Walk...

So today I walked Elise in the stroller to my local grocery store and back to buy a toothbrush. A toothbrush to replace the toothbrush of hers that she lost a couple of days ago. So yes, if you must know, I haven't brushed her teeth in a couple of days. I finally decided today was the day, so we walked to the grocery store. It's about 3 miles round trip, which isn't that bad but there are some hills thrown in for good measure. Where I live, there are hills everywhere. I guess I was kind of preparing myself for the MS Walk on April 26th. It's also 3 miles. yup, I sure hope lots of my other mama friends will be joining me on this very beneficial walk. Yesireeee bob.

ahem.

So let's be blunt. this means YOU. So if you haven't already, please sign up here and walk with me. It's a cause dear to me because my brother's wife lives with this illness. Thanks!
er, Jessica you are excused seeing as how you live in Japan and all....

Ok the dorky photo...

I must! ha!

Ok, so the only *semi* bad thing about my new 'do is that it took 2 hair products and a blow dry to even begin to come close to emulating what my hairstylist had produced last Friday. I'm actually really ok with that because it still only took 5 minutes to do my hair. I tried air-drying, but nooooo....it was not good. Straightening was even more frightful. Today I found the magic combo so I'm sticking with it.

My almost vegan pumpkin muffins...

Well, as you know, I really do enjoy baking vegan. Not only because I have to avoid dairy for Lola but also because it's fun. There's always an element of excitement when I take that first test bite because I like to see if it came out well, or really, if I gave it to a non-vegan, would they figure out there was something a bit different? I do love the challenge.

Anyway, I was inspired earlier after reading a post from veganmomma regarding her butternut squash muffins and decided to make those. Except that by the time we actually got around to making them, I didn't have time to cook a whole butternut squash, so we just did the regular old pumpkin kind. So, they are called 'almost vegan' because I got about halfway through when I pulled out my applesauce jar from the fridge and saw the grossest dark spots on the surface of the sauce, with mold growing on them! YUCK! I didn't have any bananas and I couldn't come up with a different alternative for eggs so I just ended up using eggs. They came out really yummy anyway and I also sprinkled some pepitas on the tops for a little crunch.

I kept thinking about it all night and finally realized I could have used ground flax and water for an egg replacement. Oh well. Next time!

Runner's high, where are you???

I started running again recently. When I was 18 or so, I ran everyday. I absolutely loved it because I would work out so much stuff in my head during the run. For some reason, when I was running, I could think so much clearer, but I wonder if it is really because I never took time out of the day to really organize my thoughts except when I was running. But I also loved it because I would feel really, really good. Like a euphoric....well...high, for lack of a better word. I would feel good inside and outside, mentally and physically for at least a couple of hours afterwards.
So, as I said, I started running again, but I have yet to achieve my old runner's high that I used to get. I wonder how long it will take for me to get really into it again. I am getting better at it, I noticed. Today I ran about 85% of my route, whereas, when I first started, I would walk/run about 50% of it.

I haven't excercised in a couple of days. Friday I was busy hosting playgroup and then getting my locks snipped. Since the stylist had blow-dried my hair just so, I didn't want to risk getting it all frizzy from working out, thus ruining it's debut for Mama Needs a Drink. Good thing I have my priorities straight, eh?

Then came Saturday. Um, let's just say that Mama Needs a Drink on Friday night turned out to be a good ol' time, the likes of which I have not really done for a couple of years! ha ha! But it rendered me into an absolutely useless turd on the couch all day Saturday.
I met one of my partners in crime for a Jamba Juice and that was refreshing. The only thing I'm bummed about is that I was really supposed to hustle on Saturday to get my house all spiffy for my sister-in-law's baby shower which was being held at my house later on that evening, but I totally procrastinated. I wasn't actually hosting the shower, her friend was the official host, they were just using my house for a venue. So I didn't really have much responsibilities, the host took care of decorating my house, the food and really everything else. All I had to do was clean my house, but there I was still vacuuming when the first guests arrived! Well, it was just my stepmother-in-law and, in my defense, she was her usual 15 minutes early. I just feel kind of lame for not being on top of it.
Anyway, despite that, the shower was really nice. I think our little nephew is going to be a lucky little kid.

A big thanks!

To urbanhousewife for recommending the best hairstylist I have ever been to! Yay! I LOVE my new haircut! Don't you just love it when you walk away from a salon with hair you love? There's nothing quite like it!

parenting...

I'm going through a spell where I feel like the worst mother on the planet. Well, I know there are some worse, but I'm not being the mother I envisioned myself to be. It's all roses with Elise, but she's a baby that just coos and laughs and looks cute. The challenge is really with Lola...she has learned a thing or 3 from life, preschool, us, etc....She is growing up and testing her boundaries with me, which is perfectly normal. But it shakes me out of my comfort zone and my patience becomes tissue-thin. Gone is the little smiling toddler who just aimed to please...she has been replaced with a stubborn miniature adult who thinks for herself (yay!) and has learned (somewhat) the "virtues" of deception ("I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" is the immediate response to her name being called), an angel with just the hint of the teeniest, tiniest little devil horns peeking out of her golden halo of curls.
When 5 pm rolls around and Lola has asked me the 1000th question of the day, never leaving me alone for 5 seconds, the baby is crying and clinging to my pantleg as I attempt to muster dinner together, Lola is the one who receives the bunt of my frustration. It's so unfair to her and it fills me with such guilt. Later on, I see her sleeping in bed and I'm so incredibly remorseful. I used to campaign on and on about how I will never be to my daughters how my mother was to me, but then in the heat of the day, I embody my mother. I wonder how much of it is personality, genetic or otherwise. I thought my mother and I had no personality in common until I also became a mom.
I struggle with this off and on...maybe it's hormonal but I know my patience lacks severely when I've had anything less than 7 hours sleep. Some days are great and maybe there's a pattern to recognize there. I really don't want Lola to grow up being as insecure as I was (am still!). I really believe it begins here at home. Anyone else out there struggling with something similar?
I LOVE her personality, I really do. I love everything about her that IS challenging. It's just that it's so....well....darn challenging!

Yikes...

A friend of mine, who is a teacher, told me that her school is no longer serving beef in the cafeteria and that the school mailed out a letter to the parents to that effect. The reason is that the slaughterhouse for one of the biggest suppliers of beef to the schools is facing criminal charges for some heinous animal cruelty. Read the article here. There is a video that was submitted as evidence of wrongdoing. I can't bring myself to watch the video, but the article describes it in some detail and it was plenty enough for me. The supplier's statement here.