Tis the season…for your immune system to be under attack…

This holiday season, December in particular has been a rough month for myself and M.  We have been perpetually sick for a month now.  Yesterday we were both diagnosed with strep throat, and M also has pink eye…awesome.  The worst part about having a toddler who is still in the babbling phase and is sick is that she can not communicate what hurts.  She had a fever for 2 days and it went away, so I assumed it was viral.  Then when my throat hurt so bad even just to drink I knew she must still be feeling ill.  So we are both on antibiotics that are working beautifully.  Have you ever heard of “magic mouthwash?”  This as been a live saver for me.  It enabled me to not want to cry from the pain of strep throat.  Request it if you have a throat/mouth pain that is unbearable.

Prior to getting the antibiotic for my strep throat I was using some homeopathic remedies to aide in my symptoms from the flu that I had earlier this month.  I also used these in conjunction with my antibiotic treatment and will continue to use them to aide in my healing.

Herbal teas

Echinacea is a herb that is known for increasing your immune system, in particular WBC’s {white blood cells}.  It helps fight inflammation, bacterial and viral infections.  I have been drinking this tea {bought from a local health food store} with honey in it about 3-4 times a day.  I believe it has helped immensely.

{my echinacea tea also has elderberry in it which aides in combatting inflammation, cleansing your system, lowering a fever…increasing your perspiration, and soothing your respiratory tract}

I have also been drinking a tea that I concocted myself that includes hot water, slices of raw ginger peeled from the root with a peeler.  You could grate it if you like, I prefer to peel slices into my tea so I can leave it in an the tea is not pulpy.  A nice spoonful of honey, then sprinkle on some cinnamon.  Stir and enjoy, it is delicious!!

Ginger is commonly known for nausea but is also helpful in fighting inflammation, fevers and headaches.  I also like the taste of ginger, it adds a bit of spice. 

{Beware that if you consume a lot of ginger it can make your bowels loose}

These are just some ways that I help to fight the unfortunately numerous illnesses I have succumbed to this cold and flu season this far.

{these are my personal opinions, seek medical advise before you supplement}

 

The pics are of M and I Christmas morning, feeling yucky.

What do you do to feel better when you are ill?

 

Be well,
B 

Mulligatawny soup...a version of it...

 

Hello!  I recently think that I got this recipe down to a good mix for myself. 

 I got the original recipe here called Detox Mulligatawny soup from Karina at Gluten Free Goddess, but I have made some variations....

 

This is a sweet, spicy, tangy, and overall amazing soup.  One of my favorites, especially in the cold weather!

 

 



 

Please note that I do not measure, especially for spices, I'm a big "eyeball-er" and use whatever I have in the kitchen.  So don't fret if its not exact, use what you have.

Ingredients:
1 small/med head of cauliflower (chopped)
1 box organic Vegetable stock
1 onion, preferably sweet can use red, chopped.
4-5 tsp of grated garlic
about 3/4 to 1 cup chopped carrots
1 sweet potato peeled and diced
1 butternut squash peeled and diced
2 to 4 apples peeled and cored
Turmeric (amazing detox seasoning)
Cayenne Pepper
Cinnamon
2-3 tbsp fresh ginger
12 oz vanilla coconut yogurt
Coconut Oil (maybe 2 tbsp..enough to coat the onions)

Directions:
On stove top heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add onions to oil to caramelize (starts turning brown...not from burning!)  Add turmeric, garlic, and cayenne pepper (only add a little as it sits for a while and gets spicy! and I'm speaking from experience ;o).  You an add a little stock if your pot is getting a little dry.  When onions start to brown add garlic in and carrots.  Add the rest of vegetable stock in.  Add cauliflower, butternut squash, and sweet potato.  Add apples last, they take the least amount of time to cook.  I keep the soup on a simmer with a lid over it.  If you feel like a lot of your broth is evaporating add some water, or apple cider if you are so inclined...(I prefer the apple cider).

