A quick note..

This past Sunday we had Connor's huge 1st birthday party, there will be a post, vids and pics to follow but I am in crunch week for school. I have one final presentation this Thursday and then all will be well. I still have classes next week, but they will be chill as I just have to show up and watch others do their thing.

I just wanted to note that I've been reading (when I can between life and school) The Body Ecology Diet and I've found it pretty fascinating. I love love health books. I always find something interesting and helpful. The low carb thing is still doing pretty darn good, I feel sane and balanced. I did over do it on Connor's birthday but I'm close to breaking the 130 mark. 15-17 lbs to go!! Yippee.

Happy Birthday to my baby who is now 1 years old (day late)

Dear Connor,

My beautiful, awesome, superduper, fabulous, wonderful, fantastic, terrific, handsome, fun, inquisitive, curiously sweet, marvelous, swell, neat, precious, splendid, astonishing, magnificent, stunning, wondrous, cuddly, snuggly son, you are a bright shiny light in our world.

• You love to cuddle and give kisses. You even woke your dad up by kissing him sweetly (instead of whacking him in the face) a couple days ago
• You love your family so much and your face just lights up when they are near. You practically worship your big brothers and sister. You want to do everything just like them (You know how to hold various video game console controllers, as if you were playing the game yourself)
• You make this funny squished up face when someone is looking at you, like you are showing off how cute you are.
• You already share, even if it is a snot/drool covered food/toy item

Gee willikers (Roly poly Olie is on), you've only just begun in the last few days to like watching kid shows but that and Yo Gabba Gabba seem to be able to hold your attention for 5 minutes, otherwise you are on the go!! Go go go! You love interaction and are most happy when someone is just sitting with you talking with you.

You love food, but seems to love mommy milk a little lot more. You can say "momma, dadda, kisses, boob, and this."

You absolutely LOVE bath time. You scream when its time to take you out.

You love just running around, you even tried to play soccer the other night at Jacob's practice.

21 weeks

7lbs 5 oz Feb 23, 2011

39 weeks

"When love is not madness, it is not love."

Happy Valentine's all.

"You drive me crazy....

with that boooogie oooogie oooogie ooogie.."

I had to share this awesome Ween song. Today has been a Ween day. Connor is cutting 2 upper teeth and has been quite clingy and cranky so enter: THE MUSIC. I managed to get a little school stuff done this morning but not nearly what I needed to get done. One month left of this quarter and hello 3rd quarter oh and even better helloooooo SPRING BREAK! 

Oh oh oh oh. Where to account for my interesting dietary shifts lately. I've commenced a low carb attack diet. I even researched "Eco-atkins". So I felt pretty well prepared to try a vegan low carb plan. But it felt... lacking. Like I wasn't getting enough fat even though I add coconut oil to most everything and it felt really restrictive so I decided to add a smidge of cheese and some eggs and GASP.. I even had a freaking cheeseburger minus the bun (FRACK). It was gross, I'll be honest. But in that very moment I felt selfish. I want to lose this damn weight. It is stubbornly clinging. 

This lasted roughly 3 and half days and I've lost about 3 lbs but last night I had a splurge with some great gals from school and then I came home and reheated some spaghetti that I had made for the kiddos. I can't begin to even describe the pain my poor guts were in. It was hell. 

As for the low carbness with animal products, it does NOT feel right. So I'm back with a renewed vigor to make it veganized, as much as possible. I don't know where I read it on the many blogs I love to haunt but someone posted the notion about being a Flexitarian and I really really like that. I am flexible, I am adaptable, I go with the flow.. as much as possible.

This lovely above is my rendition of a broccoli/cottage "cheese" dish.

•  Cooked broccoli with coconut oil and nutritional yeast
• Sprouted tofu smashed with veganaise, stone ground mustard, pink himalayan salt and Galaxy cream "cheese" (which is totally absolutely DELICIOUS)

Extremely tasty:

What every mother dreads...

The day your precious little baby learns to take of his own diaper! DOH! Ahhh little boys. Connor particularly liked playing in his huge puddle of pee.. Ok lovely image.. now on to some eats!

Yesterday was so so. I was scrambling like mad to start and finish a 5 page paper. I went over to my parents so that I could get some help with entertaining the boys. Took 4.5 hours but the paper is finished. Not spectacular work but hey I'm OK with that. I'm definitely not an overachiever this time around. Such a huge difference between my BA and now my MSW. I think having a family has something to do with it, or I'm getting old.. PROBABLY both.

I for sure went over my carb limit yesterday. Oh I think the amount of carbs I ate yesterday equaled about 3 days worth but oh well. I'm sure I read somewhere about carb loading?

Anywhoo, despite today's lovely stressors (diaper fiasco? sick boyfriend? tons of laundry? school work?) I feel pretty good about today's eats.

I've never been a conventional breakfast person, like for instance I have no problem with Mexican food or curry. I'm most fond, however, of a huge lovely green juice but since I'm doing the low carb thing that's not an option at the moment. Unless I drank straight kale juice. I'm brave and I freaking adore Kale but... that is a tad extreme even for me.

So I made a tofu smash for breakfast that Connor loved too. I smashed up some firm tofu with veganaise, pink Himalayan salt, Spike seasoning (hot kind but not too much of this), some fresh chopped cilantro, diced celery hearts ( I also freaking love these, so tender and flavorful) and then threw in some pepitas. I ate it with a few stalks of celery and a fork. So so so good. I will admit as well I had some fresh mozzarella in the fridge so I had a slice on the side. Darn dairy!!!!!

That meal held me over for HOURS! In fact I wasn't even hungry but I decided I should put something on my tummy. I made a protein drink. I blended unsweetened almond milk with hemp protein, chia seeds, unsweetened cocoa powder and then I added a little raw stevia. It was a gritty chocolate milk as I find hemp protein does not mix well with liquids. The flavor was doable. A banana would have been stellar but the carbs in that is outrageous. I think bananas are uber healthy and I'm not dismissing them forever.. just for now.. just until I can wear the rest of my pre-preg clothing.

Alrighty, Connor is done with his snack so time for me to stop ungushing my brain.