Backyards

I've been thinking a lot about backyards lately. As I walk Sarah to and from the park I stare at backayards and what people do with them. Some people have beautiful shaded areas for reading and playing. Others have barren lawns littered with pet waste. The later of the two always seems like a giant shame to me. There are other yards that I imagine what I would do with if I happened to own the property.

I'll admit it, when I owned a house I lamented yard work. Mowing the lawn, picking up after the dog; it seemed like I was rarely enjoying it but rather taking care of it. (We also happened to have the misfortune of needing to tear-out, regrade, and re-plant our yard in the early years at our house). That said we did always have large fruitful gardens and a lovely area for evening "campfires." The down-time we did have in our space was very relaxing.

Fast-forward three years and suddenly I miss that yard A LOT! A series of moves, job-changes and simplification decisions (IE me being a stay-at-home mom) means that we are not going to be in a financial position to own a home any time soon. While I love my low-maintenance rental town-home, the shared grassy patch is small and treated with lots of nasty chemicals. I have Sarah pretty well trained to stay on the sidewalk which in and of itself is very sad to me. Luckily we live in a very nice area that has plentiful parks which we can walk to. The local municipality does not treat the park grass which is a huge bonus. I can only imagine that as Sarah grows and we eventually grow our family that I will long for a yard more and more. I already wish for a fenced are that I could let Sarah run "at will" (still supervised but not so governed). A place to once again grow my garden, a space that my dog is welcome (none of the parks where I live allow pets), a space for campfires, a space where I can leave a toy in the grass while we go inside to have lunch, and most importantly a place to hang a swing.

So why I am writing about backyards? Because I miss having one and if you have one I want you to take a moment to remember how great it is. Why else am I writing? To get over it; here are the things that I can love about being yard-less right now:

1)I don't have to mow or dig weeds
2)I am pushed to leave home, IE - we now have a bigger backyard which includes: the zoo, children's museum, parks, the library and our extended neighborhood.
3) Being yard-less is allowing me to have the most fulfilling job in the universe right now.

50 Things (Summer 2010)

I've read in multiple places lately the idea of getting rid of 50 things. Going through to purge your life of clutter and unnecessary items. We've moved cross-country twice in the last 3 years and on our move south we had TWO MOVING TRUCKS! When we returned we crammed everything we kept into one. I've endlessly put things on craigslist and ebay and taken tons and tons of things to Goodwill and St. Vincent De Paul. Part of me doubted that I would really be able to find 50 things I was willing to part with; after all, I've purged a lot in the last 3 years. Regardless I thought I would look and in a few minutes had a giant heap. This looks like it will be easier than I thought. I'm going to list my 50 things for this summer (as recommended by the articles) as I find them and then hopefully can make this a seasonal habit.

Summer Purge:
1) Unity Candle setting from wedding. (offering it to little sister, otherwise donated).
2) Puppy Pad tray (the dog that needed it went to a new family a year ago...)
3 -9) Cookbooks that are not vegetarian
10-11) Two brand-new teething rings where the liquid leaked out (trash)
12) Brand-new scented candle - we don't do scented candles (offering it to family or donate)
13) Gifted Decor, not our style (donating)
14) drying rack for dishes that is too big for our counter (donating)
15-19) Like-new novels that aren't bad but aren't good. (Sisters or donating to library)
20) Easter Bunny stained glass - donating
21) French Horn Case (going to try craigslist otherwise going to a local school)
22) New bottle of black poster-paint. (Going to sister's classroom)
23) Giant bag (50+) of decorative pencils (Going to sister's classroom).
24) Pink Sweater tank-top. Lets face it, sweater tank tops are a bad idea. (donate)
25) Pet-a-Paws which didn't work so great. Returned to CVS for $10 :-)
26) Large bag of stale "greenie" dog treats - garbage
27-29) Nice like-new dog toys that my dog doesn't like - (gave to the neighbor's new puppy)
30) The idea that my writing isn't good enough to share (gave out 2 copies of my manuscript)

Mung Bean and Rice Soup (aka: Screaming Sarah Soup)

I call this "Screaming Sarah Soup" for two reasons.
1) The prep is fast; I can easily throw this together even on the worst of screamy (teething) days.
2) Sarah loves it. If I don't move the spoon fast enough from her cup to her mouth she "screams" (well, grunts) for more.

Anyway it is a fantastically fast (and healthy) little number inspired by a red lentil soup recipe that I found on one of my favorite cooking websites 101cookbooks.com. My version substitutes mung beans for red lentils (we prefer their texture and slightly nutty flavor over the red lentils which we find to be a bit too mushy). My version also yields a larger batch and has more rice. Throw some together on the next rainy afternoon and enjoy :-)

Mung Bean Soup Ingredients

1 medium onion

1-2 shallots

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

8 cups water

2 cubes veggie bouillon (we love the Rapunzel with sea salt and herbs but have been using Edward and Sons Garden Veggie due to availability at our local store). (These are large size cubes so one cube flavors 2 cups water)

1 cup rinsed Mung beans (we used the split variety)

1 cup brown rice

2 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Chop onions and shallots. Caramelize onions and shallots with red pepper flakes in a small splash of olive oil. Once caramelized add 8 cups water, veggie bouillon, Mung beans, brown rice and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for approximately 45 minutes (or until rice is at desired texture). Adjust seasoning to taste and enjoy!

