My parents and I took Ivy to a local fountain park for some more water fun!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Summer Fun
Ryan and I took Ivy swimming for the first time a week ago. Her floaty was/is HUGE. She was okay with everything at first and then figured out that this was meant to be fun and ended up splashing Daddy really good!
My parents and I took Ivy to a local fountain park for some more water fun!
My parents and I took Ivy to a local fountain park for some more water fun!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Being the Mother of a Girl
This is totally something I would have loved as a little girl - DIY Play Kitchens. Will Ivy be a girly-girl? Or will she be a tomboy?
One thing I thought of that didn't occur to me until this week is hair. I've never been one to do my own hair. I never had girlfriends to do their hair. I never was interested in kids enough (as a younger adult or older teen) to mess with little girls hair. There are things that I know how to do, but executing them? Not so much. Poor Ivy is going to have some weird hair. I'm pretty sure it's going to be wavy. She has a swirl and a huge cow-lick just like me. And you can't do anything to it unless it's wet. Oh gosh. Later in her life, I hope she has girlfriends who will show her how to do her own hair and will let her do their hair. Until then, I hope I can do what she wants or likes to an acceptable standard.
See, here's what I wasn't considering at all. I always thought (and completely accepted) that I would have boys. This hair thing never entered my mind.
One thing I thought of that didn't occur to me until this week is hair. I've never been one to do my own hair. I never had girlfriends to do their hair. I never was interested in kids enough (as a younger adult or older teen) to mess with little girls hair. There are things that I know how to do, but executing them? Not so much. Poor Ivy is going to have some weird hair. I'm pretty sure it's going to be wavy. She has a swirl and a huge cow-lick just like me. And you can't do anything to it unless it's wet. Oh gosh. Later in her life, I hope she has girlfriends who will show her how to do her own hair and will let her do their hair. Until then, I hope I can do what she wants or likes to an acceptable standard.
See, here's what I wasn't considering at all. I always thought (and completely accepted) that I would have boys. This hair thing never entered my mind.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Let's Make Baby Food!
Today, I decided to finally document the baby food adventures. I started at 1:30 pm and finished at 2:45 pm. An hour and fifteen minutes... That's a shopping trip. For today's baby food cooking mini-session, apples.
Gather your equipment.
Cutting board, pot, vegetable peeler, knife (use a chef's knife, not a steak knife - this was the only knife I could find... I'm not at home) and apples.
Ryan saw an article that if you're making baby food, there are certain things you buy organic. Apples are one of them. These are fuji apples, a mildly sweet taste.
Grab your vegetable peeler and get to peeling.
(This is my intense work face)
If you're going to be making a lot of your own baby food, you should definitely invest in a good peeler. I used an old one that was completely made of metal. Not fun. This red one has a great handle. Very comfortable.
Don't worry about getting all the peel off at the top and bottom. We'll just cut that away later.
Cut your apples in half.
This is where the chef's knife would come in handy. It was such a pain cutting these large apples with a steak knife. Not made for this job.
Lay the half down and cut into fourths.
Then remove the core with a slight diagonal cut.
Cut the quarters (eighths really) into chunks. Make sure you cut away any questionable areas and leftover skin.
Feel free to taste test (uh, I love apples).
Give them a good rinse and just cover with water.
Boil on high for... oh 10 minutes.
This is the perfect time to clean up what you've used so far. This is a concept that my advanced foods class couldn't quite comprehend even after several time management essays. They lost kitchen privileges.
Ah, look at that perfect boil.
Still a way to go, get one of these out. You can use a food processor or a blender (which is what I use at home). Do you see any specialized equipment here? No. No hand food grinders. No specialized baby food steamers. And later, no special prepared baby food freezing containers.
Test for done-ness. If you insert a fork, does it give? Is it soft? Here, not so much.
I'm furiously texting my mom at this point.
When I cook, I cook by smell. Can I smell the food? Then it's done. I can smell apples in the air! (This is my intense food-sniffing face.)
Apple chunks into the food processor.
Reserve the cooking liquid.