I like my soup as a puree, so when all the veggies are cooked through I move the pot to another burner (that is off) and use an Immersion blender to mix the soup until it is smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender wait until the soup cools a mix in a blender. 

Once you have to consistency you would like move the soup back in the pot if necessary and over a low heated burner.  Add vanilla coconut yogurt (made from coconut milk, not cow's milk).  Most mulligatawny soups call for coconut milk, but I did not have it the first time I made it and substituted the vanilla coconut yogurt for it.  I tried the coconut milk as well, but prefer the vanilla coconut yogurt.  If you feel this is too rich for you try the coconut milk, about two cups (14-16oz).  Add cinnamon.  I love cinnamon and add a lot.  It's your preference.

Let simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat.


I also make some home-made croutons by cubing bread that I have put in the freezer for croutons and bread crumbs before it goes bad.  I saute the bread in some coconut oil in a frying pan on med-hi heat.

Sprinkle croutons on top and enjoy!

Rock and Roll Half Marathon

I did it.

 

I signed up for my 1st half marathon!!!

 

I am incredibly excited and a little anxious about this! 

Now I will definitely have to keep to a training routine to keep me going.

 

I can't wait.  13.1 miles in beautiful Phoenix, Az in January. 

 

Here I come.

 

 

7.5 weeks until the big day :-)

Thanksgiving

I hope that your Thanksgiving was as beautiful as mine was!

 

I started off by working the morning shift for my patient.  I loved getting to spend part of my holiday with a family that I have worked with for over half a year.  Working as a nurse is a constant reminder for me at how blessed I am to have good health for myself and loved ones.

 

After work I got to share the holiday at my family's.  The only thing missing was my little one.  Sadly she was with her father for this Thanksgiving.  It was truly a sad thing to not have the most important person in my life there. 

 

Dear friends, you know that I have been vegan for over two months now.  Well on Thanksgiving I cheated a little.  I did not eat the Turkey.  And, I did not even miss it.  I did however, eat those yummy sweet potatoes.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The ones layered with butter and brown sugar.  They tasted so yummy.  The string bean casserole.  It was yummy and I'm pretty sure in a cream sauce.  All the food was so delicious.

 

Sadly, the next day was not so great.  Friends, I had a Thanksgiving dinner hang over.  Please not I did not have any alcohol this was purely from the food I ate.  I have been eating clean so to speak for just shy of 3 months now and eating all of that butter, sugar and cream was not a good idea for me.  I was so tired the next day, I took a 2 hour nap with my daughter.  I also had a head ache the whole day that I could not shake. 

 

Talk about a snap of reality.  My body definitely works so much better when I do not eat dairy or any of its products. 

 

I did make some de-lic-ous vegan oatmeal chocolate (dark so there is no milk) cookies.  They were so. good.  I will be posting the recipe soon, promise!

 

Have you noticed  a difference in how you feel and what you eat?

 

Be well,

B

My First Race

I did it! I ran my first race, the Rothman 8K in Philadelphia.

 

 

 

It was terrifying leading up to it.

It was beautiful. It was amazing. It was thrilling.

 

I am hooked.

 

Let's start with the the anticipation. 

I was excited! I knew I could do the distance as I had run over a mile further than the race.  I  was also terrified.  What do I do?  Where do I go?{ obviously I will be with a huge mass of people and there will be directions, but is there a certain etiquette that I am unaware of?}The night before I could hardly sleep.  It was like I was a child waiting for Christmas morning. I  woke up every hour or 2 checking the time.  The race was early and started at 7:30am.

 

Then I was there, it was amazing.  Sadly I did not take any pictures but the most poignant moment was seeing everyone lined up at Ben Franklin Parkway, approximately midway between the Art Museum and circle.  I stood in the back as I have been averaging a 11min mile {and it also allowed me to observe what others were doing!} The most beautiful site was seeing all runners lined up with city hall in the background. I truly regret not taking a picture.  {next year...although I will hopefully be doing the 1/2 marathon}  It was phenomenal to see all of these people out there to run and walk the 8k {just under 5 miles}  In country that is fiercely battling obesity it is so inspiring to see all of these people out there.  Doing it.  And I even saw some families, and hoped that M will join me one day in a race!

