Tired or Hungry?

Never too tired to eat pizza :)

Stamp Out Hunger

Poverty is the principal cause of hunger. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as of November 2010, 43.6 million Americans relied on food stamps, up 14.2% compared to the year before. 

Our household is fortunate to have more than enough food to satisfy our hunger.  On Saturday May 14, mail carriers will be picking up bags of non-perishable food to feed families in need; therefore, we decided to clean our pantry and donate items that do not require refrigeration and that have not expired.  

 Our bag is ready!

Who is ready to wiggle with The Wiggles?

Who is ready to wiggle with The Wiggles?

WE ARE!

Long gone are the days when I spent my time hunting for tickets to rockstar shows like U2 and Madonna. Now I spend my time looking for tickets for The Wiggles.

My time paid off. 

Little needs to get ready because The Wiggles are coming and she will be right there with them.

Fresh for Health

 I was raised eating healthy, but not obsessively. We did not talk about foods unless we were eating it or shopping for it, and we did not worry about what we were or were not eating. I never saw my mother counting calories or discussing diets, or heard my father complain about his growing (or shrinking) belly.  

When it came to nutrition they lead by example. We sat down to eat three meals every day. No foods were forbidden; there simply was a variety of options available, from ice cream to fresh fruit, from sodas to juices. Because of that I grew up eating everything in moderation. For example, I love ice cream and treat myself to it weekly; however, I don't ever feel the need to eat an entire pint. 

I would love to raise Little in the same manner; however, I have a hurdle in my quest. The hurdle has a first and last name, Little calls him Daddy.  

My three concerns with Daddy's eating habits are:

1- When it comes to eating, many times Daddy doesn't know what moderation is.

2- Daddy does not eat ANY fruit (this is not an exaggeration).

3- Daddy rarely eats breakfast and he could easily skip lunch too.

That being said, this is not the 'Boo on Daddy' parade.   

Overall, he eats fairly healthy. He loves pizza, but he could be as content (most times) when I simply offer him a salad for dinner. He also does eat many foods I don't include in my menus, as pickles, peanut butter, cauliflowers and artichokes (if it weren't for him, Little would never be exposed to them).

Although I am able to lead by example, my concern is I am not the only example; therefore, I can't show Little a united front when it comes to eating habits. This means I have to go the extra mile to encourage her to grow with healthy eating habits.  

As part of going the extra mile, I have joined an organic produce co-op. 

Our first box came in today. 

I don't know which produces will be part of my box. It is based on what is available, which I find very exciting since it gives me the opportunity to offer Little fruits or vegetables I don't normally purchase.

And yes, all of it is organic and (since it is a co-op is) budget friendly.

Inspired by the arrival of the fresh produce, we decided tonight was going to be a salad only kind of night.

Little loved her tomatoes and she ate them with mozzarella cheese. 

When she saw me putting away the squash, she started calling it "Anana"

 So for dessert tonight, she got some banana.

 For those of you that may be curious, Daddy ate his salad...And complemented it with some pizza. 

Of  course Little saw him and had to have some pizza too ;)

Mother's Day

Thank you marketers of the world for creating holidays that promote consumerism; mother's day can be entered into such category. I find it troublesome that we have to rely in society to give us a day to dedicate to mothers. In truth every day should be mother's day because every day mothers everywhere dedicate their life to care for, guide, teach, love and cherish their children; in motherhood there is not such thing as a day off.

But if we, as a whole, need to have a made up holiday to take the time to stop everything and say Thank You, Mothers are sure deservings of all the praise. In fact, it was probably a mother who came up with the idea for Mother's Day ;-)

Happy Mother's Day mommies of the world,
may every day be mother's day to you all !

In our home, Mother's Day was quiet and simple...
That is what Mommy wanted.

The best part of my day... Snuggle time with Little

At Target with Daddy while Mommy had quiet time

Pocket Full of Sunshine is Shining!

Daddy worked hard this weekend to finish the playroom. 

He researched carpeting, rented the tools necessary and went to work.  

Putting the pad

Celebratory dance

Helping Daddy

Distracting Daddy

Taking a break

Vacuuming the new rug

Doll house is IN!

Now, it's time for Little and Mommy to sort through the toys. 

We will retire the ones that she has outgrown; we plan to donate some to children in need and then we need to organize, Organize, ORGANIZE.  

As goodbyes go...

As goodbyes go, is there ever an easy one?

Impermanence is a certainty of life and although the brain understands the concept well, sometimes the heart has a hard time accepting it.

We'll dedicate our post today to the memory of our beloved Chiqui, Little's great grandmother. 

She was funny, straightforward  and wise. She was an incredibly strong woman who lived a long, full and healthy life. She leaves behind five children, eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Little got to meet her last year and I am grateful for such an cherished memory. Today, I showed Little her picture and she pointed her in the picture and said "Chichi"... It warmed my heart.

In the future when I show her Chiqui in photos, I will be able to remind Little of a few of the principles her great grandmother believed in, including her devotion to family, her incredible dedication to hard work and independence, and her beautiful patience and calmness.

We are far from my family and don't get to say goodbye in person, so with photos we remember her...

"Even death is not to be feared by 

one who has lived wisely."

Siddhartha Gautama