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Sunday, May 8, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
May 7th, 2011
Mom's Stuff:
I just finished reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. I love her work (30 Rock and SNL) and I heard the book was good. It was a fun and fairly easy read and it was great to get to relax with it on the bus for a few days this week between grading. But the chapter entitled "Juggle This" was really something. Let me give you some of the highlights that made my night (as well as some of thoughts - or "metacognitive notes" as my students would say):
"I will start by saying that I have once or twice been offered a 'mother of the year' award by working-mom groups or a mommy magazine, and I always decline. How could they possibly know if I'm a good mother? How can any of us know until the kid is thirty-three and all the personality dust has really settled?" "'How do you juggle it all?' people constantly ask me, with an accusatory look in their eyes. 'You're fucking it all up, aren't you?' their eyes say.'"
(On a side note, when was the last time you heard of a guy being asked "how do you do it all?" in reference to work and child care?)
"I would tell myself 'Once I have the baby full-time to myself, everything will be easier.' And then it hit me; that day was not coming. This 'work' thing was not going away. There was no prolonged stretch of time in sight when it would be just the baby and me. And then I sobbed in my office for 10 minutes."
Yeah, I've done this. Of course, it was holed up in the staff bathroom since that was the only place I could go for three minutes of peace, but same basic idea.
"Of course I'm not supposed to admit that there is a triannual torrential sobbing in my office, because it's bad for the feminist cause. It makes it harder for women to be taken seriously in the workplace. It makes it harder for other working moms to justify their choice. But I have friends who stay at home with their kids and they also have a triannual sob, so I think we should call it even. I think we should be kind to one another about it. I think we should agree to blame the children."
Oh yeah. I had the same crying jag at home - the only difference was that there I just straight-up sobbed in front of my five-month old. Hopefully he won't remember until he has hypno-therapy as an adult.
"Also, there are many moments of my word that are deeply satisfying and fun. And almost as many moments of full-time motherhood that stink like Axe body spray on a brick of bleu cheese."
Couldn't have put it better myself.
LP's Stuff:
LP is starting to get the hang of waving. Of course, he only does it when people aren't looking, and he definitely doesn't wave when we say "Lucas, wave hello/bye-bye." (I think that might be the Levey side). But he does flop his hand around when people walk away from him, and he occasionally lets out something that sounds like "hi" if we say "hi" to him first. Also, he has seven teeth fully in, just in time to start munching on spring veggies. Yay!
One more thing: one of the ways that the G-man gets LP to drink his soy milk before bed is to show LP that sloth bear (LP's favorite stuffed animal) is drinking the milk. Sometimes this results in LP sharing his milk with sloth bear first, then dad/G-man, and then LP takes a sip before the cycle starts over again. This can make getting ready for bed really drag out, but it is super cute!
Food:
Pasta is totally a toddler's best friend. We make a number of pasta dishes in our normal rotation, including garlic and greens pasta and beets and pasta. Last night we had a special treat - Pasta Primavera from The Vegan Table. It was a special treat because the spring veggies are just starting to appear in affordable form. LP was really into the pasta (which we also used to keep him busy while we cooked the veggies) and he sort of enjoyed the zucchini. With all his teeth it is easier to give him things that require some more chewing, so I look forward to more fresh-veggie based dishes for all of us as spring approaches.
Pictures:
Choo-choo!
Smart looking guy with his tie and glasses! This great outfit is courtesy of his (Great) Papa!
I just finished reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. I love her work (30 Rock and SNL) and I heard the book was good. It was a fun and fairly easy read and it was great to get to relax with it on the bus for a few days this week between grading. But the chapter entitled "Juggle This" was really something. Let me give you some of the highlights that made my night (as well as some of thoughts - or "metacognitive notes" as my students would say):
"I will start by saying that I have once or twice been offered a 'mother of the year' award by working-mom groups or a mommy magazine, and I always decline. How could they possibly know if I'm a good mother? How can any of us know until the kid is thirty-three and all the personality dust has really settled?" "'How do you juggle it all?' people constantly ask me, with an accusatory look in their eyes. 'You're fucking it all up, aren't you?' their eyes say.'"
(On a side note, when was the last time you heard of a guy being asked "how do you do it all?" in reference to work and child care?)
"I would tell myself 'Once I have the baby full-time to myself, everything will be easier.' And then it hit me; that day was not coming. This 'work' thing was not going away. There was no prolonged stretch of time in sight when it would be just the baby and me. And then I sobbed in my office for 10 minutes."
Yeah, I've done this. Of course, it was holed up in the staff bathroom since that was the only place I could go for three minutes of peace, but same basic idea.
"Of course I'm not supposed to admit that there is a triannual torrential sobbing in my office, because it's bad for the feminist cause. It makes it harder for women to be taken seriously in the workplace. It makes it harder for other working moms to justify their choice. But I have friends who stay at home with their kids and they also have a triannual sob, so I think we should call it even. I think we should be kind to one another about it. I think we should agree to blame the children."
