Lullaby: Edited

Rowan loves to hear me sing, and often her bedtime involves a lot of it. As mentioned before, the cry-it-out theory does not work with her, and I have since dumped the pediatrician who tried to make me feel guilty for not using it. Some nights, she gets placed in her crib with her entourage (the bears Roosevelt and Eleanor and the red Monchichi with the leaf on her head, Apple), tucked in, and she goes to sleep easily by herself to the sound of the WombBear as we happily skip downstairs to a bowl of ice cream and some boob tube /internet /movie /book.

Other nights? We rock. And rock. And rock. Sing, sing and sing. Or even lie with her in the big bed until she falls asleep. (And try not to fall asleep ourselves. Usually failing.)

You'd think that a music teacher would have tons of great lullabies floating around in my head.

Yeah, you'd think.

Nope. Seems the only things I can remember are the Chipmunks Christmas Song and some very inappropriate Monty Python tunes. Ahem.

So, I'm learning some new ones. I now know all the words, in French, to À la Claire Fontaine, Au Claire de la Lune, Gentil Coquelicots and Frère Jacques (yeah, that one's pretty easy). We sing some jazz tunes, like the Gershwin tune I sang at my sister's wedding. And I make up new words to pop tunes that I can't remember the real words to (like Safety Dance: in my version, "we can dance! we can dance! everybody's wearing their pants!" I think it actually makes more sense than "everybody look at your hands!" as the real lyrics go. Why?)

But the most valuable tunes are the ones you can extend over and over, when she's just about there but needs a few more verses. So here are our current favorites.

• Old McDonald (on his farm there are not only animals--we've got tractors, combines, swathers and sports cars! Tonight, there were squirrels. They go "chitter". Just so you know.)
• He/She's got the Whole World In His/Her Hands! (Anything works with this. He can have trumpets and bassoons, she can have armpits and toejam, he can have a glass of wine for Mommy--whatever!)
• Oops--I forgot! This Little Light of Mine. We keep it going by not hiding the light in lots of places, including the trunk of the car, the linen closet, and if Dr. B is singing, "my armpit" and other, um, unmentionable places.
  

So, I would love some new ones! Do you have any favorite lullabies? Especially never-ending ones? Please, tell us!

And just because you know you want to watch it, a little Men Without Hats.

What's for Supper?

It's that time again, and since last week I never bothered to post (we had some good stuff, but I don't feel like rehashing), I figure I better get back on the wagon. Currently, I've got tomorrow planned, but I am hoping that by the end of this post, I'll have the whole week done. Motivation, thy name is blog.

OK, so here goes. Including yesterday. Thanks, Laura!

Sunday: Lunch: Cashew Carrot Ginger soup (highly recommended), baguette, 4 cheeses (provolone with garlic and herbs, a basque sheep/cow cheese that rocked, an Italian truffle cheese that I liked but he didn't, and a Comté), sliced apples.

Supper: Boneless Pork Spare Ribs with Kentucky BBQ sauce (Target boutique version), steamed asparagus, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream.

Monday: Chili with cheese and sour cream, beer. (Love those simple meals!) Note: we're not Irish, and don't like being pinched, so we don't celebrate St. Pat's. Except with the beer.

Tuesday: (friends who just visited France are coming over, so we're making at Breton specialty). Gallettes de Sarrasin with lardons (bacon), egg, mushroom and cheese served with sour cream (a good stand in for crème fraîche, because the American kind tastes weird), green salad with vinaigrette, baguette, hard cider. Our friend is bringing the dessert.

Wednesday: Jambalaya (I'm going the lazy route with a mix) with chicken, green salad.

Thursday: Hamburgers and Fries (yeah, also lazy, but I'll toast the buns!)

Friday: Urgent Enchiladas* (not authentic, but delicious! Recipe follows.)

Saturday: Lunch Grilled Ham and Cheese, chips, carrots and pickles.

Supper Round Steak (my mom's recipe, slow roasted with tomatoes and onions), baked potatoes, asparagus (if they still have the lovely stuff we got last week.)

Sunday: Lunch Leftover enchiladas

Supper some sort of soup, bread and cheese.

*Urgent Enchiladas
The name came from an email from my MIL: "Urgent!!! I need your enchilada recipe!"

• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned with onion and drained (optional)
  
• 1-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (1 if meat, 2 if no meat)
• 1 jar ChiChi's salsa (theirs is really good--Fiesta, Fire-Roasted, whatever. All good.)
• 1 can MILD Old El Paso red enchilada sauce (I don't get the Hot or Medium. They're really hot! Dr. B eats habanero sauce on his eggs, and he thinks they're too hot!) You can use 2 if you like them really juicy.
  
• Shredded Mexican-blend cheese, about 2 cups (Sargento is good, and doesn't have any spices added, just 4 cheeses. Or use cheddar or whatever.)
• Taco seasoning (about 1 T.) (I have used regular taco seasoning, but right now am using Penzey's Bold Taco, which I love. Doesn't much matter though, whatever you like, or make up your own from the spice cabinet.)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Brown meat (if using), add beans to pan and heat with about 1/2 jar of salsa and taco seasoning. Heat until most of the liquid is gone. If you're doing only beans, you could mash them a bit so they're easier to eat. I hate refried beans (too mushy) so that's why I use whole beans, but I go the easy route and get the canned ones.

Grease a 9x13 pan. On each tortilla, put about 3 T. cheese in a line, add filling (about 1/2 cup) and roll up. Nest together in the pan. Your pan will be really full.

Cover with enchilada sauce, making sure to cover all surfaces, especially ends. Pour leftover salsa down the center of all the enchiladas, and top with any leftover cheese.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until bubbly, covered with foil. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and black olives if desired. Serves 4 very generously, or more if you serve it with some side dishes like rice, beans, salad, etc.

Deezer

Oh, I am happy I found this. Like hanging out at FNAC all day, without the overheated french mall and annoying plastic smell. You may not be able to play music in a store or restaurant without paying each and every artist royalties (French law) but you can play any song you like for free on the internet in your own home.

The French: they're nothing if not contradictory.

Go to Deezer to listen to all the music you want for free. Whoopie!

Rocket Ship

Rocket Ship from Ronica on Vimeo.

Rowan and her dad love to play together. She likes "flying", just like her grandpa.

So nice to see these smiles and hear this laughter once again.

Up

Things are looking up. The weather is thinking about improving. Today was sunny and in the 40's, though the temperature dropped back down once the sun went down. Stars were clear and bright in the sky as I took Lucy for her 9 o'clock walk. The grass has hints of green in it, and only the dregs of snirt remain on the berm. It still doesn't feel like Spring, but there is a chilly promise that it will come, before too long.

My cold is much better, as is Dr. B's. Rowan still has the ishy river o' snot running from nose to mouth, but she's learned that it's very tasty and quickly sucks her upper lip into her mouth after sneezing, whipping her head from side to side in protest when we come at her with a tissue. She's eating again (things other than snot), though she's decided she's had enough of yams for a while. She's pooping. (Yes!! *pumps fist*) She's playing, and even laughs and smiles on occasion. And, she's napping, for good ones. Touch wood, she's also going to sleep without rocking, cajoling, singing, stories, or lying ins. I'm sure that now that I've said this, it will change, but I'm enjoying it thoroughly at the moment.

Tomorrow we're driving to a town nearly 2 hours away for an appointment with a dermatologist. The local guy's next available appointment was in mid-August, but another doc had a cancellation in Danville, so we're driving. I can't wait.

Dr. B decided that Spring Break really was not supposed to mean "work all the time", and after 2 days of going to work when nobody else did, he spent today at home, working some of the time, and watched Rowan this afternoon while I ran a bunch of errands. Without a baby in a carseat to slow me down, I actually had the flexibility to try on clothes and found a great pair of jeans on sale at Target. They look a lot cuter than the picture, and they fit great. Plus, they're a size smaller than I thought I was. Bonus! (Thanks to my sister--I finally cashed in that Birthday gift card that's been burning a hole in my wallet since August, and which you ordered to be spent only on myself.)

