Friday, April 26, 2013
Slow Down Time!
This little baby is getting so big, so fast. She's developed this sweet, sassy personality what feels like overnight. It is incredibly fun to play with her and see this new side of her, but it makes me acutely aware of just how fast time is going. I'm so blessed to be her Momma.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Momma's Healthy Banana Coconut Bread
These days we often seem to have 2 or 3 sad looking bananas in our fruit bowl, and I've been frequently inspired to make them into banana bread. Unfortunately, most recipes for banana bread aren't very healthy. I've been fussing around trying to find a recipe I like, and so far this is my favorite. I used a recipe from Bethenny Frankel as my inspiration, but I omitted the sugar and butter and added lots of nuts, seeds and coconut flavors. If you are looking for a light, cakey banana bread, this isn't for you. This is a hearty, solid loaf, that fills you up and is perfect with a cup of coffee.
Ingredients: Momma's Healthy Banana Coconut Bread
Liberally adapted from Bethenny Frankel. Her original recipe can be found here:
http://www.bethenny.com/2013/02/23/boo-boo-banana-bread/
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup mashed overripe bananas (2 or 3)
1 egg
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat, but any kind will do)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/8 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup millet
1/3 cup shredded coconut
*Sometimes I will add in some dark chocolate chips or I chop up a bit of a dark chocolate bar to add; it all depends on how healthy you want to be!
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour in the batter and cover it loosely with foil.
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for another 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean (moist crumbs are fine). Cool completely, then slice and serve.
Ingredients: Momma's Healthy Banana Coconut Bread
Liberally adapted from Bethenny Frankel. Her original recipe can be found here:
http://www.bethenny.com/2013/02/23/boo-boo-banana-bread/
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup mashed overripe bananas (2 or 3)
1 egg
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat, but any kind will do)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/8 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup millet
1/3 cup shredded coconut
*Sometimes I will add in some dark chocolate chips or I chop up a bit of a dark chocolate bar to add; it all depends on how healthy you want to be!
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour in the batter and cover it loosely with foil.
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for another 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean (moist crumbs are fine). Cool completely, then slice and serve.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Ice cream!
Today was the first real spring day in Chicago. Sunny, mid 50's....amazing. E and I decided to make some coconut milk ice cream in the Kitchen Aid to commemorate the day. Daddy got home early and we grilled out too! It was a perfect day!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Sad Mac
My best friend moved to San Francisco.
And for those of you that are geographically challenged, that is exactly 2,131 miles west of Chicago, and me. He's been gone for 11 days and I really miss him. He moved for a job with his dream company and is really loving it. I couldn't be happier for him, but we sure feel his absence here in snowy, grey Chicago.
Hey San Francisco: You owe me.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Six Months Old!
Dear Eleanor:
I cannot believe you are already six months old! I remember the last few weeks leading up to your birth; I was so anxious and excited and nervous for the big day. I dreamed of what you might look like, and how our lives might change with your presence. But as everyone says, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. You light up our lives with your ever-present smile, your giggles, your snuggles and your deep interest in everything around you. You have learned so much in such a short time, and I am just in awe of everything you do. You can roll over, and sit up, you practice walking any time someone will hold your tiny hands. You charm us with your cooing, and babbling. You adore Foster and find his antics endlessly funny. You are a dream baby and we know how lucky we are that you were put in our lives. Thank you for being such a beautiful, sweet girl and for that beaming smile every time I come to pick you up out of your crib. You make me feel like the most loved and special person in the world, and I can only hope I make you feel the same way.
Happy half birthday baby girl. There will be so many more milestones on our journey together, and some day 6 months won't seem so important, but today, 6 months is a big deal. It is a lifetime.
I love you.
xoxo,
Momma
I cannot believe you are already six months old! I remember the last few weeks leading up to your birth; I was so anxious and excited and nervous for the big day. I dreamed of what you might look like, and how our lives might change with your presence. But as everyone says, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. You light up our lives with your ever-present smile, your giggles, your snuggles and your deep interest in everything around you. You have learned so much in such a short time, and I am just in awe of everything you do. You can roll over, and sit up, you practice walking any time someone will hold your tiny hands. You charm us with your cooing, and babbling. You adore Foster and find his antics endlessly funny. You are a dream baby and we know how lucky we are that you were put in our lives. Thank you for being such a beautiful, sweet girl and for that beaming smile every time I come to pick you up out of your crib. You make me feel like the most loved and special person in the world, and I can only hope I make you feel the same way.
Happy half birthday baby girl. There will be so many more milestones on our journey together, and some day 6 months won't seem so important, but today, 6 months is a big deal. It is a lifetime.
