photo challenge: week nine

photo challenge: week eight

Happy Holidays

photo challenge: week seven

photo challenge: week six

photo challenge: week five

חג חנוכה שמחה

(Happy Chanukah)

ezpz diy: repurposed stool

I needed a nightstand on my side of the bed. I don't have much space on my side due to the swing of the closet door. So I came up with the idea to repurpose a stool as a bedside end table.
I got this stool at Kmart. It's priced at for $24.99, but I may have gotten it on sale for $15.

A little spray paint and polycrylic.

Easy peasy!

photo challenge: week four

I think I've settled on Fridays for photo challenge posts.

gift of life

My son, Maki has been a gift to me in many ways. Aside from the obvious, one of the many gifts Maki has given me is, life itself.
I used to smoke cigarettes before I was pregnant. I was never a heavy smoker, and for that reason I used to tell myself that I wasn't addicted and that I could quit whenever I wanted. Well, funny thing is, I had wanted to quit for YEARS!!! But truth is, I was addicted and in denial. It wasn't until I was pregnant that I was able to accept that I was addicted and really needed to quit. I didn't need to quit for me- I'd had my chance at that, and clearly I wasn't enough motivation for myself. But I needed to quit for my baby. I knew this from the day I found out I was pregnant.
I would love to tell the awesome tale of how I found out I was pregnant and never touched another cigarette... but I'd be lying. What I did do was set a deadline. I gave myself two weeks to quit. Then extended those two weeks another two weeks. Then extended those two weeks a day at a time until finally, I had enough. I knew I was doing it again: lying to myself. I had been decreasing the number of cigarettes and eventually puffs per day I was having, and therefore allowing myself to smoke past my deadlines. I was so disgusted with myself. Me, who wouldn't even smoke around children, smoking with a child in my belly. It didn't make sense.
So one day when I got the urge to smoke, instead of heading out to have a puff I told myself, "I'm stronger than tobacco. This is the first thing I'm doing for my baby." And here I am, a little over a year later without even the slightest urge for a smoke, fresher breath and softer lips. I have Maki to thank for that. He was my motivation when I couldn't be. Quitting smoking adds years to one's life; he did that for me.

postpartum weight loss

One of my long held fears about getting pregnant was that I'd put on weight and never be able to get it off. I'm not much of a work out buff. I'm more of the damage-control type. I do enjoy working out, but my motivation is limited to when I'm tipping the scale too far to the right. During my pregnancy, I put on 60 pounds! {wow it's crazy just even thinking of it} I lost 40 pounds to birth and baby, leaving me 25 pounds heavier than my normal weight. {I had a 5 pound head start} I figured, I'd lose some by breastfeeding, and the rest I'd work off as soon as I healed from my c-section.
Well, as time went on, I realized and decided that weight loss wouldn't be a priority for a long time. I was more concerned with learning how to be the best mom to Maki that I can be. If that meant I'd be a little heavier than I'm used to for a little longer than I'd like, then so be it... the gym will be there when I'm ready. Now, that's not to say I didn't bemoan the body staring back at me in the mirror. Actually, to be honest, for a while I avoided full body mirrors. But anyways, my point is, I haven't actively been trying to lose any weight. However, the scale has tipped in my favor! Six months postpartum I'm down 20 pounds and back in my pre-pregnancy clothes. {bells ring and a choir sings somewhere on God's green Earth}
In a weird twist of fate, I have Maki's eczema to thank. It's his eczema which requires us to be on a gluten, egg and dairy free diet, which basically eliminates most of the usual suspects housing empty, hidden and excess calories, carbs and fat.
So, now that the hard part is done, it's time to add exercise to my daily routine. Even though I've lost most of the weight, my shape has changed and I'm a lot looser in places I'd rather not be. {namely, gut, butt and thighs}I haven't quite worked up the strength to be away from Maki yet, so I probably won't be making it to the gym anytime soon. But I've started this 24 day ab blaster as a way to get in the game. It's not much of a workout, but at least it's a start and I figure it'll help me to strengthen my abdominal muscles before beginning a hardcore workout.

I'd love to hear from you. What do you think? Do you enjoy working out? What are some ways you manage your weight?

photo challenge: pause! {update...week three}

So, I was trying really hard not to have to write this post but, I have to put the photo challenge on hold. I'm having an issue with my laptop. My Windows Explorer has stopped working and thus, I am unable to access any files on my computer. I'm working on resolving the issue; and when I do, the photo challenge will be back!

{UPDATE}
Well I was able to fix my computer! So here goes:

six month check up

Last week was our 2 year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we took Maki for his 6 month well visit. Isn't parenthood sexy!

My guy weighs 20 pounds and  measures 30 inches long. Yay breast milk. He had his first set of vaccinations, as we're on a delayed schedule. He took them like a champ. Maki's such a tough little guy. 

photo challenge: week two

I plan to post soon, but in the mean time..... 

photo challenge: week one

I love taking photos and consider myself somewhat of a budding photographer. My friends and family all love my photos and urge me to do more professionally with photography. Here is where it gets a little difficult for me. I love my pictures, and I know others do; but when I think about someone trusting me to capture a special moment for them, I get too overwhelmed and spooked by the responsibility. I could go on, but this isn't a feelings post. What it is, is an introduction to my photo challenge. I have literally thousands of amazing photos just taking up space on my hard drive collecting digital dust. So to boost confidence and motivation for putting my stuff out there, I challenge myself to publish one picture a week if nothing else. For now, I'll allow archived photos, but the goal is to eventually up the ante and only post current photos taken the same week. Here goes:

on maki's menu: preparing sweet potatoes

With Maki soon entering his 6 month, it's time for us to start making the transition to solids. He's been exclusively breastfed (chest bumps myself in the mirror) up until now which according to the American Academy of Pediatrics is the best start a mother could give her baby.
While I love breastfeeding and am extremely happy that I was able to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, we're really excited to be entering the world of solids. Maki's getting quite aggressive with the attacks and lunges for our plates; and Daddy is excited to be a part of the feeding process.