Oh yeah. I had the same crying jag at home - the only difference was that there I just straight-up sobbed in front of my five-month old. Hopefully he won't remember until he has hypno-therapy as an adult.
"Also, there are many moments of my word that are deeply satisfying and fun. And almost as many moments of full-time motherhood that stink like Axe body spray on a brick of bleu cheese."
Couldn't have put it better myself.
LP's Stuff:
LP is starting to get the hang of waving. Of course, he only does it when people aren't looking, and he definitely doesn't wave when we say "Lucas, wave hello/bye-bye." (I think that might be the Levey side). But he does flop his hand around when people walk away from him, and he occasionally lets out something that sounds like "hi" if we say "hi" to him first. Also, he has seven teeth fully in, just in time to start munching on spring veggies. Yay!
One more thing: one of the ways that the G-man gets LP to drink his soy milk before bed is to show LP that sloth bear (LP's favorite stuffed animal) is drinking the milk. Sometimes this results in LP sharing his milk with sloth bear first, then dad/G-man, and then LP takes a sip before the cycle starts over again. This can make getting ready for bed really drag out, but it is super cute!
Food:
Pasta is totally a toddler's best friend. We make a number of pasta dishes in our normal rotation, including garlic and greens pasta and beets and pasta. Last night we had a special treat - Pasta Primavera from The Vegan Table. It was a special treat because the spring veggies are just starting to appear in affordable form. LP was really into the pasta (which we also used to keep him busy while we cooked the veggies) and he sort of enjoyed the zucchini. With all his teeth it is easier to give him things that require some more chewing, so I look forward to more fresh-veggie based dishes for all of us as spring approaches.
Pictures:
Choo-choo!
Smart looking guy with his tie and glasses! This great outfit is courtesy of his (Great) Papa!
Monday, May 2, 2011
May 2nd 2011
Mom's Stuff:
After participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Change a couple of weeks ago (and willing a stroller - thanks Diaper Lab) I began really thinking about how we use cloth diapers. I love our cloth diapers - we use the G-diapers with the cloth liners. However, we have been using disposable diapers at night for a while. And that has slowly been creeping into using disposables at nap time to. After talking to more cloth-diapering parents at the big diaper event I really started thinking about how I want to re-commit to cloth diapers all the time. It's hard because it is not fair for me to tell the G-man what to do during the day when he is the one who deals with the diapers. And often our G-diapers lead during naps and nighttime when LP is rolling around. But we tried another diaper (a pocket diaper) for a nap and it worked well. So, my new project is to get down to Diaper Lab and try out some other pocket diapers and go to all cloth all the time!
LP's Stuff:
LP and I thoroughly enjoyed a snack outside this afternoon. We got to sit on the porch, enjoy the sunshine and nibble on animal crackers! Spring is truly here! LP also enjoyed a jaunt to the park and the store today, so he got plenty of outside time. Tonight he also helped me with dinner - he picked up some pieces of kale for me and put then in the saute pan. Between that and the good job he does helping me mix up waffles we might have a little chef on our hands!
Food:
We recently enjoyed a fantastic meal of carrot ginger soup and warm bread from the bread maker. The soup came from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudrou. While this book is a book about entertaining, it has so many recipies that are part of our daily rotation. I can't recommend this book enough, even for busy families like ours!
Pictures:
After participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Change a couple of weeks ago (and willing a stroller - thanks Diaper Lab) I began really thinking about how we use cloth diapers. I love our cloth diapers - we use the G-diapers with the cloth liners. However, we have been using disposable diapers at night for a while. And that has slowly been creeping into using disposables at nap time to. After talking to more cloth-diapering parents at the big diaper event I really started thinking about how I want to re-commit to cloth diapers all the time. It's hard because it is not fair for me to tell the G-man what to do during the day when he is the one who deals with the diapers. And often our G-diapers lead during naps and nighttime when LP is rolling around. But we tried another diaper (a pocket diaper) for a nap and it worked well. So, my new project is to get down to Diaper Lab and try out some other pocket diapers and go to all cloth all the time!
LP's Stuff:
LP and I thoroughly enjoyed a snack outside this afternoon. We got to sit on the porch, enjoy the sunshine and nibble on animal crackers! Spring is truly here! LP also enjoyed a jaunt to the park and the store today, so he got plenty of outside time. Tonight he also helped me with dinner - he picked up some pieces of kale for me and put then in the saute pan. Between that and the good job he does helping me mix up waffles we might have a little chef on our hands!
Food:
We recently enjoyed a fantastic meal of carrot ginger soup and warm bread from the bread maker. The soup came from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudrou. While this book is a book about entertaining, it has so many recipies that are part of our daily rotation. I can't recommend this book enough, even for busy families like ours!