Little things, but they make a difference. Maybe tomorrow I'll have an answer for my chappy little problem. One can only hope!

Scrabulous

They landed like that, I swear. I did not rearrange.



Gotta love it.

(And for the record, I'm currently losing this game.)

Free Stuff

My mom worked at Coke back in the early 70's. She was in on the creation of Fresca (it's grapefruit flavor, BTW, and she hated it), was able to buy cases of "low-fills" for cheap thus becoming the coolest sister-in-law ever to my teenage uncles, and had a Coke baby outfit for me (which she didn't save, unfortunately. But I still have the booties from the Budweiser outfit I also had. I have no idea where she got that.) She worked as the office manager (I think?) and learned some important things while working there. The main one was that if you have a problem with a product and take the time to write a note or make a phone call, you get free stuff! Throughout my childhood, she would do this and we would receive coupons or vouchers for free items. She only did it when she had a true gripe (like when we found a rock in our chunky peanut butter), but it always worked.

So I do it, too. Yeah, I like the free stuff, but I also like knowing they are aware of my opinion. Once, when I opened a fridge pack of soda on the bottom shelf of our refrigerator, an hour after mopping the floor, and cans rolled out and burst all over my floor, I called the Coke company and told them to make better cans! (I was pretty peeved that I had to remop the floor.) And they actually did--they sent a package for me to mail in the can so they could test it, because they had recently changed their cans and were concerned about the strength! And I got 5 free cases of soda!!!

I recently wrote to Gerber, concerned about the #7 plastic baby food containers and the bisphenol A that is in them. They wrote back, promising coupons, but basically telling me that my concerns were worthless. I wrote again and said I'd only buy their glass jars, thank you, because despite what the federal government tells me, I still have concerns. I never received the coupons. I guess they showed me.

Anyway, my favorite shampoo-conditioner combo recently changed the scent in their conditioner. I hate it. So I wrote.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 12:09 PM
To: Silk, Sun
Subject: Sunsilk Information

I have been using Sunsilk's extra- volume shampoo and conditioner (the yellow bottles) since it came out. I love the way it makes my hair react. Recently, however, you changed the scent in the conditioner. I just have to write to tell you that I hate it so much I will have to stop using your product. It smells like that crappy cheap potpourri people used to boil back in the late 80's. Yuck! Who wants their head to smell like "Orchard Fresh"? More like "dead cat rotting in a pile of plums left in the sun."

I'm really disappointed, and I hope you haven't made this change a permanent one. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you take it into consideration. I'd really rather my fully voluminized hair smelled fresh and clean, rather than like the floor in the back of a city bus in August.

Regards,
La Rêveuse

And got this reply:

Hi La Rêveuse,

Thanks for writing!

We are aware that response to fragrance is a highly individual preference. The scents created for our products are carefully tested before marketing, to ensure they meet preferences of majority of consumers. All product fragrances should be light, fresh, and pleasant.

We will certainly forward your e-mail to the Brand Manager and the appropriate staff. Consumer comments are important and evaluated on a regular basis.

Thank you for providing your address*, as we are sending complementary coupons of our products.

Chris Green
Unilever Consumer Services

*They ask you to provide your address, but I would have anyway, because I know how these things work.

So, I guess I'm on the lookout for a new, non-stinky Unilever product. A free one. Any suggestions?

Egg on Face

You know how when you rant publicly, usually the next day you are pretty much proven wrong? Well, yeah. A nurse called with my test results (no problems), and offered to refer me immediately to a dermatologist since this was causing me "so much discomfort". Finally! No week-waiting! She wasn't sure she could get me in with their normal guy in a timely manner, and she assumed I probably didn't want to wait a long time (assumption correct), so she said she'd see what she could do, but I might have to drive a ways.

Fine. Not a problem. I last filled up with gas on Feb. 1 and still have 1/4 tank--it's not like I'm driving a ton, so it might be a refreshing change. Who knows, maybe there will be an Old Navy nearby Dermatologist X--that would be enjoyable. And I am just really relieved to have someone who listened to me and didn't make me feel like I was exaggerating. My doctors in the past (and my current one who is great) have always loved the fact that I am very in touch with my own state of being, and know when something's not right, and am the first to go in and have it checked out. I watched my mother self-medicate for years, and watched her die when there was a big problem she didn't want to face because she wouldn't ask for help. If normal OTC stuff doesn't work quickly, I get help from experts. I don't mess around with health stuff; it's just too important.

OK, end rant. I'll update you on the lip situation, if you care. (Aside to Jenn: Tried the butt paste. Felt weird putting butt paste on my mouth. It didn't help--even seemed to dry out faster than carmex or chap stick. Back to the drawing board, but thanks again for the tip.)

Today, Rowan woke as fussy as she has been over the last few days, and I was worried. But she is now on nap #2 and had a good couple hours between where she played and didn't cry the entire time (as she has for the last week--she's either been asleep or crying or crying while asleep.) Plus, Dr. B called and is coming home early to help out with her. And she let me put saline drops in her nose without crying, twice. That's progress. She's also had 2 poopy diapers, which we haven't seen in 2 days. Hallelujah! Working on it--meds + yams worked until she was sick of yams. Now we're eliminating applesauce, adding prunes again and trying quick oats. We are also taking out her vitamins and just giving her fluoride drops--I'm suspecting the iron is doing it, because it does that to me. She is eating better today (she enjoyed the oatmeal/prune combo), and nursing more, so all this points to her starting to feel better. She's still got a runny nose, and gets mad when I wipe it away (she prefers to eat it--yuck!), but her cough seems a little better, and she's sleeping more soundly.

The clouds are lifting...

Culture Shock at the Doc

This is a rant. Officially. I am frustrated. Stop reading now if you're not in the mood--I won't be offended.

Today I took Rowan in for her 9 month appointment, and then saw a PA at my doctor's office (whom I love, so was disappointed that she didn't have an opening). The PA asked if we liked living here. I said yes, but it was a bit of a culture shock. She seemed a little offended. But you know, this is not the midwest. I am reminded of that regularly. It's just not the same. There are things, little things. They probably are no big deal, but we miss them. People in the midwest are really friendly and very relaxed. They have incredible work ethics. They always strive to make you feel comfortable. They have high standards, and those standards apply to everyone. And when it comes to health care, these are things I notice.

Yes, I'm living in Appalachia. But come on. This is a college town. A major university. We should have top-notch health care, right?

And I suppose it's probably fine. We're not dying or anything. But comparing it to the great care we received in Madison, and the wonderful doctors I saw in Paris, I just feel that something is lacking. Stupid, little things. The nurses never introduce themselves. I don't get asked the laundry list of questions every time just to make sure nothing important has changed. When phoning in with symptoms, they say, "well, if you think you should come in, you can."

I shouldn't have to think. They should tell me. THEY'RE THE EXPERTS. And when a baby has had a fever for 5 days, it's worth checking out! What if she had an infection? What if there was a major problem? How long am I supposed to wait--how serious does it have to get before they say, "you should really come in!"????

Then, we get notices from our insurance saying they won't cover trips to the ER, even though no other doctors were available at the time. Because it turned out to only be strep throat and wasn't serious enough. Which we would know... how? Except by going in, and when the pain has markedly increased and is nearly unbearable, well, yes it is an emergency! And it WAS strep throat!

In Madison, we were members of 2 different HMO's, both rated in the top in the country. They told you who to see and when and how often. They told you where to go based on the possible seriousness of your condition. More often than not, you had to go in. And they knew what they were doing. They were efficient, friendly, thorough, professional and they always introduced themselves. They made us feel like they really, really knew what they were doing and we would be well taken care of. And we were.

