Oh Garlic...

Oh garlic, you delicious devil! Why do you hate me so? I love you and crave you, and you come in, Trojan horse style, and lay siege on my gut. It isn't fair.

Today, I suspect you sneakily hid yourself in the insanely delicious olive tapenade from Pizza Fusion. I couldn't help myself. I hungrily gobbled you up, and now, more than ten hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, I can't sleep for you upset my belly still!

I try to avoid you, but it is so hard. I am weak to your pungent,spicy flavor. Please be kind to me. It is difficult to partake in all the epicuriean delights of this world, knowing you may be hiding in the next mound of mashed potatoes, serving of salsa, or taste of tapenade.

I ask this, please have pity on my tastebuds and tummy. Call off the war, let there be peace!

Am I a Good Mom?

Am I a good mom? Please, friends and family, don't all comment telling me yes, because I am not looking for an ego boost or anything. I mean, I know I am a good mom in the sense that my kid is fed, has a place to sleep, is clothed, has a clean (usually) diaper. I don't beat her or neglect her. I try not to raise my voice. I play with her and read to her. We talk a lot. We dance a lot. We sing a lot. I may not do any of these things well, but we get by and she doesn't really have very refined tastes at this point. My bad singing is, ahem music to her ears.

But what about when I am so tired of toys laying around that I pick them up rather than instruct her to pick them up? What am I teaching her there? Or when I roll my eyes as she paints her face with her yogurt rather than instructing her on proper table manners? What about when I put on Dora just to blog, or shower, or just be for a minute? What about the days when I give in and give her a cookie over fruit as a snack?

Sure, the short term ramifications may be obvious and reversible, but what about the long term results? Is she learning that Mom will do it and eventually enough whining will get me what I want? Is she learning to make good and healthy food choices? Am I putting her needs second to mine?

Being a mom is sooo much more than just feeding, watching, diapering, playing, not sleeping. And while I wouldn't change a minute of it, why am I suddenly gripped with a fear about what I am doing?

Prayers Please

My lovely Mom, pictured in the last post, is in the hospital. The ICU to be exact. They are in the process of determining what is causing her terrible headaches and sky high blood pressure. If you are the praying type, I would appreciate any prayers. Pray for a healed body, restored health, and wisdom for her doctors. And if you want to add a little "and stay healthy" in there, it wouldn't hurt. She has been through so much illness the past couple years.

thanks!

My Parents

These are my parents. Aren't they awesome! They are the best parents in the world. I love them so much! I hope I am half as good a parent to Lily and my future children as my parents were and still are to me!

a mish mash of stuff...like my brain

UPDATE: I just read on Chicago Tribune Online that the earthquake in Haiti was actually 1,600 times the magnitude of our little temblor this morning. And I guess the epicenter was more like 30 miles from my house...regardless, it was just a little rumble compared to Haiti, or pretty much any other earthquake that has made the news since I've been on this planet.

we had an earthquake last night. 3.8 on the richter scale, epicenter 20ish miles from my house. it was 33,000 times less intense than the one that struck Haiti a month ago, or so says CNN or some other news outlet I read today. i'm not in school anymore so i no longer need to cite my sources...anyway, it was interesting to be awoken at 4 am to your bed shaking. matt thought i was kicking the bed. yeah, okay honey. it wasn't a big deal, no damage or injuries, but i am not all that stoked about adding "earthquake" to my already too long list of worries. and i suppose i should add, for any who may be reading and aren't familiar with northern illinois, that earthquakes are not the norm. occasionally, like every decade or so, we may get a little shake, but to the best of my knowledge, those originate downstate from the rather sizeable New Madrid fault. i was not previously aware of any fault lines running up here. of course, i am no geologist or seismologist...or any kind of -ist for that matter...so i could be way off...

i went to work today. and by work, i mean i cleaned my mom's house, which is the BEST GIG EVER! i get paid to clean the house i grew up cleaning, my mom doesn't have to worry about getting the cleaning done, and Lily gets to go to Maggie's house. it isn't grandma and grandpa's house, but Maggie's house. i am sure anyone that has ever had a dog will agree, sometimes it seems like the dog rules the house, so chickie isn't far off. anyway, i actually did something useful with my day and have done a little bit to contribute to our household. all's good.

when we got home, i asked lily to help me pick up her toys that were strewn from one end of the house to the other. she helped by bringing me the bag her blocks go in and the container her play food goes in. then she collected as many stuffed animals as her arms could hold and marched into the other room to watch Diego. nice. what actually is nice is that she is starting to really play with her stuffed animals. as a note to anyone who may ever by my child a present for any reason: please no stuffed animals...we have enough...rather more than enough.

oh yeah, and for those tuning in hoping to catch a post about the wedding lily starred, er - was a flower girl in, you will have to wait a bit longer. i am trying to track down some good pictures. my aren't the best, what with trying to control a child that hasn't napped and was overstimulated and all that. but i am confident some stellar ones exist. i will, however, leave you with this:


and this:



and okay, one more:


until next time amigos!