How many bubblegums do you wish?

Oh boy. Here I go again, overloading myself with "things to do". Not only am I working as a massage therapist two evenings and every other Saturday, I have added to my list of activities lately, and am feeling a little fuzzy-headed! Ah well, all is good when I am occupied and frazzled. I seem to function better when I'm busy.

I am also doing a technical writing project for a company based out of E. that I worked for when I was pregnant. It is a little painstaking at times (verrrry boring work) but I am trying to plug through. Teething has set in with a vengeance, so I'm finding it hard to sit down and get stuff done (why I'm blogging right now when I could be working? Hmm...).

I have OPENED MY OWN BUSINESS!! Yay!! As of this past week, Little Sprout Designs is now open via Facebook. Custom orders can be placed through littlesproutdesigns@gmail.com. I haven't been able to get all of my items up on the page yet, but I've started small - pacifier clips! Some are glittery, some are embellished, and all are just plain cute! Tell your friends...

I'll also have embellished hooded towels, tulle tutus, and flowered hats/headbands by the end of July (hopefully). We'll be participating in the Little Monster's Swap Meet in Spruce Grove in August with fellow mompreneurs Sophie Madison (absolutely gorgeous baby blankets), so keep your eyes peeled!

I don't know if the business will go anywhere, but I am having a blast so far doing it, and Sprout just looks cuter and cuter wearing each new creation. She's a very willing little model - always has a new pose! This is a short blog, because I'm running around trying to get ready before Sprout wakes up and we have errands to complete before I dash off to work tonight. Check out our Facebook page, and make sure you direct anyone you think would be interested!

Keep snoozing, Sprout. Maybe if you sleep through a tooth coming in, it won't be so painful (for both of us!).

xoxoxo

Mommy

Domestic...disturbance?

Oh, just kidding. Not in the way that you're probably thinking. Nope, I'm not talking about a vase-chucking (or apple-chucking...), crazy, all-out psycho husband-and-wife spat. What I'm actually referring to is the fact that I have had my culinary curiosity return in the form of creative (and tasty) baby food making spurts. Call it a disturbance of my regularly scheduled domestic duties. I have really been enjoying making meals for Sprout, even when they stem into day-long sessions of steaming and blending...and chilling...and freezing...and transferring frozen cubes to labelled Ziploc bags. Whew. Even that sentence was exhausting.

So while I may not be feeding myself the most nutritious meals all the time, I certainly have discovered that I have the knack for whipping up some delicious treats for my wee one. I have chosen to share three of the "recipes" (I don't usually cook with a recipe, but I've been asked enough times that I have written out a rough guideline of sorts) that Sprout has enjoyed the most, starting with two MEATY dishes. Meat is the hardest thing to get kids to like, usually, and Sprout was a champ at gagging on simple pureed chicken and beef, so these recipes incorporate a couple of tastier additions that actually help to make the food a little smoother. If your baby has a texture aversion, this might help a little. Enjoy cooking, bon appetit to your little ones, and I hope you enjoy your mini-culinary adventuring.

Sweet Sweet Steak (Slow-cooker)

1 round steak, fat trimmed off

2 medium sized sweet potatoes

1 cup green beans

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp freeze-dried garlic or garlic powder (optional)

Place sweet potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker; put whole steak and green beans on top. Add water, bay leaf, and garlic. Cover and cook for 10 hours on low, checking the water level occasionally. Allow to cool, and puree/blend to the texture of your choice. Serve warm, or chill for a few hours prior to freezing. Can be stored frozen for up to 3 months.

**I have found that the food processor worked best on this one, and on all beef recipes. A handheld food mill is also great when babies can start eating a little chunkier food.**

Chicken In Disguise

2 chicken breasts, defrosted and cut into chunks

2 apples (whatever kind you like), sliced & cored

5-6 large carrots, washed and cut into chunks (you can peel them if you like, I just give them a little scrub)

1/2-1 cup of water

Pinch of dried rosemary and/or thyme

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until chicken is tender enough to break down slightly on its own (usually about an hour). Can be pureed while hot if you are using an immersion blender; otherwise, allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a blender or food processor. Serve warm, or chill for a few hours prior to freezing. Can be stored frozen for up to 3 months.