Here? I call at 2 in the morning because my baby is screaming and running a fever of 104, and they act as if it's no big deal, but don't take the time to reassure me of that fact. They don't tell me what temperature I should be worried at--just that "it should break in the next 24 hours". I go in for painful, itchy, scaly lips that haven't improved in 6 weeks despite throwing every possible thing I can think of at them, and I get asked if I've tried anything organic or Carmex and if I'm taking vitamins. You know, because a little fancy twigs-and-bark lip balm is going to solve a problem medical-grade lanolin and pure olive oil can't. And get told to come back in a week if Carmex doesn't work, and they'll refer me to a dermatologist. (At least she did take blood work for a thyroid test when I asked for it, since there's a family history.)

So here I sit. Itchy lips, a baby who still is fussy and won't sleep, and I don't even remember the names of the two nurses I saw today.

I want my HMO back.

Still Sick, but Surviving.

Last night was long, but at least we did get some sleep. At 8, I put the baby to bed, and went to brush my teeth. I was washing my face when she started to cry, and she kept it up while I moisturized and put on my jammies. I picked her up, and climbed into the guest bed in her room. She fell asleep in my arms, and despite waking up several times during the night for snot suck-outage, nasal drain lifts, retuckings, pacifier taps, and just general "it's OK, Mommy's right here" soothings, we did get some sleep.

Rowan's fever is still up there, but at least it's only hovering between 99-102. She was still fussy and clingy today, but had stretches where she'd play by herself, allowing me to clean the bathrooms and do some loads of towels (which helped my mental state a lot.) I still feel tough, but a little less hideous than yesterday, and the state of the house was really starting to get to me. We laid down together for a nap at 2:30, and by 2:45 she was sleeping, so I decided it would be OK for me to close my eyes, too, rather than sneak out and vacuum.

We woke up at 5:10.

Oops.

Dr. B had planned to be home early, but got involved in his work and didn't make it until nearly 6, but since we had been sleeping, it was OK. He took over, feeding her yams, tofu and applesauce, strapping her to his hip when she didn't want to be set down, and playing with her while I headed to the grocery store for much needed supplies and to pick up some dinner (again ordered by him. I don't think he appreciated the burnt gravy last night--or should I say no gravy.) I made sure to pick up some stuff that I wouldn't have to think about to cook, like a frozen pizza and a frozen lasagna, just in case. When I got home, he had put her to bed.

And she's still asleep. Alone in her crib. Hallelujah.

Maybe I'll get to sleep in my bed tonight.

Fever

Last night was a rough one. Dr. B was working on 3 hours of sleep, but still ran to the store for more medicine and kleenex, to the video store for a return and to pick up dinner (he ordered me to not cook.) I am still feeling horrid, with a stuffy head, coughing and aching abs from all the coughing and nose-blowing, so was looking forward to a slug of NyQuil and a long rest. Sensing that something was coming, I propped Rowan's crib mattress up with a few books, just in case the cold we have was hitting her.

Then, at 12:30 she woke up, screaming. I ran in, picked her up, and brought her to the changing table. Then I nearly passed out myself. I think the quick jump up combined with the sickness and cold meds made my blood pressure drop (not unusual for me). "Honey, you need to come! I'm in trouble!" I yelled. He took her, I sat in the bathroom until I could see straight, and went back to bed as he rocked her back to sleep.

At 2, she cried again. I couldn't find Dr. B, so I ran in to get her. He came flying up the stairs; I guess he had just laid her down after rocking her to sleep and ran to get himself some OJ. "What's wrong? I just laid her down, she was fine," he said. "Oh, dear God, she's burning up!" I answered, and pulled out the thermometer as I laid her on the changing table.

She screamed, but didn't fight the thermometer placed in the place where nobody wants anything placed, if you know what I mean. Ahem. I watched it climb, and felt my heart sink.

103.7.

A call to the doctor, some liquid Motrin, and a night of her sleeping in my arms. She would cry as soon as I laid her down, so I slept with her head nestled in the crook of my elbow, and as she cried out in her sleep, I'd tap her nuk until she calmed down again and sank into slumber.

Up at 7:30, down for a 10-minute nap at 9 (yes, TEN minutes. TEN.) and one very fussy, clingy girl.

It's gonna be a long, long day. Sigh.

What's for Supper?

I figure if I start writing this, maybe I'll get enough energy to actually do the planning involved. It's a pipe dream, due to the cold I am fighting, but I think by Friday I'll be hoping that I planned for more than just orange juice and Theraflu, so here goes. Thanks, Laura, for the motivation.

Sunday: Lunch Brie and Ham Omlettes, salad. Supper Bison Steak Haché (chopped steak) with Chicago Steak Seasoning from Penzey's, brown rice and couscous with Herbes de Provence from Penzey's, corn. (Dr. B's business trip took him to Madison, so he stocked up for me while he was there. The CSS was awesome--made the bison burger taste really steaky. BTW, that's why I didn't post last week--I basically ate the same thing for 3 days, then another same thing for 2 while I waited for him to get home. Not so exciting.)

Monday: Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce with Ground Turkey, Salad. (That is, if I get up and get going. Signs are not great. We may be having cough drops and 7up for supper.)

Tuesday: Pork chops, baby red potatoes, glazed carrots.

Wednesday: Beef hard shell tacos, salsa black beans.

Thursday: Ham and Swiss Hoagie Melts, salad.

Friday: Salmon with Dill Yogurt Sauce* (recipe follows), green beans.

Saturday: Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas with salsa and sour cream, fresh fruit. Supper: Norwegian Meatballs, potatoes and gravy, corn.


Salmon with Dill Yogurt Sauce

This is my own recipe, developed by experimentation, that I used to make back when we did the low-carb thing and got all skinny and then we got tired of all the fuss so we started eating again. (We're squishier, but happy.) But this one was really good, lightening fast and super easy, so I still make it often. It looks fancy when you serve it, but it's so easy a monkey could make it.

Ingredients:

Salmon filets or steaks
olive oil
salt and pepper
plain yogurt
lemon juice
dill weed

Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking pan (I don't bother with the broiler pan--to much of a pain to clean) with heavy duty foil and grease it well with olive oil. Place your salmon filets on the sheet, folding under any thin bits so it's pretty much of even thickness. (If you have a piece with a skin side, put it down. You'll be able to leave the skin on the foil when you lift it off with a spatula. Voilà! And if you let your dog eat the skin, she will love you forever.) Brush well with olive oil (Don't skip this or your salmon will dry out. I know it's a fatty fish. It still will dry out.) and season well with salt and pepper. Broil 8-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Don't overcook!

Sauce: Mix your desired amount of plain yogurt with salt, pepper and a pinch of dill. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Make lots, because it's yummy and you'll probably like it on your green beans, too. We do!

Drain

Dr. B is home from a week-long business trip, to Madison of all places, and he brought with him a whole bunch of delectable spices and herbs from Penzey's and a lovely cold. Yay. (Well, to be honest, I was feeling one start before he even arrived, so I can't really blame it on him.) The weekend was spent doing much of nothing except being sick, but he's back at work today. I made it to Target yesterday, but it proved my undoing. My cold has ramped up, and I feel horrible, so the usual Monday plan of menu planning, cleaning the bathrooms, washing sheets, and vacuuming will just have to wait. I'm too busy. I have to evacuate my nose every five seconds, and there's just all that blinking to do.

Rowan took her morning nap early, allowing me to shower and even sneak in an hour of Zzz's with her. She's happily bouncing in her Jumperoo and playing with her new Oball, which is the bomb (thanks to Lisa's friend whomever-you-are for grabbing one for us in Altoona!) [photo of it is from Amazon] I am thankful that she's in a good mood, despite the telltale snot and coughing that she's starting to display. So far, we've been very lucky. When she's sick, she doesn't seem to get too upset about it. I just wish she had that same reaction to being tired and taking naps.

