devoid-of-all-muscle butt bouncing around. So not cool.

I keep saying I'm going to plan a weekly food menu and then I never do because frozen pizza and Top Ramen takes way less thought. However, this is about to change, really, I mean it this time, and here's why: Superman is going to help. He's always the one who remembers to ask about food. Most of the time when he asks (at a perfectly reasonable time to expect an answer), "What's for dinner?" I generally reply by way of blank stare. I'm actually frantically trying to recall what we have in the house that is edible in order to throw together some sort of answer because clearly he expects to eat something for dinner. And until the words came out of his mouth I hadn't given it even half a thought. Besides, he's way better at coming up with appealing meals. I'm more than happy to prepare something I already know is going to be a big hit and therefore more worth while.

When it comes to food preparation I am firmly in my mother's school of thought: you spend hours (ok or half an hour) slaving away over something and then it's gone in 20 minutes and all you get is a pile of dirty dishes. Notice the martyr-like attitude? Slaving? Pile of dirty dishes? Woe is me, because I'd rather be doing 97 (or 14) other things! My mom is still a much more healthy cook than I am and nothing compares to her homemade bread or cinnamon rolls. I'm just saying we are more likely to enjoy serving in other ways.

It would behoove me to follow the example of my super mother-in-law, who adores being able to prepare food for the people she loves. It is her true privilege and joy and it goes right along with her nurturing personality. It is impossible to visit her home without feeling loved, accepted and fed emotionally and physically. Her reward is the words of praise and appreciation for her cooking, the conversation during the meal with those she loves - that's what motivates her to wash dirty dishes. My friend once described a visit to my mother-in-law's home by asking in amazement, "did she just hug my soul?"

So yes. Food plan. Weekly menu. I'll sit down with Superman and together we can put together a healthy and delicious menu. Then we'll go shopping. Then we'll follow the menu and live happily ever after and no food will ever be wasted or thrown out. Amen.

Meh

...is how I feel about blogging these days. Oh I'll get to the birth story eventually - I've started a rough draft - but I'm not in any rush to write. Funny. I expected differently from myself, but I don't force myself to write if I'm not "feeling it." I write much better when I'm "feeling it" and as far as I know there's nothing to speed up the process until I wake up one day "feeling it." So wait we must.

Two kids! Two whole girl kids! Wow. My daughterS. My girlS. My childREN.

First sushi experience was last night and was sponsored by some very kind and understanding friends of ours. There wasn't much talking during the meal, let me tell you.

Yesterday my milk finished coming in and now Elaine (Not her real name! Just her blog name!) and I have been trying to work out an agreeable nursing schedule for both of us. She nurses like a pro (and has since birth) but can't understand why I would deny her the boob. She has yet to understand the concept of a full tummy, and after she unloaded the contents of her overly-full tummy all over me and the bed last night I'm trying to help her. She's a mostly willing student and I'm thankful for that. I am certainly glad that my milk production is above and beyond what's needed but I wish it would just chill out already because talk about uncomfortable! Jeez.

Nutrition

Not long after we finished breakfast I noticed K chewing on something.

Me: K, what's in your mouth?

K (chewing): Hmm?

Me: Say aaaaah.

K (helpfully): Aaaaah.

I didn't see much of anything but had my suspicions.

Me: Were you helping Tesla eat?

K: Cat food.

Me: Are you eating cat food?

K (nodding): Mmm-hmm.

Me: But you're not a cat, you're a person. Cat food is only for cats.

K: Oh.

Then she ran off singing, "meow meow meow meow" to herself.

Gimme the real stuff, man

My all(or nearly all)-things-alternative mother emailed this article to me, which was sent to her from the Health Sciences Institute. My mother raised me to eat food that is as close to it's natural form as possible. The less that's happened to it since it came out of the ground or off the tree the better. So here's some food (with butter!) for thought...

Margarine or butter?

If you answered "butter," I've got some information that will make you glad you did.

Last week an HSI member sent me an e-mail that had been forwarded multiple times, but appears to have originated from L. Eugene Arnold, M.Ed., M.D.; a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Ohio State University. Here's what Dr. Arnold writes:

"Do you know the difference between margarine and butter?
a. Both have the same amount of calories.
b. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
c. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
d. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
e. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!
f. For most people, butter tastes better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. (The best flavor claim margarine can make in ads is that it tastes the same as butter.)
g. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine...
a. Very high in trans fatty acids.
b. Triple risk of coronary heart disease.
c. Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol)
d. Lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol).
e. Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold.
f. Lowers quality of breast milk.
g. Decreases immune response.
h. Decreases insulin response.