Pictures:
Sunday, May 1, 2011
May 1st, 2011
Mom's Stuff:
It's the time of year when job postings are out for educators. I get a lot of e-mails with these postings and I often browse to see what is availble out in the world. There were a couple of opportunities that sounded interesting, but I am not going to apply for them for a number of reasons (the chief one being that I really love the school I work in and the classes I teach right now). However, this browsing got me thinking about what career moves I would make in the next few years. I would be thinking about this entirely differently if I didn't have a one-year-old at home. In someways I feel like I'm a bit on the mommy track - I want to wait a few years until LP is in school before I start thinking about any big career moves. But it feels really strange to think about the "mommy-track" when I'm also the working parent while my husband stays home with our child. It's like career limbo in some ways. I'm supposed to be ambitious (since I'm in charge of bringing home the tempeh bacon) and I'm supposed to be home and help care for my child and the house (because I'm the woman). I don't know quite where to go with it since I'm not entirely sure what I want in the first place, since I can feel like I want either of these things at any given time.
Oh well. I'll guess I'll just keep plugging along with the parenting mantra that has gotten me through so far. The G-man and I have always said that LP will need therapy as a result of our parenting at some point - we just want to postpone it as long as possible :)
LP's Stuff:
First major injury! I guess that is not something to be excited about, but it is a milestone. Up until now LP has had bumps and bruises galore, including one really big goose egg over his eye just a couple weeks ago. But yesterday at the park LP raced to the first step of the play structure and went directly, mouth-first, into the second step. Screaming and bleeding ensued. He had managed to get a couple of cuts inside his mouth and one on his chin. The poor little guy cried for a while, but pretty soon he was ready to run around again. It is amazing how fast they recover from this stuff! Although, this morning he woke up looking like a prize-fighter with a purple, swollen bottom lip. That's my tough guy!
Food:
This week we are on a mission to get more vegetables in LP's diet. He gets a ton of fruit, grains, protein and fat, but most of his veggies come from our morning green smoothies. This is mostly because it is still hard for him to chew things like bell peppers or big stalks of broccoli. So this week we are on a mission to roast some veggies for LP to munch on. Tonight we are going to have "greens" bowls: Each bowl has a layer of quinoa (cooked with veggie broth), a layer of steamed kale (with a bit of lemon juice) and a top layer of roasted butternut squash. LP will miss out on the kale, but that ok because he had it for breakfast! (in the aforementioned smoothie!)
Pictures:
Yummy Carrot Ginger Soup!
It's the time of year when job postings are out for educators. I get a lot of e-mails with these postings and I often browse to see what is availble out in the world. There were a couple of opportunities that sounded interesting, but I am not going to apply for them for a number of reasons (the chief one being that I really love the school I work in and the classes I teach right now). However, this browsing got me thinking about what career moves I would make in the next few years. I would be thinking about this entirely differently if I didn't have a one-year-old at home. In someways I feel like I'm a bit on the mommy track - I want to wait a few years until LP is in school before I start thinking about any big career moves. But it feels really strange to think about the "mommy-track" when I'm also the working parent while my husband stays home with our child. It's like career limbo in some ways. I'm supposed to be ambitious (since I'm in charge of bringing home the tempeh bacon) and I'm supposed to be home and help care for my child and the house (because I'm the woman). I don't know quite where to go with it since I'm not entirely sure what I want in the first place, since I can feel like I want either of these things at any given time.
Oh well. I'll guess I'll just keep plugging along with the parenting mantra that has gotten me through so far. The G-man and I have always said that LP will need therapy as a result of our parenting at some point - we just want to postpone it as long as possible :)
LP's Stuff:
First major injury! I guess that is not something to be excited about, but it is a milestone. Up until now LP has had bumps and bruises galore, including one really big goose egg over his eye just a couple weeks ago. But yesterday at the park LP raced to the first step of the play structure and went directly, mouth-first, into the second step. Screaming and bleeding ensued. He had managed to get a couple of cuts inside his mouth and one on his chin. The poor little guy cried for a while, but pretty soon he was ready to run around again. It is amazing how fast they recover from this stuff! Although, this morning he woke up looking like a prize-fighter with a purple, swollen bottom lip. That's my tough guy!
Food:
This week we are on a mission to get more vegetables in LP's diet. He gets a ton of fruit, grains, protein and fat, but most of his veggies come from our morning green smoothies. This is mostly because it is still hard for him to chew things like bell peppers or big stalks of broccoli. So this week we are on a mission to roast some veggies for LP to munch on. Tonight we are going to have "greens" bowls: Each bowl has a layer of quinoa (cooked with veggie broth), a layer of steamed kale (with a bit of lemon juice) and a top layer of roasted butternut squash. LP will miss out on the kale, but that ok because he had it for breakfast! (in the aforementioned smoothie!)
Pictures:
Yummy Carrot Ginger Soup!
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