But we do have something to look forward to. Yesterday, I blew our budget out of the water. Though I was not happy about doing it (it took me ages to hit the "confirm" buttons), I am happy about the results.

A. I got Rowan's new carseat, on the Britax sale. Saved 60 bucks and got free shipping. This should last her several years. Woo hoo!

B. I got plane tickets, a hotel reservation and a rental car reserved for my sister's wedding reception weekend in Minneapolis in April. The in-laws are coming, too, and much of my family will be there, including my 85-year old grandparents. The deal was so good that the hotel and rental car only added about a hundred bucks to the cost of the tickets. Can't turn that down.

And just as I was typing this, a friend dropped by with her dog to take Lucy for a walk. This, plus the existence of extra-large Kleenex*, is proof that I have a guardian angel.

(*These are the bomb, BTW; you can really blow without covering your hand in snot, and you can use them more than once without having to search for the tiniest dry corner. They're like a dish-towel Kleenex. AWESOME. Plus, the box fits in our cool kleenex box cozy Dr. B got from one of his students. I think she was from Taiwan. Anyway, it doesn't hold the taller boxes, but the flattish extra larges fit great.)

So today, I'm going to play some Scrabulous, try to figure out this BlogHer stuff, and drink my weight in OJ and Theraflu. The vacuuming can wait.

The Saga

Yes, I am a new Mom. And I write about poop. A lot.

It appears I found the cure for her constipation. At least today. Yes, I did up her dose of the med the doctor gave her. But I don't think that was the answer.

The thing that got things, um, going?

Yams.

Roasted, cooled, peeled, puréed (with a small amount of water) and fed to her with tofu and carrots.

Man, oh man, did that work. 4 times and 3 outfits in one day work.

I yi yi.

Dear Anonymous Commenter

Thanks for taking the time to look at, and post a comment on my blog. Just so you know, if you swear, I'll reject it. Find another way, please. "What the heck are you talking about?" would have been published. Just FYI.

And what the heck I am talking about, if it's not obvious to you (or perhaps the video didn't show up on your screen) is the AMC television show MadMen, of which I posted a clip below. It is frustrating, misogynistic, captivating, well-written, and has the best sets and costumes I've seen on television in a very long time. It won an emmy for best something or other. I'm busy watching the first season now, and am thoroughly enjoying and hating it all at the same time. I want the clothes, but if a man spoke to me that way he'd lose a body part before he finished his sentence.

So that's what the He** I'm talking about. Now next time, clean it up and I won't have to go to all this trouble.

Thank you.
La Rêveuse

My Obsession

Misogynistic, yes. But I can't stop watching.

Man, give me an hour in that wardrobe. Please!

Photo Shoot

Oscar Night, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

It's happened. The Mom thing. Not caring what my hair looks like. Not wearing makeup, for days. Heels? Nah. Jeans, jeans, and more jeans. Long sleeved t-shirts, hoodies and cardigans: comfortable, washable and warm enough. Why wear earrings when she's just going to pull them out? Who needs a fashionable scarf when she'll just yank on it and choke me?

Who needs to look pretty for an 8-month old?

Wait.

Oh yeah.

It's not just for them. It's for me, too.

This was Oscar night. Dr. B wasn't home and Rowan was down for the night, so I girled out. Curled my hair in big silly corkscrews, put on goofy makeup, and took a whole bunch of photos of myself hamming it up in the bathroom mirror. Then I toasted all the celebs who haven't eaten for a month with Girl Scout cookies and 2% milk.

These are a few of the photos, unretouched, just compiled. This is what I really look like. And see that smile? It's real, too.

I have to do this more often. For me.

Comparathon

It finally happened. 8 and a half months old. She's pulling herself up to standing, applauding, feeding herself happily, can pick the Gerber peach puffs out of a mess of Cheerios, and yet could not do that one simple thing the doctors/books/websites had been saying would be the first thing she did.

We have a playdate tomorrow. It doesn't matter, I know, but still. It always comes up. Who did what when and who can do what now. The comparathon. I dread it. (But there will be beer.)

And she finally did it. I left her on her tummy yesterday afternoon in the middle of the bed and went into the bathroom for obvious reasons. When I got back, she was there, flat on her back, happily flipping channels.

Yeah, she can also work the remote. What can I say? I guess she's very advanced.

What's for Supper?

Monday is here, and it's Menu Plan time again. Thanks again to Laura for hosting! Last week our menu got pretty messed up, thanks to the flu, a blizzard and Dr. B being absolutely swamped at work. This week, hopefully we can stick to it a little better. We did take advantage of an Xmas gift card, though, for a night, so it didn't totally blow the budget! I'm working hard to use what we have and reuse leftovers in new dishes, comme c'est typique en France . Anyone got a good name for this? I'm stumped.

Anyway, the menu planning is working very well for me (I'm less stressed, my jeans feel looser, and I am not wasting food), but not so much for Dr. B. He is a stress eater, and tends to open the fridge and stare/grab when he's freaked out (which usually is about 15 minutes before a meal is on the table. Grrr.) Then later, he feels guilty and tells me not to buy any junk food. Then when I don't keep a bunch of extra stuff in the house, he tends to get mad at me or else eat the ingredients for a meal, despite the fact that he reads this and sees the list posted. This weekend there were no chips for the lunch tuna melts because of it. He's going through a really stressful time at work, so I'm adding chips, chocolate, cheese sticks, diet Coke, and some of those single-serving microwave popcorn packs to the list. (It's not like he chooses an apple when he's stressed--get real!) Then at least I don't get yelled at.

So here's the plan for this week.

Monday Dr. B is going to be late. I have leftover turkey cutlets with a red wine reduction sauce and glazed carrots from last night, and I'll prepare some starchy accompaniment for myself. Maybe a little pasta.

Tuesday Our Valentine's Day! :) NY Strip steaks, Garlic Mashed Potatoes* (recipe from Pioneer Woman), Salad, baguette, a bottle of Bordeaux, and Ice cream. Yum.

Wednesday Spanish Tortilla I never made last week, salad.

Thursday Turkey kielbasa Sausage, onion and pepper hoagies, oven-baked fries.

Friday My Mom's Meatloaf, potatoes*, corn*.

Saturday Lunch: Meatloaf sandwiches*, chips, fruit Supper: Sausage corn chowder with Potatoes*

Sunday Lunch: Leftover chowder*, bread, CPA Supper: Hard-shell beef tacos, Spanish rice

*indicates the leftover liaison--I'll make more of one dish than we need and incorporate it into the other meal.

Appearance

I woke up today feeling much better. Rowan was cheerful, and we had a great morning. She played happily and then napped, and I showered (and it was wonderful; after two days I reeked.)

After lunch, we took Lucy on a long walk, and around 3:30 I began the pre-nap ritual of changing the pants, reading the stories or singing the songs or reading the poetry (today it was Shel Silverstein), snuggling her in her blanket, and laying her down.

No go.

OK, more singing and rocking.

Not.

Extra play time.

More rocking.

More singing.

Lying down with her.

Nope.

Lying with her and singing. When she screamed I just sang louder.

Finally.

I threw some towels in the dryer, put some bacon in the oven for dinner and grabbed a bowl of ice cream and my book. 2 bites in... "Waaaaahhhh!!!"

Again. I tried the whole gamut. Nothing worked. I let her scream for a few minutes and ate my ice cream. (That was not going to waste. It was fudge brownie, people.)

The oven beeped, and I had to get the bacon out or it would burn. I put her in the basket of clean towels, and she played happily for 3 minutes while I drained it and put the pan in the sink. I went to feed the dog, and she tipped over, banging her head on the ground.

