June 2013 – Page 2 – The Creative Salad

The State of the Pantry

I’ve been exercising like a mad woman (well, sorta), I feel fantastic, but am still stuck at my pre pregnancy weight (i.e. twenty pounds higher than I’d like to be). Wah wah.

One thing that’s looking lighter around here though is our pantry.

Here’s what it looked like a year ago:

And the state of it today:

Oh, and here’s our baking cupboard:

While we have less food in the pantry, there’s WAY more foodstuffs in the fridge. (I love the summer produce season.)

In fact the fridge is stuffed to the gills with salad fixings and veggies, cooked quinoa, hard boiled eggs, nuts, stews, braised meats, grass fed beef hot dogs, handmade salad dressings…

Despite no dairy, gluten, nightshades, corn or chocolate in ~~our~~ my diet, we’re eating well around here!

Now to really up the exercise… as much as I love the yoga and walks, they don’t impact my weight the same way that running does. (Good thing I love, love, love my runs!) So I gotta prioritize and find the time to run more than once a week. Right now I feel like it may take a miracle. I’m going to aim for three runs a week and go from there.

Quiet Homeschooling Moments

Helping with the grocery list

We’re gearing up for officially starting homeschooling kindergarten this August and so I have lesson plans and activities on the brain.

(Although all learning around here is initiated and led by our daughter. We do not believe in pushing her academically. After all, she’s only five years old. And she’s plenty precocious and self motivated on her own.)

Our daughter is particularly interested in geography (i.e. planning trips), reading historical fiction, playing math games, bird species identification, and writing lists.

And so we do just that.

Planning a menu from 1854 pioneer America

Drawing birds we’ve spotted at our house (with the help of photos from the Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds Western Region — thank you, Grandma!)

Playing math games with Cuisenaire Rods

Snack + Chat

We’ve hit that stage. The snack and chat phase.

Our little boy likes to breastfeed for a few sucks, then unlatch, talk earnestly to me, smile, and then latch himself back on. REPEAT. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Meanwhile I’m spraying milk everywhere.

He clearly has lots to say. (And is so smiley and proud of himself for being able to latch on himself.)

I can’t imagine where he gets that constant chatting thing from. We’re not big talkers around here at all.

HA!

Clearly he’s a part of the family.

Now latch back on, sweet baby, and finish your feeding. We need to get on with our day.

How I Got a Watch and Became a Better Parent

I haven’t worn a watch in over a decade. With my cell phone always within arms reach and clocks in every room, my watch became redundant.

Recently, however, I’ve needed to know the time without wanting to keep my phone with me at all times, especially in the morning when I’m struggling to get out the door with the kids.

It started when we noticed a dramatic difference in our daughter’s behavior when we stopped keeping our cell phones near us. Conversations were no longer interrupted by beeps or blinking lights. We became more present, with our focus on the people right in front of us. (What could be more important than that?)

When I reach for my phone to check the time, I invariably get distracted. I read an email. I respond to a status update on Facebook. I text a friend back. Those actions only take moments, but they add up. And they take time away from my children.

Instead of getting back to people throughout the day, I can write back everyone at once when the kids are asleep (or occasionally during the day when our daughter is off reading or playing while I breastfeed the baby). When the kids aren’t around, I’m less distracted too; my responses take less time.

And so I found myself wanting to wear a watch again.

For months (okay, maybe closer to a year) I have been lusting over these extravagant Kate Spade goodies:

I simply cannot justify the price, especially since we really can’t afford them right now and I’m on a shopping diet.

And so I bought this affordable beauty instead:

(My favorite part is the pink second hand.)

It’s more casual, lighter, and water-resistant than those fancy watches. I won’t have to worry about scratching it. I can wear it all day, every day. In wearing a watch, I will be more present with my kids and get the whole family out the door on time. (Ha!)

Well, we’ll see about that last bit. After all, it’s not a magic watch. I don’t think.

Weekend Moment

“Mama, Daddy, will you turn out the lights already? It’s too bright in here. Can’t you see that I’m sleeping?!”