Sprout's Favourite Breakfast

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oatmeal (either ground or not, up to you)

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 tsp cinnamon (if you're doing spices)

2-3 apples or pears, cored and diced (skin on/off, again up to you - I leave the skin on)

Put the coconut milk, water, and oatmeal into a saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and add fruit and cinnamon (if using), then cover and simmer until fruit is soft enough to be mashed with a fork. Puree or blend to a texture you are comfortable with. Serve warm, or chill for a few hours prior to freezing. Can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.

You may have to adjust the measurements accordingly...I kind of just wing it, so I tried to narrow it down! You may use more/less water and more/less oatmeal, but the coconut milk is always one can, and the fruit measurements are pretty accurate. I have done this recipe with apples, pears, figs, blueberries, and mangoes, and Sprout seems to LOVE anything made with oatmeal and coconut milk - and I have to admit, I couldn't help but take spoonfuls of the blueberry batch - YUM!

For now, it's off to dreamland for Mommy, Sprout. Time to get some shut-eye and dream up a few new recipes. The neighbour said she made ratatouille for her little guy. Maybe we'll be adventurous and give it a whirl! Get ready for some more new tasty treats. It won't be as bad as the curried sweet potatoes or roasted beets, I promise.

xoxoxo

Mommy

Feeling funky?

After last week's episode of Glee, which the husband and I watched last night (thank you, PVR), I couldn't help but noticing that I've been feeling rather down and in a funk myself. Not as fun when the world around you doesn't break into song and dance every 10 minutes or so. I could do it on my own, but I think I might get thrown into a psych ward. Sure, my days do consist of many different songs and dances to entertain Sprout, but it's not quite the same.

I have no idea why I have been feeling so out of it lately. It's like I have no motivation anymore. I think that I have finally fallen victim to the hurried, busy life that I have created for myself over the past 7 months. All things considered, I'm pretty impressed that I have lasted until now.

Here's the shit I've had to deal with for the last little while (oh, listen to me whine...just for a little):

- Baby. Breastfeeding. Pumping incessantly. Doctors.

- Thyroid flareup. Hair loss. Mood swings.

- NO period. (NOT pregnant) Cramps for weeks.

- Going back to work at 3 months post-partum. BIG mistake.

- Teething. Screaming. Fever. Miserable baby. (This is a recent development)

- Giving dog away. Tolerating other annoying dog.

- Grandpa dying in the midst of Sprout's arrival and first two months.

- Money. Lack thereof. Stress.

- Taking on too much outside of baby and work.

I think I'm just burning out. I wouldn't call it depression, but more along the lines of exhaustion. Even the things that I normally love doing (singing, playing piano, guitar, writing, and a new development - sewing/crafting) seem tedious. All I want to do is take a nap! I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do the fun stuff, let alone clean the house. The days that I have to work in the evenings, I just want to sit around with Sprout (especially if she's in a mood) in my pj's until I absolutely have to shower and get ready. And then I go to work, and have to physically exert myself and scramble to get home before 10:30pm so I can pump and get to bed.

All of this is just me whining about life, and it's ridiculous, but isn't that what a blog is supposed to be about? Boring people writing boring journal entries about their boring lives? Who the hell reads this crap, anyways?

Wow, listen to me...and really, my life is not all that difficult. I constantly remind myself that I have the happiest, easiest baby I have ever met (most days), and that we are so lucky that the husband has such an amazing job, or else we would have lost our house when I was off on modified rest at 25 weeks. Life will always throw curveballs, and there will always be the "woe is me" days, but I have to throw aside all the self-pitying bullshit and be thankful for what I do have. My family is healthy and happy, and we have done an excellent job of taking care of Sprout so far. She is so beautiful, and extremely easygoing. Let's hope she keeps the laid-back personality into her teen years.

I can hear the soft tapping of fat raindrops on my windows now, and can smell that familiar damp scent wafting through my open ensuite window. Growing up in the city, the smell of rain differs much from the deliciously fresh top notes that arise from open fields of grass, wheat, or barley. We smell wet asphalt and we go "mmmm...". Gross, isn't it? But still...(sniffing).

Enjoy the extra ambiance during your nap, little Sprout.

xoxoxo

Mommy