Woo! That really made her happy.

She screamed and screamed until I nursed her into submission. Finally, following an hour of screaming and hiccuping, she belched. Big time.

I got her calm enough to play for a while, phoned my grandma, and waited for her dad to get home. While I made the oatmeal (yeah, the menu plan went out the window this week), he took the dog for a walk and I fed her some squash, mashed potatoes, green beans and applesauce. As I was spooning the orange squash into her mouth, I saw the reason for the screamin'.

Tooth #2. It's here.

Thank God this didn't happen yesterday.

Awake and Alive

It turns out that a 72-hour flu in a little person is only a 24-hour flu in a big one. Conversion rate, I guess, or I got the concentrated version. Regardless, I am thankful it's over. As soon as she was tucked in and snoozing last night, I also hit the hay, and after approximately 12 hours of sleep, I feel much better.

Dr. B, however, is on the road to ruin. He's been so busy at work, he got 2 hours of sleep last night, and 3 hours the night before. Anyone that knows him personally knows he is a 9-hour guy. He's always needed more sleep than I have, so I'm pretty worried about him. I'm glad he takes the bus to work--I wouldn't want him driving in this sleep-deprived condition, with the icy roads leftover from the storm earlier this week.

We're postponing our Valentine's celebration until we're both conscious (and he has a chance to get a little something for me--he felt really awful that he didn't have anything prepared.) The steaks will keep, and we'll celebrate on our terms. It is a nice break in a dreary winter to have a holiday this time of year, but we believe in making them fit our schedule.

Now, we all need baths. Big time.

Gift

Rowan gave her Mama a present for Valentine's Day. She didn't mean to, but how can you blame an 8 month old baby for giving you the flu?

You know you're sick when the smell of toast and coffee, normally my favorite smells ever, makes you vomir partout.

Luckily, I have a friend who's coming over in a few hours to bring me some 7up and walk Lucy. This is not something I am capable of today, and the Diet Coke I got yesterday just doesn't cut it when I'm sick.

I am not looking forward to the poopy diapers today. Ugh.

Excuse me. The couch is calling my name.

Back to her Old Self

Mom says I'm a Stinker., originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

Rowan is on the mend. Her mild fever is gone, she's keeping food down, and as you can see, she's back to plotting all the trouble she can get into. Today we did our usual routine of breakfast, nap, shower, playing, poopsplosion, dressing, eating, playing, nap, and then headed out to run errands and bring some food back into the house. I've been trying to keep us to our planned meals, thus not keeping much extra in the house, which makes it challenging when you combine a barfing baby and a blizzard. But, we made it, just with many a craving that went unanswered (which is probably a good thing).

Tomorrow we're going to visit her Daddy's office and bring chocolate treats to share with his coworkers, and go to the library. After 3+ days of being stuck in the house, I need to get out again. Even if it is just to pick up shoes at the shoe repair place, get a few new books to read, and ply Dr. B's colleagues with chocolates and baby cuteness. (You never know; some of them may have kids who like to babysit.)

Joyeux St. Valentin! Happy Valentine's Day! We wish you hugs, snugs, and good chocolate.

Push it

Hangin' with Dad, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

Rowan's last big puke was at 1:30 AM. Right after nursing, she unloaded the full meal back on to my pajama top. No harm done, a quick change and wipe down and we were both back to sleep.

Today, we took it easy. Nursing only for her, and 2 morning naps. I got a few tasks done (bathrooms both cleaned, sheets changed, insurance stuff done, filing), but mainly took care of my little girl. Late in the afternoon, I rocked a hole in the floor trying to coax her into an afternoon nap. Unfortunately, she was stronger than I was, and refused to go down, but did spend some quality time with me vegging on the big bed watching King of the Hill and That 70's Show. You know, educational TV.

By 7 PM, I figured we were past the worst of it. 18 hours, no vomiting. We must be in the clear! She was energized, happily playing in her play station, so I put a handful of Cheerios in the snack tray and opened my laptop to dig into my 6 ongoing Scrabulous games.

By 7:30, I had learned my lesson.

Oh, and Lucy has a taste for things other than the content of diapers.

Sigh. Here we go again.

What's for Supper?

OK, it's Monday and Menu Planning time again. And I have a sick baby, so the store trip is going to have to wait. Therefore, this menu will definitely change based on what happens with her, but here's what's in the works for this week, at least so far. Also, you can find the recipe for Dr. B's Sorta-Thai Curry from last week here. Thanks again, Laura!



Monday: The Beef Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas (I forgot there is leftover chicken thighs that we didn't need all of for the curry yesterday. Gotta use them up.) I didn't make this weekend, because we went to some friends' home for Cincinnati Chili on Saturday. (We liked it!)
Tuesday: Norwegian Meatballs, potatoes and gravy and corn (because they're in the house already). Either that or go out because our friend's birthday is Tuesday. But if Rowan's still puking, that won't be happening.
Wednesday: Dr. B has a meeting. I have a frozen pizza. Hopefully I'll get to the store by this day.
Thursday: It's Valentine's Day! I don't know yet what we're going to do. We're still in discussions on this one. I was thinking steak, but he wasn't feeling it. We'll see.
Friday: Shrimp Creole with brown rice, salad
Saturday: Lunch: Red Pepper/Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (I put this soup on the menu every week and we never get around to eating it. So here it is again!) Supper: Turkey breast cutlets with Sauce Poivre, leftover brown rice that I'll probably jazz up somehow (I'll make extra), glazed carrots.
Sunday: Lunch: Tuna melts, chips and CPA Supper: Spanish Tortilla (the potato/egg one, not the flatbread), salad

Thankful

Dr. B often jokes that "we" didn't have a baby. No, he says, "you budded." She is like me in so many ways. Pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes. Relaxed? Not so much. High highs, and low lows. Lives for music. Likes lots of warm blankets when she sleeps, with her arms raised above her head, and does a full-body stretch just as she's waking up. Gets really fussy if she's bored. Loves to go shopping. Has stinky feet.

Of course, she's like him in other ways. Loves the bath. Hates change. Loves prunes. And one new way that I'm really thankful for today.

When she barfs, she smiles. Relaxes. Feels better.

Me? Not so much.

Dealing with our first stomach bug here. I should have known. Brilliant me, on the phone with my stepmother.

"Yeah, I suppose it's because she doesn't go to daycare, but Rowan really hasn't been sick at all. A little stuffy nose, but other than that, she's been fine."

12 hours later we had projectile vomiting.

Of prunes.

Sigh.






*Note: due to this, the grocery trip will have to wait, so Menu Plan Monday will probably not be that interesting. Happily, we were invited to a friend's home on Saturday, so I didn't make the enchiladas then and still have all the stuff. I think I can also cobble together a meatball dinner and some pesto pasta with shrimp. Since Dr. B has a meeting on Wednesday, this could get us through until Thursday! Hopefully the puking will be done by then.

No Hurry Curry

Thai Curry Chicken à la Dr. B, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

Dr. B is famous for his curry, which he cobbled together from friends' recipes, the ladies at the Asian market, and his own guesstimates. It's warm, yummy and comforting, and never the same twice. We'll attempt to give you the recipe, but know that it's always a matter of trial and error, your mood, what you have in the house or what was available at the store, and pure luck. The measurements are approximate at best. But it's good. Oh yeah, it's really good. (Hint: Wear your fat pants. You're gonna want seconds.)