 

I  have gotten pretty good at pacing myself, something I struggled with when I started running.  I had a terrible habit of starting off way too fast because I was so excited to be out!  I ended up running the whole race, with the exception of sipping water, which I attempted to do while running. FAIL!!  So I slowed down, drank a few sips, then continued!  I also ended up getting a average 10:49 mile! The total official time to finish the race was 53:48 :). Which is faster than my estimates from training.  {I attribute this to running with the masses, I am slightly competitive, and having people cheer for you is amazing}  In fact the bibs had our names on it and fans would cheer on the sideline, screaming out your name.  Complete strangers cheering you on.  What a does of happy humanity!

 

Ok, now lets face the facts.  I made some rookie mistakes that I am willing to share with you:

 

1. Don't forget to get safety pins when you pick up your bib! I forget and was on the hunt for literally 20 mins to find a gracious person who had some extra!!  {note taken, will not do this again!}

 

2.  I forgot to take my inhaler.  I did not have an asthma attack, but I did feel tight, and was coughing a lot after the race. I know it hindered my pace, as it makes it more difficult.  But thankfully it was cool so that helped.

 

3.  Next time I'm bringing my own water bottle.  Drinking from cups while running is not for me.

 

Not to bad for my first race.  I can't wait to do the next one!

winner, winner, chickenless dinner

 

While paroozing online I found a recipe for meat-less taco's made with season walnuts as meat, plus the rest of your standard taco fixings.  I have never been a sour cream fan, so I don't add that, however you can make a cashew version. 

 

That is what I had envisioned for dinner tonight, but I ended up making pasta.

Whole wheat, with pesto sauce, baby spinach (fresh), with fresh tomatoes diced in.  A little extra basil and garlic, it was de-lic-ous.  :o) Some walnuts added in would have been great, but I'm a little leery on giving M walnuts and was hungry, so we passed on the walnuts for tonight.

 

We are big fans of whole-wheat pasta in this house. 

 M can eat it by herself and its filling, and has fiber.  Sadly, I have a difficult time feeding her dark greens.  She will eat the organic push packs that I buy for her mixed with fruit, but, lets face it friends, those packs cost some serious $$$.

So I am on a mission to find a yummy way to incorporate spinach and hopefully kale into her diet.

 

I personally drink a home made green drink (will post a separate blog with recipe on this at a later time) that I find delicious, however, M doesn't love it.  She also had tried my salads on several occasions, with no success in her toddler taste department. 

 

{roundabout to my original point}

 

I will be puree-ing spinach into my pesto pasta to see if M will eat it that way. 

Score one for hiding veggies in your child's food. 

 

{although spaghetti and squash is her favorite meal, that and veggie burgers.  win.}

 

 

What do you do to get your toddler to eat veggies? Or how do you make meals you like with veggies you normally wouldn't eat?

 

 

Makeover

 

Hello bloggers!  It's been quite a while. 

Life happens. 

 Change happens...

 

... and so has the appearance and content of my blog!

 

I have added pages about running and my vegan lifestyle. Have no fear there will be plenty of updates about M.  {and she has grown quite a bit since my last posting}

 

She is running around, showing her personality and is truly a gem. 

I will update you with a post soon to recap her milestones etc.

 

Otherwise feel free to look around at the new pages, and leave comments :-).

 

I will be running my first race this Saturday, the Rothman 8kn in Philly!!! I can't wait to tell you about it.  I am excited and a bit nervous! I know I can run the 8k as I have already ran further than that, however, I am used to running alone or with my jogger, not with a large group of runners, so I'm a little anxious about that.  Any tips from my running friends?