Boiling food releases vitamins into the cooking water and water seeps into the food. Reserving the liquid helps you retain some vitamins. You can add those vitamins back into the food during the processing by adding that water if the food isn't moist enough.
I'm ready. Machine is ready. Are YOU ready?
Here we go!
No more apple chunks.
Looks like applesauce. That's what it should be.
I think it's a bit dry though so I add a little of that reserved water.
Go ahead and taste it. My motto, I won't feed it to Ivy if I won't taste it. I did taste this. I also tasted so I could do this...
Yes, it was cool enough. And yes, she seems to like it.
I pour the applesauce into a more manageable container to better pour with.
And then I pour the sauce into cleaned ice cube trays. Oopsies, I forgot to rotate this picture.
I actually pour as much as I can on one side of the ice cube trays.
And then smooth it all out which pushes excess into the next cup.
Perfect.
Into the freezer it goes!
Once it's frozen, pop the food out of the trays and store in large freezer zip bags.
Clean everything else up and you're good to go!
Okay... I mentioned this in an earlier post... about the green beans being very different from each other. I forgot to rotate this one too. Poop.
Gather your equipment.
Cutting board, pot, vegetable peeler, knife (use a chef's knife, not a steak knife - this was the only knife I could find... I'm not at home) and apples.
Ryan saw an article that if you're making baby food, there are certain things you buy organic. Apples are one of them. These are fuji apples, a mildly sweet taste.
Grab your vegetable peeler and get to peeling.
(This is my intense work face)
If you're going to be making a lot of your own baby food, you should definitely invest in a good peeler. I used an old one that was completely made of metal. Not fun. This red one has a great handle. Very comfortable.
Don't worry about getting all the peel off at the top and bottom. We'll just cut that away later.
Cut your apples in half.
This is where the chef's knife would come in handy. It was such a pain cutting these large apples with a steak knife. Not made for this job.
Lay the half down and cut into fourths.
Then remove the core with a slight diagonal cut.
Cut the quarters (eighths really) into chunks. Make sure you cut away any questionable areas and leftover skin.
Feel free to taste test (uh, I love apples).
Give them a good rinse and just cover with water.
Boil on high for... oh 10 minutes.
This is the perfect time to clean up what you've used so far. This is a concept that my advanced foods class couldn't quite comprehend even after several time management essays. They lost kitchen privileges.
Ah, look at that perfect boil.
Still a way to go, get one of these out. You can use a food processor or a blender (which is what I use at home). Do you see any specialized equipment here? No. No hand food grinders. No specialized baby food steamers. And later, no special prepared baby food freezing containers.
Test for done-ness. If you insert a fork, does it give? Is it soft? Here, not so much.
I'm furiously texting my mom at this point.
When I cook, I cook by smell. Can I smell the food? Then it's done. I can smell apples in the air! (This is my intense food-sniffing face.)
Apple chunks into the food processor.
Reserve the cooking liquid.
Boiling food releases vitamins into the cooking water and water seeps into the food. Reserving the liquid helps you retain some vitamins. You can add those vitamins back into the food during the processing by adding that water if the food isn't moist enough.
I'm ready. Machine is ready. Are YOU ready?
Here we go!
No more apple chunks.
Looks like applesauce. That's what it should be.
I think it's a bit dry though so I add a little of that reserved water.
Go ahead and taste it. My motto, I won't feed it to Ivy if I won't taste it. I did taste this. I also tasted so I could do this...
Yes, it was cool enough. And yes, she seems to like it.
I pour the applesauce into a more manageable container to better pour with.
And then I pour the sauce into cleaned ice cube trays. Oopsies, I forgot to rotate this picture.
I actually pour as much as I can on one side of the ice cube trays.
And then smooth it all out which pushes excess into the next cup.
Perfect.
Into the freezer it goes!
Once it's frozen, pop the food out of the trays and store in large freezer zip bags.
Clean everything else up and you're good to go!
Okay... I mentioned this in an earlier post... about the green beans being very different from each other. I forgot to rotate this one too. Poop.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
In a Quandry
I don't know what's going on. Before we left for The Massive Vacation, Ivy was eating sweet potatoes and carrots really well. We got "down here" and I made more of the same. And she got sick and refused to eat anything besides cereal - which was also a bit of a test. I've finally gotten her back to sweet potatoes. But carrots are still a no go with her for some reason. I started bananas too which she likes. I don't know if I want to try the fresh green beans again. I was planning on making apples for her soon so she can have another taste of something.