Serving Note: My hubby and baby love this soup "as is." I enjoy it with a small splash of citrus (you can use lemon or lime but I would add it to taste bowl by bowl).

Advice for new mothers

If I could go back to my pregnancy days what I would've wished for was honest advice from other moms. Not the labor horror stories that they were all-to-eager to share; but rather home-coming stories, breast-feeding challenges, sleep-deprivation moments and stories of feeling lost. Because lets face it, while labor is the first, it is not the biggest challenge to becoming a new mom. What I would want is for someone to say, "You know, all the things you read are just suggestions. Trust your instincts you will know what to do." Then I would want them to follow up with "Except when you don't, because sometimes you won't (I love Dr. Seuss) and when you don't feel free to call me; maybe I can help."

For many women their mother is their number one "go-to" person. I too called my mom but found her to not always be able to help. Two hurdles stood in her way. For one, she was 1200 miles away and for two it had been 20 years since she had birthed my youngest sister. She remembered a lot but would often say, "It's been too long, ask _______" So I had to get used to asking other people. And because I had my connections at my birth center I had "people." I don't think most people go home from giving birth with two new facebook friends that are experts on everything baby so that's why I'm encouraging women to surround themselves with positive mentor moms.

I was lucky to be able to call upon my birth center family. I called my midwife at night when she was at home because my baby's respiration's were "too high"; she had me take a layer of clothing off and they dropped right away. She saved us a trip to urgent care and calmed my new mommy nerves. I called my cousin to ask questions about breastfeeding. She described the initial pain as "toe-curling" and suddenly I felt I could ask her anything. 6 months post birth I had a face-book conversation with another wonderful birth center employee who encouraged me to see a doctor regarding my continued healing. I did and while there was nothing I could do to speed up my recovery it was good to know that I was indeed healing and that "these things just take time."

These are the tips I would give to my friends who are new mothers. I failed miserably at some of these while others took me a while to figure out. Hopefully next time around I will be wiser :-)

Top Ten tips for New Mommies

1)
You don't have to be super mom. You can't do it all.

2)
Don't be afraid to ask your husband (or close family) to watch the baby so you can catch up on sleep and recover.

3)
You have just started the hardest and most rewarding job of your entire life, expect to have a learning-curve.

4)
When nothing else works, take the baby outside for a few minutes. Fresh air does wonders. (When this does fail remember there are thousands of other Moms rocking their babies right now - again ask for help if you need it.)

5)
The world is full of experts. Once you are a mom, strangers feel comfortable giving you their two cents. If it doesn't add up to you smile and ignore them. (This also goes for authors who push child-rearing agendas that don't sit well with your instincts. Remember many of them are selling "solutions" that have not been researched and if it doesn't feel sound right to you, it's not right FOR you.)

6)
Post-partum depression is a real condition. If you have any feelings that you feel are out of balance talk to someone as soon as possible, you are not alone.

7)
It takes a while to get to know your baby. Don't feel bad if you don't understand his or her language.

8)
You will make mistakes, it's okay. Our parents weren't perfect either and look how much we love them.

9)
Write about what you are going through. Share good and hard times on paper. Someday your "parenting journal" could inspire your baby through his/her tough times of early parenting.

10)
Acknowledge that just like it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to raise a mother. You have also been born into a new life; surround yourself with a community of positive, supportive moms and ask for whatever it is that you need.

And lastly. Remember this.
You are amazing. You have birthed a new life and you know what's best for that life - trust your instincts.

**This was written with love and reflection after meeting my first niece. Congrats to my sister and her new family. Remember we are here for you. **

Made By Rae "Buttercup Bag"

My sister is a beautiful blond who loves orange and pink and anything bright and fun. She is outrageously vibrant and though I wasn't out shopping with her in mind, when I saw this fabric I knew I needed to make her a handbag. Her college graduation party was coming up in two weeks and this was a perfect gift for her.

I have been tucking away blog tutorials and online patterns for just such an occasion and digging back through my favorites I came across this awesome and FREE pattern on the "Made By Rae" blog. It is her "Buttercup Bag." She asks that you use her pattern only for personal use. If you'd like to craft her bag for resale or would like a larger size she has a pattern available for $10 that gives you the opportunity to do both. Her blog is: http://www.made-by-rae.com/

Rae's step by step instructions and photo tutorial made this project a breeze! I love the pleats and inside pocket. The size of the purse is perfect for a wallet, keys, and a compact or two.

Bottom line, this project is beautiful and can be quite thrifty. Using red-tag fabric for the outer, scraps for the inner, a hand-me-down button and a new magnetic closure I estimate the bag cost me approximately $1.40 + time and talent ;-) I'm giving it to her today and figured I'd be safe to post as she is probably on the road by now!