And here is the part that is very interesting! Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC. This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself: purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things: no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something) It does not rot or smell differently. Nothing will grow on it - not even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends - (Butter them up.)

Additional info: Children who eat butter or drink whole milk with butterfat have better resistance to infection.

P.S. This was not sponsored by the dairy industry."

I've heard some of these facts before, but some of them were new to me, so I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., for his take on the list, and he didn't hesitate: "Absolutely true. The guy's read my book. In it, I call margarine 'plastic butter.' It's very, very bad stuff. I cheat and have to drink city water sometimes. But I try never to do that with margarine."

The book that Dr. Spreen refers to is his "Nutritionally Incorrect: Why the American Diet is Dangerous and How to Defend Yourself" (Woodland Publishing).

Plastic butter! Will you ever go within ten feet of margarine again?

To your good health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute

Happy hour!

There's nothing like nearly burning down your kitchen to get your adrenaline pumping. I went from preparing dinner while feeling very slow and hugely pregnant to dashing around with scalding pots and pans while keeping a toddler away from the open hot oven door! Yikes.

It all started a few days ago when I was getting ready to host a backyard play date at our house. Given that the playing would all be happening in the backyard I suppose I could have relaxed a little on cleaning the house but whatever. You know how that goes. As it was dirty dishes were STILL stacked on the counter despite my attempts at a short-cut. There were just that many. I don't think a single one of the other moms cared. It's almost as if they came over to see ME and NOT my kitchen! Huh! Interesting thought. I'll make sure to ponder that as soon as my dishes are done.

Here's how I attempted to look more put together than I was: I stashed several dirty pots and pans in the oven. And by "several" I mean "as many as would fit." I had never done that before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. As I was doing it I had the sense to opt for the oven-safe pans as a precautionary measure. Even though I fully intended to address the dirty dishes problem before I next used the oven, you never know what could happen.

And happen it did. Out of sight, out of mind! Tonight as I prepared macaroni and cheese from scratch (with "help" from a 1.5 year old who wanted to "Watsh? Mommy? Watsch?" and by "watsh" she means "wave measuring spoons around and plunge them into or at any available ingredient at the least helpful time") I wondered what was taking the oven so long to preheat. I didn't realize it until I opened the door to insert my macaroni and cheese. Cue dashing around with piping hot pans while bellowing "sit down on your bottom and STAY THERE" to the helpful toddler wanting to join in on the excitement.

I'm happy to say that I only lost one lid (and fortunately it was the kind of plastic that did NOT melt into an impossible-to-clean-up puddle) and we are just about ready to sit down and enjoy the macaroni and cheese. Which turned out fantastically even with my additions of sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs on top and bacon bits through out.

I give up.

This is going to be a mommy blog. I can't fight it. I'll still try and talk about things pertaining to life outside of babies and toddlers and pregnancy but my life happens to be consumed by the above right now. So, sorry, that's what you get. I know a lot of you are thinking so what, big deal, I LOVE reading about babies and toddlers and pregnancy; what on earth is she resisting it for?!? I know. Me too. In fact, most of the blogs I subscribe to are written by moms about their families.

I suppose I just resent my life being so enormously one-sided at the moment. Maybe resent isn't quite the word - I absolutely love being home with my daughter and soon-to-be-newborn (five more months) and there's nothing I'd rather do. But I still enjoy other things too! I'm a wife! I'm an aspiring photographer! I love animals and dogs especially! I love to go camping and especially if there's a good book I can read while sitting in (or under) a tree! I'll try to reflect my other interests on this blog as much as I can but for now, I surrender, babies it is.

Even though I couldn't really write much about my job when I was working, it still allowed me to get out of the house and interact with adults on an adult level. I could have told lots of stories about work and the people there and even though I didn't, I still felt like a more well-rounded person, and therefore able to blog more frequently.

