Lately....
We're thinking about the cold days ahead (it's already so cold in our upstairs bedroom every night!) and bought another space heater. I need to start wearing more layers or our electric bill is going to be a sad one.
We're thinking about the newborn baby days ahead and... not really needing to buy anything yet. It's so nice!
Did you guys buy anything new for your 2nd baby that you wish you'd had the first time around?
Did you guys buy anything new for your 2nd baby that you wish you'd had the first time around?
The weather has been idyllic for fall: rainy, windy, gray. Perfect for lighting a candle and enjoying the great indoors.
I have a goal of drinking a gallon of water a day.
Hadley and I are working on counting to 10.
My twin sister was here for a visit. We put our babies to bed and sat at my table with our pregnant bellies, snacks, and talked until 1 am. It was just like old times. As we talked, I noticed we both played with our hair in the same old way. Twin things are my fave.
Our baby maple tree is looking ridiculously ruby red.
Grant's going-back-to-school venture is off to a great start. Tuesday nights are class nights, and we're loving that he can do it all from home this time.
I'm trying to think of more fun things for Hadley to do around the house. Making a fort, putting pennies into a piggy bank, putting away the dishes, taking baths for fun, helping me sweep, watercoloring, playing with play-doh... any ideas from your home?
I'm in the mood for a donut.
I'm experiencing my first bout of round ligament pregnancy pain. It's killer.
This curry is still our favorite dinner. And here is my favorite lunch.. super easy, and a perfect way to get warm and use up fall veggies.
Quinoa + Veggies Lunch Bowl
2 T. coconut or olive oil
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 zucchini squash, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups soaked and cooked quinoa*
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and let cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Add remaining veggies, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in cooked quinoa and toss with the veggies. Continue stirring until well combined and warmed through. Serve while steaming hot. Tailor this recipe to use up whatever vegetables you have on hand, and feel free to adjust the ratio of veggies to quinoa to suit you.
*How to soak and cook a perfect pot of quinoa: Rinse 2 cups of uncooked quinoa under running water for at least 1 minute (it has a bitter coating). Add rinsed quinoa to a glass bowl and cover with 2 cups warm filtered water, or enough to cover it by 1/2 an inch. Stir in 2 T. of lemon juice, whey, kefir, or raw cider vinegar. Cover quinoa and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse well. Add quinoa to a pot, pour in enough water to cover by 1/2 an inch and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and let simmer 18 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
What makes this a really fast lunch for me is already having a bowl of cooked quinoa in my fridge, so I usually plan on having this the day after I make quinoa for some other meal. It would be so yummy topped with a fried egg!
What makes this a really fast lunch for me is already having a bowl of cooked quinoa in my fridge, so I usually plan on having this the day after I make quinoa for some other meal. It would be so yummy topped with a fried egg!
What are you having for lunch lately?
9 comments:
The one thing "new" I bought for baby #2 was a moby wrap. I kicked myself so much for not having one with Ephram, but pre-motherhood I just didn't realize how much babies wanted to be held. Oh, and I say "new" bc my mom made one for me instead of buying the real deal (and it worked great!).
Can't' wait to see your sweet baby #2!
I lived in an old house from the 1700s when I was living in Rhode Island. The only way I survived the winter was good socks, a heated blanket, and even more blankets.
I have a ton of great healthy recipes on my blog, some lunch, some desserts!
I love twin things, too :)
I'm hoping I don't need much of anything for this baby. I figure if I didn't need it for my twins I don't need it!
We like to play with cut out felt shapes, pretend cook, practice taking care of baby dolls, look at their baby photos, put away their own socks from the folded laundry, smell the spices in the spice rack and say what food they go in and color. Lots of coloring! Hope that gives you some ideas!!
Ah how I love this! fall days are my favorite! Water was a huge help for pregnancy pains the 2nd go round. And warm baths. Try to take it easier ;-) It helps too! Stretches feel good.
I used to teach Hadley's age and would have 7-14 kids! (Imagine that!!) Some favorite things: "painting" with shaving cream (it cleans a table really well!) Edible playdough (pb, or almond butter or other nut butter + honey). play cooking. A theme box with different colors, shapes, textues, or things to explore. (Like for instance, under the sea). An do-it book with things like zippers or buttons. Stringing anything (shells or cereal or beads on a string.) Art. Pudding paint. Stacking. Knocking over. Making forts. Reading. Fun songs (caspar babypants is a popular artist around here!) Playing eye spy, throwing paper airplanes. Hmm what else. Treasure hunt (you can even use one thing and hide over and over). Seems like they LOVE repetition at that age! Starfall is another awesome app by the way ;-) And website too!
Some ideas from our home: tea and story time, wet on wet watercolour (wet your paper first), sorting activities (different kinds of beans, colours of pom poms, toys, etc.) - can sort them into a muffin tin - just start it off by doing the first group, so she can see where to put them... transferring activities are great, too, such as scooping items from one dish to the next, or using tongs or chopsticks. Turkey baster and water from one dish to another is a fave of our kiddos!
Have fun!
I didn't have a sling until baby #3 and I loved it, even though I only used it for a few months.
For staying warm, I could not survive MN winters without my heat socks. Maybe I'll put instructions on my blog. They're just fabric bags (rectangular works best) filled with feed corn and heated in the microwave. Warm feet, aahhhh.
I spent hours reading to my kids. And I ignored them a lot while they played with each other. The oldest two are an engineer and in med school, so that worked out pretty well. Take some breaks, you're a great mommy.
Hi Summer! I'm also due with my second baby (right around the corner in early November) and just wanted to share that doing the inversion stretch (from the spinning babies website) helped me immensely with my round ligament pain. I hope you get some relief soon!
Also, loving all of the ideas for toddler activities - thanks everyone!!
It seems like a good treat to prepare during autumn! And it’s good that you cooked more quinoa rice. It will definitely come in handy whenever you feel like trying out new recipe for it. And while the sight of those veggies look really yummy, have you thought about adding some meat on the dish?
Mae Tyler @ St. Andrew Poultry