My day home on the couch. December 17, 2009

I also found a lizard on the door!

Today I am a bit under the weather.  My nose is stuffed up and my entire face hurts.  It is Wednesday so work still needed to be done, conference calls still needed to happen and the kid still needed to be looked after.  Uggh.  Life as a semi-single mom is rough!

My mom and my sister came through for me and took the kid to see The princess and the frog while I took my conf call.  After my call and in between emails I decided to take some couch time for myself.  I turned the tv on which I never do while I’m working, and I can see why!  Daytime tv is interesting to say the least.  I turned to the discovery health channel and was stuck there.  I watch a show called Birthday about birthing stories.  The lady on this episode was doing a natural birth which is great and scary.  I really want to try to do a natural birth my next go round so watching them is NOT something I like.  If it looks hard that is my out to drugs!

So the lady had her 4 year old son and husband in the room with her.  That was my first sctratch the head moment.  Why is the 4 year old peering between your legs and screeming with you?  Her husband said it was so he could appreciate the natural process of life and be comfortable with it.  Yeah that would not happen for me.  The last thing I need while I’m trying to push a baby out is my kid poking me, and screaming, and asking questions.  Why are you screaming?  Why is the baby purple?  Eww is that blood mommy?  Mommy why did daddy pass out?  I just don’t want to traumatize my kid.  I love him to much.  Imagine how watching the crowning of the baby could certainly cause him some problems.  The lady on the show was trying to explain to her son while she was pushing that he needed to behave because the baby was coming out.  No way!  That would not happen in my universe.  The kid stays home until the baby is out.  I’m not sure that I would verbally behave myself during a natural birth and I don’t need my kid asking where mommy learned all those fancy new curse words.

Then I saw previews for a show called I didn’t know I was pregnant.  This particular story the girl was full term and didn’t know she was pregnant.  How do you go 9 months with out knowing you are pregnant?????????  I mean I’ll give you the first tri-mester, it could happen but 9 months??  How do you explain the 9 months with no period?  Or the movement in your uterus?  Or, how about this THE EXPANDING STOMACH???  Like the chick had a full basketball gut.  I’m just perplexed at that whole situation.  I think next time it comes on I will watch with but I’m scared I will just make a mockery of the whole thing.

My lesson learned is do not watch discovery health during the day.

www.shopturtlepie.com

Special prayers for Bryson Ross December 16, 2009

Today there was a lot of emotion and controversy on twitter.  I saw a flood of tweets requesting prayer for Shellie Ross, I also saw a few more calling to block others for harassment.  I quickly dug through my tweets to catch up on what in the world was going on!  Unfortunately I found out:-(

a candle for Bryson Ross

Shellie, lost her two-year son Bryson yesterday to a drowning accident.  I read through the tweets mortified, hurt, sad, and devastated for her and her family.  I am so sorry for her loss.  I read through a little bit more to see what the other side of the coin was about and it was just as devastating.  There were quite a few people accusing her of being negligent, people saying she was lying, and other just being down right mean.  I do believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion.  That is what most people have blogs and twitter for, to tell the world their opinion, and that is fine.  I do think that we need to be mindful of what we say, when we say it, and who we say it to.  No matter what your opinions of Shellie or the circumstances are, she is a mother who has lost her child.  Her 2-year-old son, her flesh and blood, a piece of her family.  There is nothing you should say to her or about her unless it ends with “I’m sorry for you loss”,” I love you”, or “Amen”.

I think the best thing we can do for the Ross family now is pray.  I have never met a challenge that prayer couldn’t ease or fix.  For everyone that reads this I’m asking that you take a quick minute and just say a quick prayer for the Ross family.

Thank you,

www.shopturtlepie.com

Our visit to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston December 15, 2009

children's healthcare of Atlanta Egleston

I had to take the kid to get a chest x-ray last night so we went to CHOA.  I had been there before when I volunteered to read to the kids and I was not looking forward to going back.  It is by far the most aesthetically pleasing hospital I have ever seen,  It is beautiful!  The catch is it has to be.  There are very sick children there who often stay for long periods of time and no one wants to feel like they are in a hospital. Children are such magical beings that when they feel good, everyone around them feels good!

I thank God for those wonderful people who work at CHOA.  I’m sure it’s a tough job but someone does have to do it and I’m thankful that there are people who do.  The folks who took care of us were all smiles and cheer!  They were compassionate toward myself and my kid when he was freaking out at the x-ray equipment,he was scared and I was uneasy.  I almost broke down because I had to hold him still while he was crying so they could get the x-ray:-(  They were patient and comforting.  They were very quick with getting what they needed to we could get outta there!  We were done in less than 10 mins.