As most of you have probably already read via Twitter, we're expecting another girl (due January 23.) And no, I'm sorry, I am not allowed to share the names which are currently in the running. We like two names very much (which are both first names); he likes one a little more than I do and I like the other one more a little more than he does. Of course. I say since he came up with Kem's first name (which initially I wasn't that crazy about) I should get to pick this one. I think we'll share the name once we have it, but not until then so hold your horses people.

After the ultrasound this morning Superman and I dropped by Sunglass Hut and got him a sweet pair of Oakleys for his birthday which is tomorrow. It's important to me that his sunglasses be an all-plastic frame in case something (or someone) hits him in the face at work.

Kem's cold has moved into her chest (she was up a lot of last night coughing) and even though the river of snot has decreased somewhat she's still pretty congested. She had less than an hour nap today and so by the time bedtime rolled around she was overtired and not at all willing to be in bed OR in Mommy's arms OR anything except some activity that is not allowed just before bedtime. It was rough but she's finally asleep and hopefully will stay that way for a while.

She gave her cold to me. I don't have it as bad (yet) but still feel like I have a couple of bricks in my sinuses, especially at night. It wasn't that hot today (only mid-nineties) but I'm already wilting at the thought of the next few days which are supposed to be up around 105. Ugh. Today I didn't do much of anything except wipe a snotty nose and go food shopping. I plan to make Mexican Lasagna for Superman's birthday tomorrow. It sounds delicious.

Breaksushifast

I took great joy and satisfaction in delivering a pile of sushi to a friend who gave birth on Monday. She went the whole nine months without it (as did I, with Kem) and it's about time she enjoy a rainbow roll with plenty of sashimi to go with. I well remember how wondrous that first bite of raw fish with soy sauce and wasabi tasted. Mmmmm... sushi is such a great food for hot weather, too. Sushi is a great food, period.

Now that I'm hungry, let me tell you how little I've cooked this week (any wonder why?) Every time I sit down and prepare a menu and then go shop for all these healthy ingredients my plan gets foiled somehow. This week the heat has been unforgiving. To fire up my oven for any longer than 5 minutes seems unnecessary. Hopefully when things cool down I'll still be able to make my meals and get them in the freezer for later.

I've been learning so much in my weekly counseling sessions. Did you know that repressed and/or unresolved anger can be one cause of depression? Who knew? Not me. What I do know is that over the past few weeks it's as if I've been emerging from a fog I wasn't even aware I was in. (I'm not on anti-depressants. Yet.) I can't even really describe it - it's so strange. The farther I get out of it the more I look back and realize - wow - I was seriously not OK. If you had asked me in the middle of it if I was or felt depressed I would have said, "oh maybe, a little, but not really, no." I'm liking this personal growth thing. It gives me more hope than ever before and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, one day I'll actually like myself and stop the constantly negative inner tirade against myself.

One person who I like just the way she is, taking after her daddy and all, is this sweet kid:

I have a picture of her then-19-or-20-year-old father doing the same thing at an ice cream shop in Niagara Falls... but it was taken with actual film and as I don't have a scanner I can't upload. You'll have to use your imaginations. But trust me, she gets this from her father. All of it.

Wishful dreaming

Oh this is just awesome. By the end I'd be going more than a little crazy but oh man. The first month? Heaven. I'm assuming I get to surf the web during the day and also read every book I have on my "to read" list. Hmm. What about the bathroom? Showers? OK, but it's seventeen grand. It would be completely nuts for me to do it but I'm so curious as to what it would be like. Also, I'm the person who was always signing up to be in paid studies while in college. I even got my brainwaves monitored once! It was fun. I think I earned $24 in about an hour.

Kem's nights have been rough due to the two molars she's in the process of sprouting. A few nights ago I brought her into bed with me despite my fear she would somehow squirm all the way across our California king sized bed in her sleep and fall off the other side. She didn't. Instead she sqirmed her way into my arms and we slept snuggled together. If she started to whimper in her sleep or stir, I woke right away and rubbed or patted her back and she burrowed deeper into my neck and fell back asleep. I slept wonderfully; woke up feeling so rested! It was great! She can get down off the bed by herself (it's pretty high) but I doubt she'd be able to do it while half-asleep. I should get sleep rails or something. Tonight she's in her bed but since I'm tired from working and I need this night to catch up I might bring her in with me.