Ivy finally learned how to sit up. We had been working on sitting her up on her bottom for a while and she enjoyed sitting with support. I was able to get her to sit up with even less support and she's been really great about it ever since!
Other than this, there's not much else to talk about.
Ivy finally learned how to sit up. We had been working on sitting her up on her bottom for a while and she enjoyed sitting with support. I was able to get her to sit up with even less support and she's been really great about it ever since!
Other than this, there's not much else to talk about.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
On Massive Vacation!
Alrighty! So we didn't get as much done on the Freakout Cleaning Session - but that's okay. I'm neurotic, but I can totally ... just procrastinate! Tuesday I had a dentist appointment. Two fillings. Done in 20 minutes. We headed out of town right after that. The drive didn't seem quite nearly as long as it has felt in the past. I think it has to do with the book on CD the man downloaded and the book I finished reading.
Poor Ivy ended up with an ear infection and quite possibly an upper respiratory infection. This would only happen once we're five hours away from our doctor. Naturally we called and they said don't worry. My baby was lethargic. Not eating. Not acting herself. We called the doc back and got no answer so we went to the ER. We're trying to keep her fever down. She's on antibiotics and has ear drops.
You know, there's something I used to think about when I was younger (like late teens, early 20s). I had the ever present thought that if I were to have kids, people would get on my case or whatever because I look so young. I hadn't thought about this ...thought... in quite some time. And you know, I have never had anyone judge me for my (seeming) age and pregnancy/motherhood. I guess I don't look as young anymore? Or society has really desensitized itself about very young mothers. Here's another thought, I think Ryan is with me 99.9% I'm in public with Ivy (and when I was pregnant). Ooooooorrrrr, I just never saw people talking about me. Anyway, whatever.
Homemade baby food versus the stuff in the grocery store.
Okay, I can totally tell you my sweet potatoes and carrots are a hit. So I decided to move on to something new. Green beans. Not a hit. We tried it a couple of times. And we had to actually buy the jar food because I didn't have time to cook. So... the stuff in the jar was a dull gray green. Not pretty. And then I made my own green beans. Extremely vibrant. So pretty! But still not a hit. Granted, Ivy wasn't feeling well. She didn't even want to eat her sweet potatoes. So after we tried the green beans (fresh and jar) I thought that carrots would be a hit since she eats what I make. I opened the jar and the carrots were RED. Not orange. Red! And they didn't smell like carrots, but very strong and bitter. Not like the sweet smell of carrots we're used to. Of course, she wouldn't eat it. Yeah, she doesn't feel well. Yeah, it's a new flavor. But there's another thing too. I took a look at the ingredients of a jar of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes, water and ascorbic acid (to preserve color). Uuuuhh... my frozen sweet potatoes are the same color as the day I made them and I didn't add anything but water to them.
And that's where I leave it for tonight.
Poor Ivy ended up with an ear infection and quite possibly an upper respiratory infection. This would only happen once we're five hours away from our doctor. Naturally we called and they said don't worry. My baby was lethargic. Not eating. Not acting herself. We called the doc back and got no answer so we went to the ER. We're trying to keep her fever down. She's on antibiotics and has ear drops.
You know, there's something I used to think about when I was younger (like late teens, early 20s). I had the ever present thought that if I were to have kids, people would get on my case or whatever because I look so young. I hadn't thought about this ...thought... in quite some time. And you know, I have never had anyone judge me for my (seeming) age and pregnancy/motherhood. I guess I don't look as young anymore? Or society has really desensitized itself about very young mothers. Here's another thought, I think Ryan is with me 99.9% I'm in public with Ivy (and when I was pregnant). Ooooooorrrrr, I just never saw people talking about me. Anyway, whatever.
Homemade baby food versus the stuff in the grocery store.