I love you.
xoxo,
Momma
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Mom & Dad
As E gets closer to talking, she is beginning to string together sounds, like ma-ma, da-da, ha-ha, la-la. It is so amazing to see the evolution of squeals and coos to something more closely resembling words. It got me to thinking more about her first words, and if they might be someone she loves like Momma or Daddy, or something she loves like poochie or her beloved milk, or one of her things like a stuffed bunny or a ball. It made me think how words will open up a whole new world for her. She will begin to understand that everything has a special name, a way for you to understand it, define it, call out for it. How throughout her life she will search for words to make sense of things, to connect with others, to give significance to her experiences. It made me think about how special it will be the first time she says Momma, whenever that is, and truly knows the word means, me. That I am hers. That if she calls out that word I will come for her, to help her, to comfort her, to play with her, to hug and kiss and love her. It made me think about what being a mom means to me, and what I want it to mean to her. I want it to mean so many things; comfort, safety, and home, to begin with. I hope it means someone she knows she can lean on, someone who offers advice but doesn't push it on her, who she can be honest with & trust. I hope it is a name that will provide her with the things she needs as she grows up and as her needs change, changes with her. Personally, it makes me want to be the very best version of me possible; a version of me that doesn't even exist yet, and truthfully may never exist. But when I dream of it, I want her to have memories of a mom that kept the house neat & organized but was never so fussy that she couldn't play and have fun. I want her to feel our home belongs to all of us. I want her to have memories of a mom with impeccable manners and style. I want her to have memories of us enjoying dinner as a family; talking and laughing.
Thinking of the words Mom and Dad, make me think of my own. It makes me think of both the good and bad memories I associate with those words. When I think of my mom, I think of girl scout camping trips; punching open big cans of Hawaiian punch to pour into Dixie cups. I think of my sisters and I creating synchronized swimming performances while my mom watched from the swing down at our lake every day over the summer. I think of endless craft projects, school trips with her as a chaperone, of her hugging me when I was sad, telling me over and over again, that "between the three of us (meaning my parents and I), there is nothing we can't solve together." Those words felt so safe and comforting, and was such a wonderful thing for her to say to me when I was unsure of the world. When I think of my dad, I think of him coming home from work and being so excited to see him. He would sit down in the living room and we would try to help him get his boots off from work. We would pull so hard on his boots and he would pull back with his foot making it a game, one we cherished. I remember him piling us on his back as he crawled around the living room on all fours pretending to be Battle Cat from She-Ra. I remember him walking the cross country course at the Middle School cheering me on even though I finished last on our team every single race. He always told me that it didn't matter where I placed, as long as I finished. I don't remember every feeling ashamed that I didn't do better, because he was so proud of me that I was proud of myself.
Those two words, Mom and Dad, also make me think of my husband's parents. So many spouses begin to call their in-laws by these names over time. In fact my own parents do this with their in-laws. I haven't been married that long, but for some reason, I just can't get there yet. I really love and admire my husband's parents. They are lovely people and were wonderful parents to Matthew. But I can't seem to feel comfortable yet calling them Mom or Dad. Those two words have such a deep, entrenched meaning to me that they feel like names rather than terms. I am sure that over the years, as my life is more entwined with theirs and we have more experience and memories together, that it will feel more normal to use those words with them, but for now, I'm keeping just the one mom and dad that I've got. And I can't wait for Ellie to use those words for our family. It may be a long time from now, but I am so looking forward to making sure that when she says Momma, it is a word that is full of love, and comfort, and safety and joy.
Thinking of the words Mom and Dad, make me think of my own. It makes me think of both the good and bad memories I associate with those words. When I think of my mom, I think of girl scout camping trips; punching open big cans of Hawaiian punch to pour into Dixie cups. I think of my sisters and I creating synchronized swimming performances while my mom watched from the swing down at our lake every day over the summer. I think of endless craft projects, school trips with her as a chaperone, of her hugging me when I was sad, telling me over and over again, that "between the three of us (meaning my parents and I), there is nothing we can't solve together." Those words felt so safe and comforting, and was such a wonderful thing for her to say to me when I was unsure of the world. When I think of my dad, I think of him coming home from work and being so excited to see him. He would sit down in the living room and we would try to help him get his boots off from work. We would pull so hard on his boots and he would pull back with his foot making it a game, one we cherished. I remember him piling us on his back as he crawled around the living room on all fours pretending to be Battle Cat from She-Ra. I remember him walking the cross country course at the Middle School cheering me on even though I finished last on our team every single race. He always told me that it didn't matter where I placed, as long as I finished. I don't remember every feeling ashamed that I didn't do better, because he was so proud of me that I was proud of myself.
Those two words, Mom and Dad, also make me think of my husband's parents. So many spouses begin to call their in-laws by these names over time. In fact my own parents do this with their in-laws. I haven't been married that long, but for some reason, I just can't get there yet. I really love and admire my husband's parents. They are lovely people and were wonderful parents to Matthew. But I can't seem to feel comfortable yet calling them Mom or Dad. Those two words have such a deep, entrenched meaning to me that they feel like names rather than terms. I am sure that over the years, as my life is more entwined with theirs and we have more experience and memories together, that it will feel more normal to use those words with them, but for now, I'm keeping just the one mom and dad that I've got. And I can't wait for Ellie to use those words for our family. It may be a long time from now, but I am so looking forward to making sure that when she says Momma, it is a word that is full of love, and comfort, and safety and joy.
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