While we were on our way out we passed the cancer center and I took a quick moment to pray for those strong and brave children in there and their families.  I’m sure there can never be to many prayers.

I am thankful that God delivered me a beautiful healthy baby boy.  I’m sure he knows my heart would not be able to handle anything less.  I can barely hold it together while he’s getting shots.  Whenever I see children suffering it just tears my heart.

I do want to make sure that I do more for those were dealt a little dip in the road of health.  I think each year, the kid and I will make a point to volunteer at the hospital, or do something to benefit the children who are in the hospital.  I do think that sometimes we talk things for granted like great health, food, shelter, and family.  I want to make sure that my kid knows those things are not guaranteed and need to be treated as the blessings they are.

Thank you God for all the blessing you have given me.  They are truly, truly appreciated.

www.shopturtlepie.com

Meatless Monday’s. Spinach and Potato Curry! December 14, 2009

Spinach and potato curry!

My kid is on an anti green vegetable kick.  No matter what I do with them if he sees green the deal is over!  I figured if I mixed the greens in with something he likes and smother it with curry I might win.  Not really, but not a total loss.  We may have gotten a total of 4 spinach leaves actually down the hatch!  Yeah for partial progress!

The spinach and potato curry meal is quick and easy.  Done in 30!

ingredients:

2 cups of any long grain rice

5 Idaho potatoes cubed

4 cups of vegetable stock

1 sweet onion chopped

5 cloves of garlic chopped

1 bag of spinach

2 tablespoons of curry powder

1/2 cup of golden raisins

1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon of butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

cook rice as directed

in a pan wilt the spinach do not cook just wilt and set to the side

in the same pan saute onion and garlic in olive oil just until onions are soft not golden

add potatoes and cook just 5 minutes longer

add vegetable stock, cover and cook for 20 minutes

check you rice it should be close to finished now.  stir in butter and raisins

after the potatoes have been cooking for 20 minutes about half of the liquid should be evaporated.  add curry powder and spinach, cook for 7 minutes more

take off heat, taste. Salt and pepper to your liking.

take rice off of the stove and add the sesame seeds.

you are ready to eat!

*I ran out of golden raisins so I used regular purple ones.  I also cook rice in a rice cooker, if using a rice cooker add raisins, butter, and seeds when rice is done.  close the lid and let it sit for another 5 minutes.

enjoy!

www.shopturtlepie.com

So how long is it ok to say “don’t touch”?? December 11, 2009

when does daddy get some?

So this is just a quick question that I wanted to pose to the masses:-)  After the baby how long before you invite you partner in baby making back into the fold.  My doctor said 6 weeks.  I tried to get him to say 3 months but he is a man and would have no part in shagging another man!  After I just gave birth to a basketball I really didn’t want to even have thoughts about sex.  Matter of fact I probably would have opted for a sew shut if they had that service!

I do realize we have to be considerate of the man and his feelings.  How is HE feeling.  HE needs intimacy to feel loved, blah, blah, blah.  I JUST HAD A BABY!  Put a sock in it!  I want to say after 6 weeks I still tried to stretch it out to like 8 but my S.O had a calender so my gig was up.  I mean do you really want to have sex after 6 weeks?  What about nursing moms?  You have to wear a bra during so you don’t spray milk!  Why not just wait until the kid is 1 and you are no longer lactating?  Good suggestion?

Just curious….

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Let’s usher in the involuntary tattling! December 10, 2009

The kid is 18 months, 3 weeks and I am loving this age!  Kinda, I could do without the peeing on the floor, the temper tantrums, and the “you do what I say, we don’t do what YOU say” attitude.  However, there are perks!  He speaks!  Agya has been speaking for a while, but now he can formulate half a sentence and get into descriptive words.  This is wonderful! Why you ask?  Because he spends too much time with my mother!

I have just now allowed my mother to take her grandson for short periods of time (allowed/begged same thing).  She picks him up at least 3 days a week from 9am until about 1pm when it’s his nap time.  This works perfect for me, by the time he wakes up the bulk of my phone calls are done.  I’ve always been curious about what they do during their time together.  Now, the kid can tell me!

Monday, when he came home he kept saying “ter-tow”.   Baffled, I was like what are you talking about???  After the 17th time I got it!  He was saying “turtle”!!!  I called my mom up  and asked her why Agya kept saying turtle and she says ohhhh we went to such and such’s house and they had turtles.  Hmm, my mother knows I dislike my kid being at random people’s homes.  Thanks kid for keeping mommy up to speed!