Okay, I can totally tell you my sweet potatoes and carrots are a hit. So I decided to move on to something new. Green beans. Not a hit. We tried it a couple of times. And we had to actually buy the jar food because I didn't have time to cook. So... the stuff in the jar was a dull gray green. Not pretty. And then I made my own green beans. Extremely vibrant. So pretty! But still not a hit. Granted, Ivy wasn't feeling well. She didn't even want to eat her sweet potatoes. So after we tried the green beans (fresh and jar) I thought that carrots would be a hit since she eats what I make. I opened the jar and the carrots were RED. Not orange. Red! And they didn't smell like carrots, but very strong and bitter. Not like the sweet smell of carrots we're used to. Of course, she wouldn't eat it. Yeah, she doesn't feel well. Yeah, it's a new flavor. But there's another thing too. I took a look at the ingredients of a jar of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes, water and ascorbic acid (to preserve color). Uuuuhh... my frozen sweet potatoes are the same color as the day I made them and I didn't add anything but water to them.
And that's where I leave it for tonight.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Freakout Cleaning Session 1
Let me preface this by letting you in on a big fast stinking pile of obvious. I'm lazy. I don't hide this fact. I also procrastinate to the last minute. This invariably drives my husband in sane because it causes me to become a chaotic, freaktastic, neurotic overload of crazy. But I get stuff done in this way. I like my time used to be spent for me, instead of worrying about all the nit-picky details on the daily. Okay? It's how I function. And because we all know a neurotic overload of crazy (with a side case of OCD) cannot live without a list, I'll throw one in here a little later.
My husband and I are both teachers. We both have the summer off. We spent the last week of school cleaning our classrooms. I had a great deal more to do since they're re-doing my classroom into strict culinary arts and are upgrading on some level. I got it done. Being an elective teacher has it's perks. The last week of school was devoted to the students who failed their state standardized tests for core curriculum tutoring (math, English, science, history). Electives didn't have classes unless they were asked to sub for a core teacher. Apparently no one really dares to ask me to sub. Or they forget about me since my classroom resides in the back end of the school (The Cave). In all technicality, we were scheduled to go to work today unless 1) we took a special training session -which electives didn't do or 2) provided a sick amount of documented overtime. Boy howdy did I provide a sick amount of documented overtime.
Hooray summer! It's finally here! Teachers of the world rejoice!! A two-month-long vacation. Freedom to roam about willy-nilly. And since it's my husband's profession as well, extreme freedom willy-nilly summer style! The seniors graduated last night - I also had a wonderful dream in which I exacted my revenge on students that I didn't care too much for. In my dream they were drinking beer and skipping INTO my classes. They wanted to go sky diving but I took several pairs of scissors to their expensive equipment.
So having summer finally here (and not being too tired as a teacher and new mother) it's time to muther-effing clean this apartment. First because it has been neglected for far too long. Secondly, we'll be going on a Massive Vacation. Weeeeeellllll... We're taking four weeks to spend time with family in our hometown so everyone can see Ivy. We can only do this because Ryan's parents put us up. There's a bed for all of us and everything. We're very fortunate. Anyway, this trip will also include my attendance to a Food Science Teacher Conference in Austin. I love Austin. I'm excited to go. However, it is on my birthday. Not that weekend, not the day before. On. My. BIRTHDAY. I cannot spend my Big THREE-OH with my husband and baby. My birthday will be spent working. UGH! However, my Mommy will be accompanying me to this side trip and I fully intend to get into some form trouble.
So, until this Massive Vacation starts (after I have a dentist appointment) we're deep cleaning the apartment. This started today. Here is my Crazy Assed Freakout Cleaning Session Task List
GARAGE
MASTER BATHROOM
KITCHEN
LIVING ROOM
SMALL BATHROOM
Sadly, this task list does not include the things we need to do in order to get ourselves far far away from here and on our Massive Vacation. I need to come up with another list. Hmmm.
Mini cleaning session
Last load of laundry
Last load of dishes
Last load of garbage
Final purchases
Pack like a banshee
Hope against all hopes we pack everything and don't forget a darn thing
Skedaddle!
