ANOTHER stomach bug!?!

OK seriously. This is getting so old. I think this is round 3 of a stomach virus since I have had Natalie. And this is a sneaky one. I thought we were done w/ the stomach part Sunday night, but oh no, 48 hours later it reared its ugly head. Calgon, take me away! I think this is the first time in my time as a mother that I really understand that sentiment and truly GET IT. Oh to lay soaking in a tub or get a massage... right now I'm just thankful that I have so far been spared any illness. I'm thinking that as soon as Natalie is better, it will strike. That's usually how it works.

But I think she's doing alright, besides the horking. She is currently chasing the cat around, trying to get her to eat a cracker. The usual morning-time routine. :)

My garden-planting has been woefully put on hold. I have the wood to create my square-foot-gardening grid, but it's still in the garage. Half the plants have been pulled out to make room for the veggies... by the time I get done with this, it will be too late to plant anything! Oh well, we'll get there.

Despite the stomach woes, I made tofu stir-fry last night. It was delicious, but I could only find the medium firm tofu instead of my usual preference, the extra firm. And it makes a difference. Next time I'll go somewhere else to get the extra firm. Tonight we are having potato pancakes.

I also am perusing some sites trying to get lunch ideas for hubby -- This is a good blog, and this is the site that goes along with it. I'm just trying to figure out what nutritional yeast flakes are, and where to get them, so I can make a really awesome-looking vegan muffin recipe on there. I perused the book at Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago, and there are some great kids' lunch ideas. I also really like the alternatives she talks about for lunchboxes and plastic bags.

I think I could do without eggs, but I really don't think I can do without milk & cheese. So I guess that would put me in the actual "vegetarian" slot and not "vegan", yes? So far, it's going well, and I'm not really even noticing a difference. I think we could transition to a meatless lifestyle much easier than I anticipated. Especially if we stop going out to eat (which we REALLY need to do b/c it's wasting $$!) because I automatically order a chicken wrap or salad w/ meat in it. Oops!

OK back to sitting by Natalie with a bowl and pushing the fluids, and hoping I don't see the fluids again!! :)

Vegging Out?

So in order to continue along my path of becoming a true hippie, I should go vegan, yes? :) I mean, I am already breastfeeding an almost-3-year-old, I'm about to plant a veggie garden in my backyard, I did a stint of cloth diapering, we still co-sleep here and there, I'm a registered Democrat (or more accurately, a bleeding heart liberal, as my father used to say), I've given serious consideration to home-schooling, and my overall approach to parenting is decidedly on the "gentle discipline" or "consensual living" side -- I'm well on my way! I will not stop shaving my pits though. I have to draw the line somewhere. OK, also no cloth TP. So I'm probably more of a mainstream hippie. But still. You see my point. There is an inner hippie that comes out more and more each year, especially since becoming a mom.

Seriously, though -- I watched a couple videos on Peta's web site the other day that had me bawling hysterically. I watched the pigs and chickens and how they are treated before they are made into food. All this after I brought home a pork loin from Fry's. Lovely! (It's simmering now in my crockpot. I figured it was crueler to make his death be in vain and just throw him out. So now he's providing a wonderful meal for a nice family. :) ) ANYWAY -- it got me thinking about this whole vegetarian thing.

I have pondered this throughout the years off and on. I love tofu, hummus, veggie sausage, chik'n patties, vegetables, etc. I think I could truly live without meat. I think. My poor husband. His response? "Could we just get past this phase and move on to your next new thing?" I probably would have gotten mad about that if he weren't spot on. I do like to try new things! :) But this is a lifestyle change.. something healthier, it would cost less, and after watching that footage... I could feel better about the way my food was prepared before it even got to my house.

So I'm online researching recipes to see if it's all something I could handle. Hmm...

February

Did February really just fly by? I know it's a short month, but woo! That went fast. :)

We have been going to the park almost every day, soaking up the nice weather before it gets beastly hot. I got a jogging stroller a few weeks ago, and have been religiously walking/jogging just about every day -- we do our walk and then play at the park. It's a lovely way to spend the mornings, especially if our walk happens to take us past a Starbucks. :)

Natalie has been working on the letter "A" lately. She is getting quite good at writing the letter, and we talk a lot about all the things that start with A. I think we may move on to "B" soon.

She also is working on her cutting skills. I picked up a Kumon cutting book at Target, and she has a grand time trying to follow the lines to cut whiskers on the dogs/cats, or to cut apart a picture so she can rearrange it to make it look like a boat or whatever the picture is that day. It's a wonderful book - I highly recommend it!

Here she is concentrating hard on the cutting:


I am starting to think about the summer months. Spring is covered with the outdoor play - the zoo, the parks, my moms groups - but summer is a whole other animal. We can't just go run to the park without passing out within a few minutes. So I'm pondering what to do - dance, gym, swimming... getting the piano tuned and teaching her some notes on there. What's good to do for a 3 year old? I want to keep her entertained, and keep the sanity. She and I both go a little crazy when we are stuck inside with crafts for more than a few days at a time. We actually spent a morning yelling at each other (yes she was yelling at me!) at the beginning of January because we were both so tired of being cooped up with her being sick. I would like to avoid that happening again! :)

I also have officially decided - no preschool this fall. So we'll be doing other activities and probably ramping up the learning factor - I got a lot of great books from Target. They have a wonderful educational book section. But mainly, we will just continue with PLAYING. Their younger years go by so fast, they need to play! I'm a big fan of just hanging out while she rides her tricycle, plays in her sand/water table, and quite literally smells the flowers in the backyard. :)

Alright, I'm off to enjoy the weather! This week is gardening week - cleaning out the flowers/leaves and getting ready to plant the veggies!