Last weekend we went to Wal-Mart and while we were in the check out line Agya tried to climb out of the basket and over the conveyor belt to hug the cashier!!!!!  Of course she was happy  to oblige so she tries to come from behind the counter and I was like whoa lady!!!! She says to me “oh the baby wants to give me a hug, let me give him some sugar”.  Obviously strong obscenities are going through  my head  like F*** no lady I don’t know you, get away from my kid!  Then I realized in that split second this is my mother’s favorite place in the world and the kid  prob does know the cashier and has hugged her several times before.  Whatever, not going down today!  I told her that he had a cold and she prob shouldn’t hug him.  I didn’t even make it to the car before I called my mom and asked her very nicely  to please not encourage my kid to hug, talk to, go to, or play with random people.

My kid doesn’t eat meat.  He doesn’t like it, won’t eat it, doesn’t want it on his plate which I’m cool with.  I’m not a big meat-eater either.  Lately the kid has been coming home asking for “shi-kin” I had no idea what he was talking bout until my mom came over with her vat of hot wings and Agya jumps up and says “shi-kin, shi-kin, bite, bite, peeeeeze”.  A-ha you  have been feeding my son hot wings.  Great.

Thanks to my son’s great verbal prowess we will be going to daycare at the latest by  February.  If I let this continue my son will be hanging out at Wal-Mart eating pig’s feet with all the older lady cashiers!!

No thank you!

www.shopturtlepie.com

Great Eco Friendly Gifts for the Woman in your life! December 9, 2009

Woooooooooooo hooooooooo, gift time for the ladies!  Here are a few gifts that I think are pretty swell and so does mother nature:-)

A woman is never really mad at a retreat!  Just make sure she is going with people she likes.  Don’t send her on a retreat with the kids and her mother in law unless you want to sleep on the couch until the kids graduate from college.  The Star resort in the Bahamas is completely eco-friendly from the build to the activities to the cuisine!  check it out at www.starislandbahamas.com

Star Island Bungalow

Jewelry, is there really every a bad jewelry gift?  Yes, there is!  It’s called conflict diamonds and mined metals.  Brilliant Earth uses 100% recycled metals and conflict free diamonds.  Check them out at www.brilliantearth.com  They have a great selection of wedding rings, should it be that time for you:-)  This necklace is super cute and personable.  You can get it engraved with an inital and a pendant that reflects her personality.

Brilliant Earth necklaces

Relaxation anyone?  How about a spa gift certificates?  Here are a few Eco friendly spas in

Uhma Spa in Miami Beach, FL is an urban sanctuary of greenness, check them out at www.uhmaspa.com.  Try the Balinese Coconut Bamboo Scrub!

Renew Spa in Chicago, IL gives you Eco-Luxury on the Mag Mile, check them out at www.renewspa.com.  The December special is a full hour massage for $60.00!

Sweetgrass Spa in Atlanta, GA, visit them at www.sweetgrassspa.com.  They have 20% off of waxing or sugaring on Monday’s and Tuesdays!  When you get your lady’s gift certificate make sure you check the specials for her and recommend the day she goes:-)

Wink Beauty Bar in Brooklyn, NY check them out at www.winkbeautybar.com.  They have bikini facials!!! Men, you may not know what this is but you will enjoy the benefits of it:-)

Ra Organic Spa in Los Angeles, CA, visit them at www.raorganicspa.com.  They too have wonderful specials!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

I think that should be enough to get you started!  I may post some more later.  Now I am sleepy!  There are a few random things I wanted to share in my search of the best eco-friendly spas.  I discovered that there is such a thing as a men’s full brazilian!!  Whoa!  I had NO idea hahaha!  Also Heidi Fliess has opened a new Eco spa and brothel in Nevada.  Hahah even calls girls are trying to save the earth!

Night y’all!

www.shopturtlepie.com

Do mommies have friends that are not mommies? December 7, 2009

Mom friends!

Ok so today is supposed to be Meatless Monday but due to random tiredness and a 6 hour dr’s appointment this am, I’m a little late:-)  I will post it later this week as it’s a super quickie and can be a great midweek meal!

The topic at hand is mommies and their friends.  Since I have become a mom I tend to gravitate towards other’s who are mothers as well.  It’s like a common bond.  You can look at another mom and rest assured that she understands and she knows.  Her time schedule is similar to mine, we have similar interest.  Going out with my mom friends is just easy and comfortable.