So, in my excitement and preparedness, I decided to bust out the baby bullet steamer that we received at our baby shower, and prepare a sweet potato puree. True to the advertisement, it was so easy and quick. Just peel, cut, steam, puree. And thanks to the baby bullet system (processor and steamer), I'll be able to provide Maki with the better choice of solids: fresh, additive free fruit and vegetables as opposed to the relatively costly and less nutritious jarred stuff.

What do you think? Homemade baby food: Not worth the time or a penny saving must?

ezpz diy: coasters

You'll soon discover I have a Pinterest obsession. Pinterest is a godsend to a wannabe DIY-er like myself. Truth be told as far as DIY goes, I'm the kind of crafty that knows my way around a glue gun but I'm not really handy with tools. I've owned and used one multi-pronged tool since freshman year of college!

We recently moved, and are in the process of furnishing our new home from scratch. This gives me the opportunity to try my hand at some of my pins and showcase some easy peasy do it yourself projects here. First up: coasters.

I came across these paint chip coasters and fell in love. I began swiping paint samples from Walmart and Home Depot with no real timeline in sight (we don't even have a table...but that's for another post). Then on a trip to Hobo one day, I ended up in the tile aisle, so I figured "why not now?" I bought 4 4"x4" tiles for 10¢ each. By the time I got home, some random train of thought led me to use the congratulatory cards that we received when we  got married instead of paint chips. It's a really neat way to hang on to those sentimental tidbits without feeling like a pack rat. Here's how they turned out.

 Cheers!

menu musings

Maki has really bad eczema. His skin is super sensitive to many food and topical triggers. Because I breastfeed, I've had to eliminate the foods that trigger his eczema from my diet. So far that has amounted to a farewell to dairy, eggs and gluten. Nuts were on that list for a short while, but I willed him not to have a reaction because I couldn't bear the thought of no peanut butter on this already exhaustive list of no-gos.

Going gluten, egg and dairy free has been an interesting experience for us (my husband stands  eats in solidarity with me). I feel like it has given me more control over my diet and the things that I put into my body. I find myself reading labels and making smarter choices about food (nutritionally and financially).

So far, the most frustrating thing about eliminating gluten, egg and dairy from my diet is finding decent recipes. Don't get me wrong, they're out there, but boy you've got search. The problem that I come across most often is dairy free recipes rely heavily on wheat, gluten free recipes rely heavily on cheese and both tend to throw a little egg in the mix. Sigh.
Oh and another thing I've learned quickly about being g-e-d free is you need to get used to cooking....every meal. Basically, give up the notion of grabbing something quick on-the-go from anywhere other than your own cabinet/fridge. So always make enough for leftovers.

Speaking of cooking and recipes, I'm currently on the hunt for g-e-d free pancakes. I need to diversify my breakfast options, which currently consist of a lot of smoothies, hash-browns or toasted rice/nut breads. To be honest, I've come across a few recipes, but if it looks like too much to read at first glance I'm pretty sure it requires more work than I'm willing to put in on an empty stomach. Hopefully I'll find one that's simple enough soon because I really miss pancakes. And when I do find one, you can look forward to a post here. I'll be sure to keep it simple.


Are you vegan, dairy or gluten free? What are some challenges and wins that you've encountered?

meet maki

My son, Maki, will be 6 months next week. He's full of personality already and such a joy to be around. He's working on sitting up independently and crawling. Watching him learn and discover his body and its functions reminds me on a daily basis that we humans are just animals. I know that's kinda weird to dwell on, but I'm weird and all introspective like that. From his acute sense of smell to his dogged inchworm half crawl, Maki reminds me daily how we'd be screwed in the wild how delicate and precious life is.

Becoming a mom is one is one of my many reasons for starting this blog. I want to share this new experience and in the process document a sort of memoir that maybe one day Maki or a nostalgic me can look back on. I struggle with deciding just how much personal information to share on the internet; and I still haven't made a determination on publishing pictures of Maki here on this blog. But bear with me, hopefully the content of my posts will prove interesting enough to stand on their own.

ezpz diy: royal rehab

My husband salvaged this framed plaster cast couple from a back room of his mother's house. 

He brought them home for some tlc. I knew just what to do with them. I've been wanting to try ModPodge on fabric. This presented the perfect opportunity to do so.
We had some fabric on hand perfect for the project.

I touched up the paint job and added  gold accenting throughout the crown and collar. And here goes. They turned out okay.

There was some wrinkling in the fabric and you can see the brush strokes in the ModPodge. But they look beautiful hung on the wall and I wouldn't notice the flaws if I didn't know they were there.

Queen Before

Queen After

Easy peasy!

hi there

Hi readers, thanks for joining me! Let's skip the lengthy introduction and keep this first post short and sweet. Pretty much anything I should be telling you here, you'll learn as you stick around with me. So I hope you enjoy the good and bad, ugly and beautiful, messy and clean, wins and fails, fun and not so fun times ahead.