Does anyone know what to do with loquats? We have a tree against our back fence and someone comes and picks them off the branches that hang over into the park. I haven't been able to corner him and ask what it is he does with them but I'm guessing it's something delicious like jam or pie. Every year the tree produces diligently and every year the fruit ends up rotting on the branches. I hate waste.

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that one of my dearest friends had updated her long-neglected blog, so please rush over HERE to enjoy some excellent reading.

Food for tho-wait I have something more important to do.

Last week I heard someone say on the radio, "it takes a special kind of stupid to forget to eat." Well, perhaps. And if so then I am that stupid because OMG eating is such a pain in the butt when it's cold. Eating means I have to wash my hands which means I have to get water on them which makes them cold and wet and causes me to shiver. And then I might have to use a knife or other utensils and because exactly two drops of blood are being circulated to my fingers at any given time I fumble and drop the silverware or smash my fingers in something. Smashing your fingers hurts but smashing COLD fingers hurts worse. Then, THEN, heaven forbid I consume something with a temperature colder than the air I'm breathing. Cereal and milk for breakfast? Yogurt? You have got to be kidding me. I can't park over a heater vent in this house. So it's easier to just not eat.

Also, I really do forget to eat (more like just put it off longer than is wise) when I'm busy. I feel like I have more important things to do than waste time eating. Eating messes up my plans and throws off the schedule. This would be well and good if I was consuming as many calories per day as I ought. However I fear that I am not.

I took a movie of me teaching Kem to throw things out of her play pen (I know I know but it's SO. CUTE.) and as I played it back I not only cringed at the sound of my recorded voice but also cringed at the sight of my recorded stick figure. I was so shocked by what I saw I marched right down to the store and bought terribly unhealthy frozen foods to provide me with quick and easy to prepare snacks. No more will I lie in bed in the middle of the night (usually after nursing - I know I KNOW... you don't need to tell me...) with a stomach gnawing at itself with hunger and me thinking to myself "it's too cold to get up, and besides there's nothing to eat that's quick and you're so so tired. Go back to sleep."

It would be nice to have my own personal chef who is always pushing delicious healthy concoctions on me but as luck would unfortunately have it I'm my own personal chef and I hate to cook. It would mean making enormous vats of things once a month and throwing the lot in the freezer in nice individual servings. But seriously, who has time to go to all that trouble? I have more important things to do. (Sarcasm, people.)

While cooking may be a waste of (my) time baking is certainly not. Baking heats the house and that, my friends, is useful. Anything to ease the load of the poor radiator. So, do any of you have idiot-proof recipes that freeze well? Please send them my way; I'd love to try them out.

Ironically, while I'm on a mission to gain Superman is on a mission to lose and boy is he ever a loser. For the first time in a long time (not counting the time I was pregnant and weighed more than I have ever weighed in my LIFE! exciting!) he weighs less than  100 pounds more than me.  The fat-free milk sits right next to the 2% milk in the fridge along with my disgustingly anti-diet mayonnaise and his fat-free version. I enjoy the REAL sour cream (mmmm.... nothing compares) and he suffers by on the horrible-tasting fat-free garbage, poor guy.

Pangs

Have you ever been so hungry that you can't eat? I get that way quite often these days. I'm suddenly ravenously hungry and yet nothing looks good. My kitchen is full of perfectly edible food but the main problem with every single item is that it takes too long to prepare. Microwaving takes too long. So I don't eat. And remain hungry. Before I know it Kate is awake again and it's too late. And then I'm irritable and hungry AND responsible for feeding the hungry baby with the nutrients that I was too hungry to eat.

Flashback

Just about a year ago I was in Israel. Today I find myself craving all the delicious food over there. So good. Especially the gazillion different kinds of fish.

I guess I'll go eat my boring (So very non-kosher!) ham and cheese sandwich now.

Raw fish

I was going to take a picture but I ate it too quickly.

Hope Kate enjoys the wasabi overtones in her milk.

Red meat

Shoot, man. I love my bacon. But I don't have to worry about it until after menopause. Whew.

Craving

I'm totally craving a carne asada quesadilla made by a specific person at a certain cafeteria at my college. This made-to-perfection quesadilla was my lunch every school day for weeks on end. I'm still not tired of it. I'd get it with a cherry Pepsi and real salsa that was spicy hot and guacamole and sour cream and DANG I'M SO. HUNGRY. NOW.