My friends who don’t have kids don’t really get it, nor do they want to.  I completely understand.  Just as they don’t want to hear about my kids drool, his poop, the cute words that he’s saying, and the temper tantrums he’s throwing; I don’t want to hear about their hot steamy one night stand sex, or the $5000k in one hour shopping spree, or the long steamy uninterrupted bath they took for that matter.  So it’s even.  I get it.  Our lives have changed.  We are on completely different pages.   Ok sometimes I might want to hear about the hot steamy sex:-)

So what do you do?  Your friends don’t cease to exist anymore?  Me, I’ve encouraged all my friends to get pregnant.  It hasn’t worked.  So now when we speak it is much more scripted.  Them -”How are you?  how’s the baby?”, Me- “How are you?, How’s your dog? Should I call you back when your hangover wears off?”.

I’d like to think that life doesn’t change after motherhood but it does!  It changes for the best, it changes you into the best you, that you can be.  You don’t WANT to stay out at the club until 4am.  At least I don’t.  I’d much rather be at home with the kid.  When his dad is home, oh it’s a wrap I’m not going anywhere!  That doesn’t mean that I don’t like to go out and have fun every now and then but my fun is different now.  Fun for me is watching my kid enjoy himself at gymboree, having a picnic with him and watching him run in the park.  Watching him have fun is my fun.  It’s corny yes, but so am I!  I am a corny new mom who wants to just bathe in every minute of my child’s existence.  When I do decide to venture out and have adult fun I’m ready to go home by midnight.  The kid wakes up at 7:30am like clockwork. I am not a 4am not even a 2am girl anymore.  I’m a mom who has stuff to do, I need my sleep!

Maybe once the novelty of new mom hood wears off I’ll want to play a little bit more but that is not the case now.  I’ll revisit the situation in a few years.

www.shopturtlepie.com

Is it ok to impose your beliefs on others when it comes to your kids? December 5, 2009

I do realize that we live in a world where everyone abides by different social, cultural, and ethical rules.  For the most part I don’t mind.  I grew up in a different country so I’m pretty used to a lot of different sets of what is acceptable.  Some are ok, some are not.  Japanese business men picking up hookers on their way home from work, eh that’s ok, none of my business.  R.Kelly peeing on a teenage girl, totally unacceptable yet, accepted!  My tolerance drops to almost zero if children are involved in any offense.  If the offence is in public in front of children my tolerance is toast.  Children are one of our most precious commodities and should be treated as such.

I do my best to not curse in front of my kid.  It is just something I don’t think is proper to do.  I don’t want any of the 30 words my son does know to be “ass monkey”, or “fuck” or “cunt burger”.  Obviously I can control what is said in front of my child in my house.  What about when I’m out?  Me personally?  If I see an elderly person, or children, I watch my mouth.  I was just taught to be that kind of respectful.  Everyone wasn’t taught that.  I hate hearing teenagers cursing super loud in public and even worse I cringe at the site of an adult cursing at a child!  It’s like dude that is a child!  Children are sponges that soak up everything and are likely to repeat what they see or hear!

So what do I do?  Is it ok for me to say something to people who are cursing or being improper in front of  the kid?  I mean with my friends of course I tell them all the time to watch their mouth in front of my kid.  Strangers however, is a different ballgame.  Is it ok for me to impose my idea of decency on someone else?  I mean if they curse in front of their kids how can I expect them not to curse in front of mine?   I’m sure I’ve offended someone somehow unbeknownst to me, just by conducting myself as I generally do!  This situation straddles my line of mind your business.

I wonder why this chapter was left out of my parenthood manual?  Oh that’s right, I DIDN’T GET ONE!!

www.shopturtlepie.com

Great Eco Friendly gifts for the culinary artist! December 4, 2009

Ok it’s almost Christmas and I guess I should start doing some gift guides eh?  Today I’ll do a guide for the Bobby Flay/Rachel Ray in your life.  I”ve already scored some of this stuff for myself.  Maybe I will wrap it and put it under the tree and pretend like it’s from the kid?  There’s a thought!

These Good Cook Bamboo Silicone spatulas are a great gift and are less than $10 bucks!  You can get them at www.target.com

Good cook spatulas

The Ecolution pans are great as a set or just by the piece!  Food always taste better with out the harmful chemicals! It’s under $75.00! www.ecolutionhome.com

ecolution pan set!

You can never have to many glasses.  They break, they need to be replaced! www.allthingsgreen.com has great recycled glass pop tumblers.  $35 bucks for a set of four!

recycled glass tumblers

Last but not least these are great stocking stuffers.  Every cook needs multiple sets of measuring cups!  There is always one missing when you need it:-)  These can be found at www.preserveproducts.com and they are under $10.00!

preserve measuring cups

Happy shopping!

www.shopturtlepie.com