Tomorrow there will be a break in cleaning. My BFF's (Lyn) birthday is tomorrow. Haven't seen here since September so we're making a trip to see her. She also just moved into her own apartment so there's celebrating that. The day after (Monday) is my and Ryan's seventh wedding anniversary. So we will likely not be all gung-ho about the cleaning. Tuesday is the dentist appointment. I hope we get everything done so we can leave on Wednesday early in the am.
My husband and I are both teachers. We both have the summer off. We spent the last week of school cleaning our classrooms. I had a great deal more to do since they're re-doing my classroom into strict culinary arts and are upgrading on some level. I got it done. Being an elective teacher has it's perks. The last week of school was devoted to the students who failed their state standardized tests for core curriculum tutoring (math, English, science, history). Electives didn't have classes unless they were asked to sub for a core teacher. Apparently no one really dares to ask me to sub. Or they forget about me since my classroom resides in the back end of the school (The Cave). In all technicality, we were scheduled to go to work today unless 1) we took a special training session -which electives didn't do or 2) provided a sick amount of documented overtime. Boy howdy did I provide a sick amount of documented overtime.
Hooray summer! It's finally here! Teachers of the world rejoice!! A two-month-long vacation. Freedom to roam about willy-nilly. And since it's my husband's profession as well, extreme freedom willy-nilly summer style! The seniors graduated last night - I also had a wonderful dream in which I exacted my revenge on students that I didn't care too much for. In my dream they were drinking beer and skipping INTO my classes. They wanted to go sky diving but I took several pairs of scissors to their expensive equipment.
So having summer finally here (and not being too tired as a teacher and new mother) it's time to muther-effing clean this apartment. First because it has been neglected for far too long. Secondly, we'll be going on a Massive Vacation. Weeeeeellllll... We're taking four weeks to spend time with family in our hometown so everyone can see Ivy. We can only do this because Ryan's parents put us up. There's a bed for all of us and everything. We're very fortunate. Anyway, this trip will also include my attendance to a Food Science Teacher Conference in Austin. I love Austin. I'm excited to go. However, it is on my birthday. Not that weekend, not the day before. On. My. BIRTHDAY. I cannot spend my Big THREE-OH with my husband and baby. My birthday will be spent working. UGH! However, my Mommy will be accompanying me to this side trip and I fully intend to get into some form trouble.
So, until this Massive Vacation starts (after I have a dentist appointment) we're deep cleaning the apartment. This started today. Here is my Crazy Assed Freakout Cleaning Session Task List
GARAGE
- Go through all rooms for items
- Everything for garage sale into garage
Straighten garage- Have garage sale
- Donate leftovers
Dust fanDust all surfaces- Fresh sheets/blankets
- All clothes/shoes put away
- Tidy surfaces
VacuumTrash out
MASTER BATHROOM
Dust all surfacesTidy counterStraighten cupboardsWindex mirrorDisinfectTreat sinksSwizzle toiletTreat shower tiles and tub- New shower curtain
- Straighten closets
Trash outFloor mat to laundry
KITCHEN
- Reorganize cabinets
- Get rid of food
- Clean microwave in & out
- Clean counters
- Disinfect
- Wash any dishes & put all away
- Clean stove and oven door
- Clean dishwasher door
- Clean out freezer and fridge
- Clean outside of fridge
- Sweep
- Mop
- Dust all surfaces
- Put all papers away
- There’s a place for everything…
- Clean table
- Sweep
- Mop
LIVING ROOM
- Treat stains
Dust fanDust all surfaces- There’s a place for everything…
- Tidy surfaces
- Straighten books & dvds
- Clean in and out entertainment center
- Windex glass doors
- Trash out
- Vacuum
SMALL BATHROOM
- Dust surfaces
- Disinfect
- Swizzle toilet
- Floor mats to laundry
- Dirty towels to laundry
- Trash out
- Sweep
- Mop
- Put clothes away
- Straighten book shelf
- Straighten window area
- Change sheets
- Take out diaper garbage
- Trash out
- Fill diaper drawer
- Vacuum
- Treat stains
- Vacuum (one done)
Sadly, this task list does not include the things we need to do in order to get ourselves far far away from here and on our Massive Vacation. I need to come up with another list. Hmmm.