 

Some yummy recipes to come up soon as well including oatmeal choc chip cookies  and mulligatawny soup my vegan version.  Both are delicious!!

 

{I guess I am a slightly biased judge, but M ate both up...and we all know toddlers don't eat foods they don't like.  They don't always even eat foods they do like!}

 

 

Here is to good cheer and wellness. 

 

Bridgette

Almost 11 months

Well, where has the last 11 {on friday} gone???

Ms. Madaelyn, you are quite incredible. 

You are crawling {for a while now}, cruising, curious, careful, and content. 

Last week your top two teeth erupted!  You have a total of 4 teeth now {2 on top, 2 on  bottom}.  It seems to take them 2 months {where you are bothered by them off and on} to "pop through" so to speak.

Food, you are loving food now!  You eat a variety of foods, made by yours truly.  I have just introduced meat {chicken} to you {yesterday} because I refused to puree meat. GROSS!!! {you're welcome}.  You enjoyed it.  You are also eating avacado, sweet potato, banana, peaches, mangos, apples {any kind}, pears, watermelon, string  beans, carrots, puffs {banana, sweet potato, kale/green veges, apple strawberry}, potato, crackers, pizza crust, plums, pretzels....I'm sure I'm missing some.  You are a good eater!

You have become quite vocal recently. You are starting to use words with meaning now.  You have known kitty cat and doggy for a while, but now you are starting to repeat your verion of words when I describe things to you.  It is brilliant!

And dancing! How can I not mention dancing?! 

You love music.  We always have it on. 

 I think when you go to school you may get there and ask the teacher where the music is.  You will even crawl over to the radio, turn it on and start dancing.  I love it. 

 Your dancing has evolved, as the rest of your gross and fine motor skills have.  You have evolved from holding a hand up to holding both hands up, to bouncing, to bouncing with both hands up, and now you will stand up and shake your booty with a hand in the air.  It is quite fascinating for me to see you dance the same way I do. We sure have a lot of fun.  Work it girl!

More to come on our recent adventures to the zoo, Penns Landing, and the Beach!

first boo boo.

 

so it happened. Madaelyn had her first real boo boo.

a busted lip.

how does an 8 month old baby get a busted lip?

{by sneezing in her stroller and face planting on the bar that goes across the front.}

Remember those 2 teeth I told you about? yup. those pearly whites.

…

Well they happen to be sharp enough to cut her lower lip. ouch.

Thankfully it was nothing more than a fat lip. I know that it is only the beginning of many bumps and bruises to come as Madaelyn becomes more mobile.  {it doesn’t help that the girl has no fear. seriously. she laughs hysterically when she “falls” into my arms off of the couch, or my knees, or anything higher up.} On the one hand I am so proud of her bravery that she is willing to explore and learn about her surroundings.  She has her mind set to walk.  I think by 10 months she will be toddling around independently.  However, it is a little nerve wrecking to know that your child will hurt herself.

Madaelyn’s bravery is mostly shown in her walking around.  She is certain to know exactly where I am in a room at anytime. I call it her momdar. {mom+radar=momdar}.

Something else that is incredible is that I think I actually felt pain for her when this event occurred. It was more than empathy, yet I was not actually bleeding. No one can truly explain how connected you feel to your child. It is quite an amazing attachment. As a nurse I am around people who can be in great amounts of pain and I fortunately am able {usually} to help dissipate that pain.  I empathize with my patients, but never to this extent.

Another learning curve for the 1st year of motherhood; pregnancy {if you recall mine was not so smooth} was only the beginning of the emotional roller coaster you feel as a mother.  Boo boo’s may even hurt you more than your child.

So, here’s to hoping I get a little tougher skin for when my baby girl has her next boo boo {please don’t be anything severe}.  Because, I refuse to be that Mom who has no furniture so her child does not get hurt.  She has to learn that hitting her face on a hard object is going to hurt, but please lets not have any more blood, and can we do it so it only hurts a little bit, you know, enough to learn the lesson but no any real damage?. lets all hope.

shutterbug

 

Fellow Momma’s {children, cats, and dog Momma’s} do you find that you take an obscene amount of pictures?

