Blog Recommendations

I read lots of good blogs by lovely women who already have kiddos (Progressive Pioneer, Sew Liberated, Soule Mama, cakies--just to name a few), but I'm eager to add some new blogs to my daily dose, written by people who are trying to get pregnant.

Any recommendations?

Share |

Juicing

My amazing assistant teacher has been generously bringing me fresh-squeezed juice. I'm starting to wonder if home-juicing might be the best way for me to get some more vitamins and minerals into my diet.

Lord knows I do not need another appliance. We already have a crock pot, George Foreman grill, bread maker, KitchenAid mixer, waffle iron, blender, quesadilla maker, Cuisinart, ice cream maker, fondue pot, and orange juicer (and I'm sure I'm forgetting to name something). Crazy overboard, I know.

Hmm...maybe one of those appliances can be used to juice? Like maybe my Cuisinart?

I have a lot of trouble fitting enough vegetables into my diet. I don't eat any for breakfast, and lunch is just leftover dinner. At dinner, we usually put some vegetables into our meal and have a side salad with some nice greens, but we don't usually cook any additional vegetables.

My assistant teacher recently made me a juice with kale (which I never eat on its own!), a whole beet, ginger, parsley, and some other wholesome goodness. I know it's better to eat whole vegetables rather than juice them in order to get the fiber, but I imagine drinking the juice is better than nothing at all.

Do any of you have experience with juicing? Any recommendations about where to start?

Share |

Bocce Ball Potluck

For this month's Heights Time Bank potluck, Matt and I hosted an evening of Bocce ball in our driveway. I gave Matt a few ideas of things we could make for a main course. Once he picked macaroni and cheese, I decided we should run with the theme: "Bland in color but not in flavor."

For the mac & cheese, we followed my best friend's recipe:

• Mix 2 cups cheddar cheese, 2 cups cooked pasta, 1 beaten egg, 2 cups cottage cheese, and 1 cup of sour cream in a bowl. Transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.
  

We also made a spinach and artichoke dip:

• Mix one can of chopped artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, a thing of softened cream cheese, some thawed frozen spinach, a clove of garlic diced, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.
  

Finally, we made an apple crumble. Deliciousness!

I love having some sort of gathering at least once a month. Even when I'm no longer the time bank coordinator, I'm going to try and maintain the tradition of planning a monthly get together.

Next month will be a picnic at Discovery Green followed by a silent movie. So fun!

Share |

Library Books

I trekked to the library in preparation for our spring break trip. Originally, I wanted to go to the big downtown library, but Laziness beat me in arm wrestling and I went to my local branch instead.

Here's what I walked away with (in my Envirosax, which I adore):

Pregnancy Books

• Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, from Preconception to Postpartum--I started reading this book a few months ago, but my renewals ran out and I had to return it. I really appreciated its emphasis on conscious pregnancy.
• Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven: A Gutsy Guide to Becoming One Hot and Healthy Mother--I wasn't attracted by the book's title--at all--but I flipped through it and saw that they recommend against eating meat and dairy. Since I'm vegetarian, I'm eager to hear their arguments.

Fiction Books

• After You--"The complexities of a friendship. The unexplored doubts of a marriage. And the redemptive power of literature." Sounds interesting.
• Day After Night: It's by the author of The Red Tent, which I couldn't put down. I love historical fiction.
• Jennifer Johnson Is Sick of Being Single: Sometimes I need a milkshake in my diet of books. It looks like it will be easy to take down in a few big gulps.
  

Audio Books

• Genghis: Bones of the Hills
• Love and Consequences: A Memoir of Hope and Survival
• Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy
• The Prince of Tides

I'm excited to immerse in book during our road trip!

Share |

A New Game to Add to Our Collection

My best friend got me two new games for my birthday. A group of us played one of the games tonight: Snatch It.

Here's how it works:

1. You start with a bunch of Scrabble-like tiles and turn them face down in a central pile.
   
2. Each player takes a turn flipping over a tile.
   
3. When someone can make a word with at least three tiles, s/he says the word, grabs the tiles, and sets up the word in front of him/her.
4. At any time, a player can grab one of the tiles from the middle and use it to make a new word using someone else's words (hence the "snatch it" title).
   

We played two rounds and had a pretty fun time. I'm always on the lookout for new games...

Share |

Birthday Present Brainstorm

One of my goals for this month is to send my friend a good birthday present.

Hmm...let me think. He's outdoorsy and likes hiking. Maybe I should give him the book I gave Matt a few years ago.

What else? Is there something I could make for him that would be useful? What about handmade stationary with stamped envelopes?

Or what about a cooking class at the Whole Foods in his town? They have "Lunch Express" classes. For $18, you get a cooking class and a scrumptious lunch. That might be fun.

Choices...choices.

Share |

My First Acupuncture Visit

I went to the acupuncturist for the first time last week for a 30-minute introduction. I quickly realized: I am a mess. I am a stress fest.

The acupuncturist didn't even have to say anything to me; I was able to self-diagnose. Before I went in, I looked back over the length of my menstrual cycles for the past two years. I quickly realized: The more stress I have in my life, the longer my cycle is.

When I tried to explain my situation to the acupuncturist, I started crying. I was getting stressed about my stress.

Seeing the very tangible impact of stress on my body has inspired me to seriously reduce the stress in my life. I've instituted a nightly Relaxation Ritual, which seems to be helping.

I'm also not sure about whether or not I ovulate. He suggested that I pee on ovulation test strips every day to see if my LH levels rise. I'll also test my temperature every day (but I haven't been able to see a spike in the past).

Because my acupuncturist is so expensive ($150 for the first 1.5-hour visit and $85 for every subsequent visit), I'm going to take a stab at reducing my own stress levels through nutrition, exercise, yoga, nightly relaxation, a decrease in my commitments, and deep breathing. If that doesn't work, then I'll fork over some major bucks and try acupuncture.

Share |