Dr. B's Sorta-Thai Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups pearl barley (you can make more if you like, or use brown rice, but we love the barley texture with this dish)
* 16 oz. chicken broth (or amount needed for your barley)
* 1 T. butter


* 1-2 lb chicken breast or thighs cut in bite-sized pieces
* 1-2 cans coconut milk (DO NOT health out and get the low fat. It fails every time. Our favorite brand is Roland, but that's not easy to find, unless you live in Madison. The Goya brand works OK, and is readily available. )
* 1-2 "thumbs" (thumb size pieces) Maesri curry paste (we like the red, and the panang is good too but the red is better. Panang is much milder. If the directions on the package say use a lot more, ignore them.)
* 1-2 T. Fish Sauce (I know it smells like dirty feet. THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL. Your curry will not be right without it. And don't tell me you made it without it and it came out just fine. If you did, you didn't make Dr. B's curry. You made a wimpy no fish sauce version and it just wasn't the same.)
* 3 cups or so peeled butternut squash that has been cut in bite size pieces
* 1/2 cup raisins (we've tried currants and golden raisins, but they just aren't as good as the regular old Sunsweets.)
* Planter's Dry Roasted Peanuts (you want the ones with the salty coating--you'll use several handfuls)
* cilantro
* lime wedges


Optional ingredients, for when you're feeling frisky: natural peanut butter (1-2 T should do it), sliced scallions, honey (especially if it's too spicy), regular onion or shallots, zucchini, peas, eggplant (just keep an eye on the texture as those can water it down a lot.) Whatever you like.

OK. Now to get to it.

Start cooking the barley, according to package directions (total time: 45 minutes--don't get the instant stuff), except substitute chicken broth for water. (We tried with water. It really took away from the flavor of the whole dish. Spring for the chicken broth.) The butter goes in at the end, so don't put that in yet.

When the barley has been going for about 15 of the 45 minutes, heat about 1/2 the coconut milk in a large nonstick pan (that has a cover) until it just starts to boil. Add the curry paste, and mix it in until it's all blended. Add the remaining coconut milk and the raw chicken. Cook over medium high heat about 10 minutes, until the chicken is getting cooked but not done yet.

Add the butternut squash pieces, raisins and some of the peanuts if you like. This is also when you can add some of your "getting frisky" items. Don't add too many at once if you're adding a lot, because you don't want the temperature to go way down fast. (Add a little at a time, if you want to add several items.) Stir, cover and cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fish sauce and continue cooking, covered, until the squash is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about another 10 minutes.

When the barley is done, stir in the pat of butter. Spoon some barley into each serving bowl, top with the chicken curry. Garnish with more peanuts, cilantro, and a wedge of lime. Serve with cold beer.

Firsts

I have nothing clever or interesting to say, but wanted to share two things.

Today, Rowan started thinking about maybe trying to crawl. She was hands down, rocking.

And tonight, she got her first tooth!

Is it weird that I am really, really excited?

(She is now applauding herself. It's pretty adorable.)

What's for Supper?

Is it Monday already? Thanks again to Laura for hosting! This week we're using up some bumps from last week, and using up leftovers in other meals as much as possible. Happily, there's less for me to buy at the store. Plus, Dr. B offered to make his specialty, a delicious chicken coconut curry dish that he developed his own recipe for--I love it, so am looking forward to it very much! (Plus the me not cooking thing is always good...)

I may do my shopping today or tomorrow, depending. Rowan had a freak out from 2-4 AM, so we slept in (I joined her for the AM nap) and she's down again. If she sleeps like she did yesterday (a 3 hour nap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), then we'll put it off. I have to run tomorrow anyway, have some prescriptions to pick up and dry cleaner/shoe repair, etc. to do.

So without further ado...

• Monday: Slow Cooker Beef Stew, salad, leftover corn muffins (got bumped, because Dr. B took me out on Saturday.)
• Tuesday: Homemade Pizza (last week I found a local pizzeria's "kit" at the store, with sauce, crust and cheese, but it had 2 pizzas worth in it. Going to use up the second one.) Toppings: black olives, artichoke hearts, chicken sausage.
• Wednesday: Dr. B has a meeting, and I'm planning an Altoona shopping trip, so it's either leftovers or grab something out, depending on timing.
• Thursday: Cream of Leftovers Soup made with leftover chicken sausage and leftover rice from last week, carrots, and celery; bread.
• Friday: Tuna melts, chips, carrot sticks and pickles. (We had leftovers, so never made the tuna sandwiches last week.)
• Saturday: Lunch= ham and cheese sandwiches, tomato/roasted red pepper soup. Supper=Dr. B's request: Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas (his favorite)
  
• Sunday: Lunch=leftover enchiladas Supper=Dr. B cooks his specialty! Coconut Curry Chicken with butternut squash and raisins, brown rice.

Trying to Help

Guest Post

Mommy said Rowan's been kind of plugged up, and so she decided not to feed her oats today. She got prunes (I licked out the container), green beans, and applesauce. Then she took a nap and when she woke up, Mommy changed her and put her in a cute outfit.

She played on the blanket on the floor for a while. Then she fell over, and when Mommy picked her up, she started laughing and said, "it must have worked!" She tried to clean her up, but it was pretty messy, so she took her upstairs to give her a bath.

When she came down she was really, really mad at me. She yelled a lot and then she made me get in the bathtub and washed my mouth out with baby soap.

I don't know why. I was just trying to help clean up.

Love,
Lucy

I would embed this if I could. Found it.

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. My abs ached from laughing.

I gotta get me one of those chairs.

Happy Birthday, Franzie!

A long time ago, a guy was born who became one of the world's most beloved composers. Here's my favorite soprano, Renée Fleming, singing one of Schubert's pieces with Claudio Abbato conducting.

Oooh, her voice just gives me chills. She can sing Happy Birthday to me any day of the year!

I'm too lazy to email this.

Today, Rowan and I walked our dog and a friend's dog (separately) and it was really cold and very windy. We got tired. Rowan had one of her really irritable days, so even though I was pooped, I eventually gave in and packed her up and took her to the mall. Most people would think the opposite, but going shopping usually buys me time where she's not shrieking. Hey, whatever you gotta do, right? So we went. (Just so you know, there isn't crap there this time of year.)

Anyway, I have nothing witty to say, but a friend emailed me this thing, and I though rather than sitting and typing in a bunch of email addresses to forward this to, I'll just post it. Reply if you like (I'd like it), but if not, here it is, for what it's worth.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not officially, because my parents knew twin girls named Ronica and Roxanne and loved the names (my sister is Roxanne, though we're not twins), but my dad's name is Ron, so kind of after him. My middle name is Heather, after my Grandma Helen. (I guess Ronica Helen didn't sound very good.)

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Maybe at my sister's wedding in November. I know I cried then, but I don't remember anything since. Probably that. The officiant did a really nice moment of silence to remember my mom, and I think I even saw my dad tear up. (He's very stoic, so that's an occasion.)

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, it's pretty awful. Kind of creative, though, but mostly crappy. I'd rather type. It's much faster, and more legible.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? rare roast beef.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Rowan, 7 1/2 months old.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS
WITH YOU? I think so. I like to think I'm pretty cool.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? What do you think?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, never had trouble with them.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way, Jose. I have trouble standing on a chair.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I don't really eat cereal. I like toast. But when I was pregnant I craved Lucky Charms and it was one of the only things I could keep down.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No, except for my hiking boots because I can't get out of them without untying. My converse are always kicked off. Otherwise, I usually wear no-lace shoes anyway.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I know I am.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? I love the old fashioned flavors like Tin Roof and Rocky Road. Also Fighting Sioux Champion Chip. And right now I'm digging Black Raspberry. And Wavy Gravy, Chunky Monkey (Ben and Jerry's) and Bananas Foster (Haagen Dasz.)

I just reread that. I really have a problem.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
tone of voice, I think. I don't know. What a good question. Like Julie, I also look at their facial expression, I think, too. That's very perplexing.

15. RED OR PINK? red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I am obsessive. I wish I was more relaxed. I'm trying REALLY REALLY HARD TO BE!!!!