Mini cleaning session
Last load of laundry
Last load of dishes
Last load of garbage
Final purchases
Pack like a banshee
Hope against all hopes we pack everything and don't forget a darn thing
Skedaddle!
Tomorrow there will be a break in cleaning. My BFF's (Lyn) birthday is tomorrow. Haven't seen here since September so we're making a trip to see her. She also just moved into her own apartment so there's celebrating that. The day after (Monday) is my and Ryan's seventh wedding anniversary. So we will likely not be all gung-ho about the cleaning. Tuesday is the dentist appointment. I hope we get everything done so we can leave on Wednesday early in the am.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
On Books and Reading
I really thought I would never be able to read again. After having Ivy, I thought I would never have the time to pick up another book. I have however, read 4 books since March. I am able to read a chapter or two every night. Thank goodness to Ivy learning to sleep all night! Phew!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sixth Month Check-up
The kiddo had her six month checkup today. Vaccines oh boy. She weighs 14.9 pounds and is 26.5 inches. She did very well with the shots. She only cried for a little bit then was over it. Then I had an asthma checkup. And then I got a shot (steroids).
Update on the baby food. The stuff I brought home was pretty old so I went ahead and made some fresh batches. We started with sweet potatoes and Ivy's done well with that. It's a time and energy consuming process but I do enjoy it. And now that school is basically out now, I'll have more time to do this.
Hello angry face: I purchased a piece of luggage from Target (granted) and I finally took a closer look today and saw there are two spots in which stitches are popping. I wanted to get something a bit more stylish and larger than my pilot case (which would become Ivy's). Wouldn't you know it, it's the exact same size. I wanted to avoid taking four bags for myself, and instead take two. FYI: We're spending about four weeks in our hometown with family from the second week in June to the second week in July. Anyway, I normally take a bag for my clothes; a bag for toiletries, makeup, hair stuff and various similar items because I'm a girl; a bag for anti-boredom with things like books, letterboxing stuff; my laptop; my purse. So I pretty much need a ... pretty big suitcase. I just hate how expensive they are. Yeah yeah, quality and stuff, and it'd certainly get plenty of use, and we have enough money... but dang. YKWIM? And they also come in sets. I don't really need a set. I've already got a nice small bag that I like. I could totally sell it and all my other bags that I don't need/use.
On top of all this, Happy Hurricane Season. Today is the start of it. While I am no longer directly affected, my family is. I'm thankful that I no longer have to pack my most important possessions into a car and drive for a full day going only, oh 200 miles. Evacuation was always fun growing up. Now I worry for my family and hope they all stay safe.
You stay safe too. Okay?
Update on the baby food. The stuff I brought home was pretty old so I went ahead and made some fresh batches. We started with sweet potatoes and Ivy's done well with that. It's a time and energy consuming process but I do enjoy it. And now that school is basically out now, I'll have more time to do this.
Hello angry face: I purchased a piece of luggage from Target (granted) and I finally took a closer look today and saw there are two spots in which stitches are popping. I wanted to get something a bit more stylish and larger than my pilot case (which would become Ivy's). Wouldn't you know it, it's the exact same size. I wanted to avoid taking four bags for myself, and instead take two. FYI: We're spending about four weeks in our hometown with family from the second week in June to the second week in July. Anyway, I normally take a bag for my clothes; a bag for toiletries, makeup, hair stuff and various similar items because I'm a girl; a bag for anti-boredom with things like books, letterboxing stuff; my laptop; my purse. So I pretty much need a ... pretty big suitcase. I just hate how expensive they are. Yeah yeah, quality and stuff, and it'd certainly get plenty of use, and we have enough money... but dang. YKWIM? And they also come in sets. I don't really need a set. I've already got a nice small bag that I like. I could totally sell it and all my other bags that I don't need/use.
On top of all this, Happy Hurricane Season. Today is the start of it. While I am no longer directly affected, my family is. I'm thankful that I no longer have to pack my most important possessions into a car and drive for a full day going only, oh 200 miles. Evacuation was always fun growing up. Now I worry for my family and hope they all stay safe.
You stay safe too. Okay?
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