I literally had a handful shy of 500 pictures on my phone.

500.

I may have an addiction.  It doesn’t help that 90% of them are of Madaelyn and the girl doesn’t take a bad picture {complete mom bias here.  the blurry ones aren’t great, and there are ones where she is beyond cute. not just cute}

I hate deleting them from my phone.

Confession: I still have pictures of her on the day she was born on my phone.

 

Is that weird? I love her so much I hate deleting the pictures.

Thankfully they are all in digital format. otherwise I would be a serious hoarder of photographs. 

But, you see, they are useful for memories {and she is growing so fast. please baby girl, slow it down just a smidge} and many end up on here.

Plus, my phone is almost always within reach when she does something super cute and my camera is not.

 

Here are some of my {recently {within the past month} taken} favorites:

baby food

 

Madaelyn is now eating 3 square meals a day, and breast feeding 4-5 times a day.  I started introducing real foods at 6 months.  It was a struggle for me.  She is a champ and eats well so far.  I decided to make her babyfood. 

Making her baby food has been a rewarding experience for me.

1. I know what is in the food. No preservatives or any other crap.

2. I save a lot of $.  It is expensive

3. I like to cook and it super easy to make.

                  

 

Currently Madaelyn has a menu of bananas {which I started giving to her whole as well}, apples {gala, yellow, green, red..a wide variety}, pears, carrots, string beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes. 

She also eats oatmeal (the baby kind), Mum-Mum rice crisps, teething cookies {not real cookies}, soft pretzel nuggets that are frozen with the salt scraped off {super great for teething}, apple slice {no skin}, and puffs {we are still working on the pincer grasp so it’s a little messy. winston is thankful for the mess}

We also recently introduced yogurt.  I was worried about this because when she has to get supplemented with formula {when I am working..sadly I do not pump enough} she has to have soy because the regular formula gave her horrible gas pains and green poop/diarrhea..yuck. {sorry if that was tmi} and she has been tolerating it well so far.  It is a great dinner.  She is getting stonyfield organic baby yogurt.  complete with a fruit and vegetable added to it. perfect balanced dinner.

yum.

So I have not been so motivated to cook in light of things going on. {read divorce} With the nice weather that has been around recently I have been inspired to cook again.  

Recently I have made hummus and tabouli.  

so. good.

I also made a moroccan carrot salad.  it is the perfect salad for summertime when you don’t want to cook. 

you simply get 1lb carrots.  if you are feeling super lazy buy the carrots already shredded.

add a decent amount of cilantro I prefer fresh, 1 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper {be careful, this is spicy}  1/4 cup olive oil, and a 3 tbsp little lemon juice.

mix together.

voila. moroccan carrot salad.

super refreshing and easy.

teeth.

ahem.  my little girl has teeth.  the bottom ones. 2 of them.

seriously?!

{for the record I think that teething may be one of the worst parts of parenting so far. thankfully no one remember it.  it’s the little consolation I have for myself}

I have tried to document this with failed success.  

When I get a good shot of those brand new chompers I will certainly share.

The first tooth erupted 1 day after Madaelyn’s 8 month birthday. 10 days later its neighbor popped up.

and there you have it. 2 bottom teeth.  I believe she is working on the top 2 now.

a little of this.

 

      

Girlfriend is 8 months old!  We’ve missed a few postings.  But we are finally getting into a routine. 2 naps a day!! This is a quite a feat if you know Ms. Madaelyn.  and those naps are about an hour long!! {okay, okay, sometimes she fools me and only sleeps for 15 mins…we all have our days}

I think that I have an amazon child.  she is 8 months old and fastly outgrowing her 12 month clothes.  Truly, I have moved to 18 month clothes. yikes.  this happened in the process of a month..growth spurt between 7/8months I thought that 9 months was supposed to be the next one?!