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Mom.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Yes, fill up that comment box or email me!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black Gap pants and no shoes. But my haus schus are on the floor by my feet. They are green wool felt clogs from Germany.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Homemade pizza with ham, red peppers, black olives and cheese. It was tasty.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The menu music for Night at the Museum. Dr. B is rocking Rowan to sleep, then we're watching a movie.

22. HAVE YOU HAD BRACES? No. Born with really straight teeth. I do have them bonded though, because they had a gap. I could do a mean impression of a lawn sprinkler!

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Toast. Especially made for someone else (it always smells so much more enticing!) Fresh coffee. Lavender. And donuts (not the grease, the sweet.)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE
PHONE? Dr. B. It was to say, "we're here to pick you up and your daughter passed out while screaming in the backseat listening to Peter Frampton." She's a classic rock girl.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Yes! If I didn't, why would I post it here?

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hockey! Fighting Siiiiiiioooooooouuuuuuuuuxxxxxxxx Hockey!

27. FAVORITE KIND OF PIZZA? I love any with lots of veggies, and I also love BBQ Chicken pizza and Bacon Cheeseburger pizza that has PICKLES on it.

28. EYE COLOR? blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes, but I switch off with glasses because I have chronic dry eye.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Pickles. Cucumber and sour, please.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings. Or not, but I'm not into scary.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? We watched "Heavenly Creatures" last night with Kate Winslet, directed by Peter Jackson. We both hated it. Creepy and awful. I want those 109 minutes of my life back.

In a theater? Pirates of the Caribbean 3. I was pregnant with Rowan. She did NOT like it, kicked me really really hard for the entire time, and made me have to go pee about 50 billion times. I really have no idea what the movie was about, I missed so much of it.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black fine-gauge sweater tshirt and grey cardigan.

34. FAVORITE SEASON ? early winter.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? crème brûlée. Best one I ever had was at the Mall of America, at the Napa Grill. I think it was key lime or some such silliness, but it was the silkiest, most divine thing I have ever tasted. I wanted to crawl into the bowl when I was done.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Lisa

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Dr. B

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I am stuck in the middle of Eat, Pray, Love. Also reading Yayas in Bloom. Just finished the Mercy Seller.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mouse. (Touchpad on my laptop)

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? We didn't. Watched the freaky movie. I did watch some Simpsons and King of the Hill before Dr. B got home, though.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Wind rattling the cottonwood trees' leaves.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? I like the Beatles, but Dr. B doesn't, he likes the Stones. But really, I like both. Except I think the Stones are scary looking.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Probably Germany. But I lived in France!

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can put both ankles behind my neck and slip my shoulders through. I have no upper body strength, though, so can't walk around like that. And no, I won't put video of that up on vimeo.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? St. Paul, MN at Midway Hospital. It's closed now. My Dr. was Charlie Brown!!!

47. WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR PET PEEVES? I have a lot. OK, a big one is when I see people out shopping wearing sloppy pants with torn hems (because they walk on them), flip flops, messy hair pulled back into a pony tail without brushing it, and chewing gum with their mouth open. Disgusting. Have a little respect for yourself and others, please!

48. THINGS YOU REALLY ENJOY DOING? reading, eating, cooking, dancing, playing with my daughter, talking with my husband, shopping, watching movies, traveling, laughing.

49. FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL (OR COLLEGE)? Music, French, Drama, English. I love History, too, but prefer to learn on my own. Class was usually boring or frustrating.

50. DO YOU DRINK COFFEE? Yes. Black, and strong.

What's for Supper?*** Updated

I'm on pantry-clean-out mode, due to the overflowing nature of it in recent weeks, and am proud to say I can now open it with nothing falling on my head. My goal is for it to be full of what we're eating this week, a few staples, and not much else, because it's tiny and we don't have room for loads of junk (and frankly we are not really likely to be snowed in for days either, so I need to let go of that obsession.) The fridge, however, is bare except for some citrus fruit, a few condiments, and the random rind of hard cheese, so that will need to be restocked. The menu has been made, the list written, and I'm ready to go shopping! (OK, not that ready. I still need to dry my hair, put some maquillage on, and eat some lunch.)

Thanks again to Laura for hosting this and helping me stay motivated! (Though I admit I put it off until today--I just really needed that nap yesterday afternoon...)



***Update: this all gets bumped. I came home from the grocery store to find that our power was out, and it wasn't restored until 9 PM. I was NOT going to cook pizzas over a candle, thank you very much. So we went to Quaker Steak and Lube and had disgustingly delicious cheeseburgers with wing sauce, blue cheese, and all sorts of other drippy stuff on them. Yum. And we had a really good waiter, which is always nice. Funny, helpful, but not too in your face. And he didn't squat. (I hate that.) Now I'm just trying to get an overtired baby to sleep. Wish me luck.

• Monday: Homemade Pizza with ham, red peppers, cheese and black olives, salad.
• Tuesday: leftover potato soup with ham and peas (from Sunday), une baguette, cheese (probably some of that lovely intense Brie from Wegman's), carrot sticks, pickles, applesauce. (you'll see these a lot--we have CPA a lot, especially if there are no veggies to speak of in the meal.)
  
• Wednesday: Pesto Pasta with shrimp, red peppers, carrots and zucchini, salad.
• Thursday: Quickie Beef Chili, cornbread muffins.
• Friday: PAYDAY! Go out for dinner! (*does a little dance*)
• Saturday: (Lunch) Chicken strips, fries (remainder from burger night), peas, leftover cornbread. (unless we have good restaurant leftovers, in which this can all stay in the freezer.) (Supper) pork chops, yellow rice, green beans. More leftover cornbread if there is any.
• Sunday: (Lunch) Tuna sandwiches, chips, pickles and carrot sticks. (Supper) Crock-Pot Beef Stew, bread and butter.

Note: for lunches I usually eat last night's leftovers or a Lean Gourmet or make a quesadilla or something. On the weekends, if I don't plan it and make it at the right time, Dr. B will pig out on chips and chocolate. He's very capable of preparing lunch, but for some reason he has this sort of mental block about it, and would sooner mow down 500 g. of Lindt dark and 1/2 a bag of Sun Chips than heat up some soup. Go figure.

I keep ice cream around for dessert (usually later, while reading or watching a movie) and sometimes make some baked thing during the week if I get inspired. This week I'm thinking about making cupcakes. Last week Rowan and I made coconut chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, but I didn't like the recipe that much (of course, I had to substitute one ingredient, so that could have something to do with it). Of course I ate them all anyway. Heh.

Breakfast is the same during the week (we both like routine). We both have coffee, toast (with choice of butter, nutella, jam, peanut butter), fruit (bananas or citrus), homemade yogurt (I make it in our yogurt maker each week--he eats his with honey, I like plain sour milky goodness). He usually adds a boiled egg or piece of ham. On the weekends, it's either this or he'll make a yummy scrambler with whatever is laying around, or sometimes will run out for patisseries. I don't function in the AM, so don't ask me to cook or leave the house before noon. Putting toast in the toaster takes all the effort I got.

Also: last week I got creative and made stuffed hamburgers based on the Bob's Bad Breath Burgers at the Weary Traveler in Madison, WI. The stuffing was divine, but I need to work on the technique, so I'll let you know when it's perfected.

MYSTERY INGREDIENT QUESTION: I have a jar of tomato ginger preserves (from a gift basket) that I don't know what to do with. Should I serve it with crackers and some sort of spreadable cheese like Chavrie? What other ideas do you have? I'm stumped.

Rated

Huh. I had no idea I was so risqué.

Or so lame. Sigh.

But here's the best part. This is why.



I wonder what would happen if I used the word "ass-splosion"?

Heh heh heh...

Tickle

As a kid, I was really ticklish. Extremely. Horribly. My dad thought it was great to sit on me and tickle me mercilessly. He thought I enjoyed it because I laughed so hard. I didn't. It was tickle torture.

Appears Rowan inherited something else from me. And it looks like I inherited something from my dad. (It's just too much fun to watch her giggle.)


Tickle, Tickle! from Ronica on Vimeo.

PS: she doesn't take direction well.

What's for Supper?

I hate New Year's Resolutions. I'm not going to lose 20 lbs., become fluent in Italian, or cure the common cold in a year, and a resolution just makes me feel guilty 'round March when I haven't even thought about starting. A few years ago, I started making New Year's Resolutions I Kind of Want to Keep. ©

One year I decided to eat more salads. (I like salad. I should eat it more. And once or twice counts as more.)

Another year, eat more fish. (Same reasons. I don't often cook fish, but started ordering it at restaurants. Then I started making broiled salmon at home with a yogurt-dill-lemon sauce. It's yummy.)

Yet another, wear more skirts. And another? Call my family and friends more.

This year I wanted it to be good. I kept thinking. What do I need to get better at, that's not too much pressure and will trigger a bout of migraines or insomnia? Something I will enjoy, but have to do anyway?

And I got it.

I decided to start planning my family's meals, rather than buying a bunch of random crap at the grocery store and hoping it fits together. I got tired of staring at my over-stuffed pantry and not having any idea of what to make. And I got tired of eating the same convenience stuff over and over again because, due to the witching hour from 5-7 (aka Rowan's FREAK OUT time), I was to tired to think.

I used to be a from-scratch cook, then I had a baby. And got realistic. Yeah, spending 90 minutes leisurely making dinner while sipping a glass of wine and listening to jazz? Doesn't happen often anymore. Plus, living in a small home makes you really question the use of space, and storing food in case of a 3-week blizzard may have been practical in North Dakota where we grew up, but it's not here (and not likely, anyway.) Things have to change around here.

So I started. I'm on week 2, and so far so good. In fact, it's a lot easier than I thought. I found I stress out less, spend less money, go shopping less, and we eat healthier because there's less, "Oh honey, you had a rough day. I'll just take you out for dinner," thus eating a much higher-calorie meal and paying 5 times as much for it. I actually kind of like it (though I'm not going to turn down the occasional meal out. I'm not crazy.)

So though it's not Monday, I'm going to join in. (Thanks to commenter Sharon for showing me that I'm not the only one with this resolution.) And maybe I'll even keep it up.

This is what we've been eating.

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, salad.
Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas (tortillas, seasoned chicken, red and green peppers, onions, sour cream and salsa), black beans cooked with a little salsa and fajita seasoning.
Wednesday: Norsk Meatballs (I made a huge batch and froze before Xmas), potatoes and gravy, salad. I was going to do corn or beans, but we have leftover lettuce so I think salad will do. ***Note: I got inspired in the afternoon and made jello. Whoopie! But it was good. Apricot jello, made with 1/2 pear juice, and peaches and raspberries. In wine glasses so it's Super-fancy.
Thursday: Dr. B has a meeting, so I'll eat leftovers or something.
Friday: Huevos Rancheros casserole (black bean, onion, green pepper, red pepper and cheese, veggies saved from the Fajita night), salad.
Saturday: (lunch) Leftover egg bake, (supper) Hamburgers and fries (homemade, though. Well, at least baked out of a bag.)

OK, that's as far as I got. I was planning Sunday-Sunday, so may have to remedy that to participate in this thing.

Last week:
Sunday: (lunch) tomato and roasted red pepper soup (Pacific), terrine de canard, bread, cornichons, fromage avec champignons. (supper) Sloppy Joes, Sun Chips, pickles, carrot sticks.
Monday: Beef Soft Tacos, spanish-ish rice (Tío Ben's).
Tuesday: Moroccan Chicken Stew, couscous. (Needed more cayenne, cumin and raisins. Or maybe garlic? Good, but needed a little more zip for our palates.)
Wednesday: Dr. B had a meeting so I ate leftovers.
Thursday: Veggie Lasagne, salad. (frozen from Wegman's--don't think I'm too ambitious.)
Friday: Chicken and Prosciutto Tortelloni with caramelized onions and sour cream, salad.
Saturday: we went out to the Elk Creek Café with Seth and Erin. Very good beer. Food was good, too, but they ran out of most everything (they're a lot busier than I think they expected) so I am anxious to try something I planned to order.

That's it. So, if you're a part of this, I'd love to hear from you! Maybe it'll give me some ideas. I'm always on the lookout for easy, good, and fast recipes!

Blessed Sleep

You know those people whose babies sleep through the night from day one?

Yeah, I hate those people.

Rowan's been on another insomnia streak, with 15-minute naps, couchers that are creeping later and later, waking up every 30 minutes and needing to be rocked back to sleep, and of course the 3 AM feeding that reappeared around early December. She is so tired, but there's no such thing as baby Ambien (though my aunt, who's a nurse by the way, suggested rum.)

I tried feeding her more as my SIL suggested, and that worked for a day. Then, back to the no-sleep crabtastic infant. Who is now spitting up more because she's been overfed. Great.

Our doctor admonished me for not letting her cry it out. He pushed literature at me, and said, "you really need to do this. She needs to be independent." So we tried. 33 minutes later, she was completely inconsolable. She had been crying and screaming so hard she was manic. She had that wild, terrified, completely freaked out look in her eyes, and she was drenched in sweat, hiccuping and beet red. We held her and consoled her to no avail--she couldn't let it go. She kept screaming. It took 15 minutes to get her to calm down enough to nurse, and then another 45 minutes to get her back to sleep. Maybe that works with 99% of babies, but not ours.

Yesterday was another super-crabby 15-minute nap day in a string of 3 such days, but at 6 PM she literally passed out (you know she's at the end of her rope when she starts shrieking) for 40 minutes. She didn't go to bed until 8:30 or so, and it took some doing (by that I mean I literally crawled out of her room on my belly.)

But I think she must have hit the wall. She slept from 9-ish (I know she laid awake for a while) until 6:45 this morning. Then at 9:15 she went down for a morning nap. And she's still sleeping at 10:40.

My Mom would have said, "Praise the Lord and pass the band-aids!!!"

Golden Compass

Rowan's new hat, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

I wish she had the little coat to match.

And the talking polar bear with a saddle.

Shameless Plug

If you need to buy something on Amazon, I'd be forever grateful if you started your shopping from my site. Just click on the Amazon box under "Shopping Broccoli" on the right. It doesn't charge you anything, but I get a little kickback.

Yes, I sold out to the man. I'm weak.

Applause

Topknot, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

Rowan just learned how to clap. She gets very excited when she does it, and so do we.

Just the other day, she was sitting in her high chair while I made supper. Her dad walked in from work, and she greeted him with a big grin and clapped her hands with joy.

He was thrilled.

Today, I finally got the appreciation I'd been waiting for. I got my applause.

I guess it was some good breastmilk.

Remember

Mom and Rowan, day 3, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

My latest project has been to box up and put in the attic the clothes Rowan has already outgrown. I've filled two large plastic storage containers to bursting, and mailed back a big box to a friend, sorting things by age and purpose, and marveling that she could have ever been so very tiny.

Then I found a few rolls of film, tucked into the camera bag. I didn't remember what was on them, so I took them to the store and had them put on disc. When I pulled the contact sheets out, I couldn't believe, once again, that she was ever so little.

She's changed so much in such a short time. Just seven months ago, she was so small, so helpless. Now, our baby girl has learned how to sit up, plays happily with her toys (especially her little kitchen), jumps and squeals and laughs and dances, and even claps her hands.

She still keeps us up when we want to be sleeping, makes lots of messes (this I expect to continue for another 18 years or so), and screams and cries when things don't go her way, but now she has become so much more than she was then. She's growing and changing and living every day, and I get to watch.

What a joy it is to be her mother.