{oh, and we can stand, pull up, roll from belly to back, and just be awesome in general, as evidenced by her awesome leg warmers}

Anyways it is absolutely gorgeous her in the Philly area.  77 degrees today. and its march. {jackpot} 

Our day was filled with sunshine and fresh air. Not these pictures, because those ones are not uploaded, but I love pictures and I hope you like seeing these.

Arizona Bound.

 

So, Madaelyn and I took our first trip via plane ride together.  I being a first time mother and it being her first trip via airplane was super nervous.  It was a 4.5hr flight an oh.my.gosh. what if she cries the whole time, and there’s turbulence, and I can’t walk her around to calm her down?!?!? I will be that person the whole plane hates.

and yes. the plane was full.

Thankfully that was not even an issue in the slightest! In fact people commended Madaelyn’s fabulous plane etiquette both to and from Arizona!!

{but you all knew she would be an excellent flyer since she is so mannerable at home anyways, right? right!.}

Here are some highlights of our trip:

Arizona Loving. VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I may be a tad bit addicted to the way my child looks in leg warmers…. what can I say?  She looks ah-dor-able. I cannot wait until it is warm enough to rock that look at home in Pa.

Arizona was absolutely superb. We l.o.v.e.d. it.  Warm weather, family, no humidity {score for easy hair days, minus for a bloody nose the first night there…}

If you have not ventured to the desert I must say it is a beautiful place.  You should definitely try it.

6 Months old.

 

Baby girl you are 6 months old, half a year… what?!?! (actually at this present time you are a week away from being 7 months old…what can I say.  I’ve been spending my time with you instead of posting)

Here is a picture of you on your actual 1/2 birthday…

 

You’re quite an amazing person. You are weighing in at 16lbs 9oz and 27 inches long! (that is 90th percentile for height)  Which is not a surprise as I have to dress you in12 month one piece pajamas.  You fit into 9 month separates.

 

You’re personality is really starting to shine. You can say several syllables; mama, baba, dadada, and vowel sounds.  You also tend to speak in a soft voice where you whisper. I. love. it.

You have recently started to bounce while sitting.  This is absolutely adorable. You are a bouncing baby of joy.  You still have not rolled over, I believe that you know how to do it, because you roll to your side and then smile at me, then go back.  You simply like looking up and around at the world.  You still dislike tummy time.  You can put yourself on all fours, hands and knees and rock, so I know crawling is coming.  You absolutely love to stand.  You have been able to pull yourself up holding onto my hands for quite a while.  You now bounce while standing and enjoy holding onto my legs or the couch.

You also are a cuddle bug. I don’t mind. In fact I enjoy it.  You always keep tabs on me and when you are upset and want me you scream “mamamamamama.”

You love music.  You recently started dancing/bouncing. Its great. You soon will be walking around singing with me ;o).

This month you also started to eat other food besides breastmilk!  Another post will follow to discuss how this went.  You are a pro.

And you, my muffin, are quite an observer.  At home, out and about, you are constantly taking it all in.  You are quiet (except at home.  when you are very happy and comfortable you will babble).  You like to sit in a spot and take in the environment around you. You seem to be in know hurry to move around.  You are content snuggling with me and exploring your surroundings. You remind me of myself in that way.

What you love.  Snuggling with Me. Winston and Bree. You especially love petting them.  You are quite the animal lover.  Your grandparents, uncles and great grandparents.  Walking around in the Mobi Wrap. Going for walks in your strollers.  Jumping in your bounceroo.  Motion.  You love being rocked and when you are upset you tap your head to help soothe yourself.  You also love your giraffe, sophie (soffee). You don’t have any teeth yet but Sophie helps your gums feel better and you love gnawing on her.

I am amazed at how much you grow and change. I love spending my days learning the world through your eyes.  I live for your smiles and laughs.

 

Let’s hope the next 6 months slow down a little, yes?

birth to 6 month comparison: