Takin a ride

Here is Geneva taking a ride on my grandpa's walker.



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Meeting another friend

Monday I took Geneva to meet another little friend, Zane. She had fun playing with him and then enjoyed his toys when he took a nap. Isn't he a cutie?!



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*New* USDA Dietary Guidelines

The USDA has just released new dietary guidelines with more emphasis on the kinds and quality of food consumed, combining nutrients, and the importance of exercise. There are sub-categories for grains and vegetables that recommend a certain amount of whole grains and dark leafy and orange vegetables. (Sorry, french fries and hamburger bun no longer meet nutritional recommendations.)

This new pyramid also seems more vegetarian and vegan friendly and there is a whole study devoted to comparing the "Base" diet (which derives about 90% of protein from animal flesh), a "Plant Based" diet (one that derives less than 50% from animal sources), a Lacto-Ovo diet (one that allows animal dairy and eggs), and a Vegan diet (which does not allow any animal products). In the study, the protein, caloric, and nutrient levels were examined and adjusted for each diet sub-type for different caloric levels. The basic conclusion is that the base pyramid can be adjusted for other diet types without significant nutrient/protein/calorie loss. I read the entire study, but to save you time, pages 15-17 have the tables for the recommended daily and weekly amounts of all food groups adjusted by diet type and calorie goals. I plan to print these pages to keep as a household reference.

Just so you know, I was inspired by a post at http://www.nomeatathlete.com/. To see Matt's analysis of the new guidelines, go here.

The previous food pyramid, developed in 1992:

The New pyramid:

Childrens museum

We had a great time at the Children's Museum of Evansville. It was a *TERRIFIC* place to visit- with great activities for all ages. Geneva's favorites were the rice table and water room. I even for some activity ideas for the farmers market. We will definately visit again!








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Update, long overdue

G and I are one week into our trip north and we have already been very busy and seen lots of family and friends! First order of business was to see all the Illinois great-grandparents and g's best friend (and daughter of one of my best friends), Lyla.

Then we Headed West to visit greg's dad and sisters in Missouri. After arriving and celebrating a birthday, I checked out the farmers market (and bought tons of yummy stuff) before we all took a trip to the zoo. Up to this point, the kc zoo is my favorite. I think g agreed since she was positively giddy over the animals. Due to weather and time constraints, we only got to see a quarter of it. We'll definately have to return one day to finish it. After the zoo, we had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant and then went to a very unique winery. The wine at Fence Stile was terrific but even better due to the fact that the owners do not apply any chemicals (!!) This winery also had games and bubbles for children (family friendly) and I didn't have to worry about the cleanliness of the dirt (not even any oxymoron) as Geneva roamed around the grass.















(these are just the few pics I have on my phone)

Also since being in Illinois, we have visited the City Pool twice (a childhood favorite and perhaps the coolest thing about this town). G has also come up with two new teeth (on both sides of her top front teeth). I had dinner and an extended chat with a very dear friend and also found out a good friend is getting married in December. I have also picked Wild blackberries that surround my parents house.




Today g and I are taking my little cousin and meeting Lyla and Bonnie at a nearby childrens museum.

So, lots to do and much more to come :-)

Phases

(*Warning: Long and existential with a flair of self-importance)

Naturally, my adult life  thus far (post-university) can be categorized into two phases: pre-baby and post-baby.

Pre-Geneva when I was only responsible for myself, my job, and 1/2 of a house and marriage (and obviously other relationships, etc.)

Post-Geneva where my baby girl has taken top priority over myself, my job, the house, and even my marriage and other relationships.

The problem with all this is that even though I have a new number one, there are still relationships and practical elements that deserve attention and care.  In fact, these other relationships and duties/responsibilities are so important that, if not cared for, threaten my very ability to be a good mother to Geneva. 

This first year of adding a baby into the mix has left me feeling exhausted and ineffective as I try (and FAIL!) to maintain the level of attention and care to my other loves and responsibilities.  While on one hand I have been treasuring every smile and milestone, I have been counting down the days until work ended for the summer (with more desperation than ever) just so that I have more time to give away to others and other important things.  When, early in the year, I began to dread weekends and feel exhausted and strung out at the end of every.single.day because of the harried pace and endless chores and “to dos,” I knew something was not right.

So, there: A breaking point.  Something.has.to.give.  It was either my job, the house, or mine and my family’s physical and nutritional health.  The most obvious of these for me is to “let go” of working full-time.

So, maybe “phase 2” was actually a transition into the less-stressed out, more effective person that I want to be.  Working part-time, I will have more time with Geneva and more time to enjoy other relationships and accomplish other pursuits- All while still putting to use my educational and professional experience.

One of the biggest motivators at this point is not wanting to look back years from now and regretting either missing or wishing away these wonderful years with Geneva.

God has been good to us and I am blessed over and over, now I will be able to better appreciate and realize these gifts.

 

**The Fine Print:

1. I have a wonderful husband who supports and encourages me and, as equally as he can, shares the responsibilities of household chores, child care, and even other idiotic things I get us into, like babysitting for friends’ children and running a weekly activity table at the Farmers’ Market.

2. I have a job where part-time work is often an option. I will not have benefits, but I can refer back to praise for my husband and his job for this.

3. I have the most wonderful family and friends, to whom I have not been able to give even a fraction of the attention they deserve. 

4. I am admittedly more obsessive than most about nutrition, exercise, and cleanliness, rendering me completely neurotic.

Last Day!

Today is my last work day before I am on summer break for two months!!

More to come about this later.

Garden update

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The beginning of an ending…

I’m not going to say a whole lot on the topic here, but I do want to commemorate the day that Geneva completely stopped nursing.  This act has been an important part of our lives for 13 months and has been greatly beneficial to both of us.  Improved immunity, nutrition, brain development, weight loss (me), cancer protection (me), and a host of other benefits which scientists are discovering more of all the time. 

It may have been difficult to figure out at first and cumbersome with travelling and working full time, but ultimately so worth it.

I’m really posting here as encouragement to other mothers or mothers-to-be to give it a good try and stick with it, even when it is difficult.  It becomes easier and a natural part of your life and routine.  You’ll never regret the time and sacrifice.

Special Visitors!

Last weekend, Geneva’s PawPaw and Grammie Tammie came to visit.  They drove down from Missouri and we had one very great day with them.  We swam, played, cooked out, and swung at the park—Pretty much all of Geneva’s favorite things. 

We want to thank them for making the very long trip and many special memories with us.

Here are some pictures:

They brought birthday presents!

This cowgirl got her very own horse!!!  Love the suede vest?  It was mine from when I was a little rider.

  

Fun at the park!  Even daddy swung.

Geneva loves her PawPaw!!

 

Last day of school for students.

!!!!!

I am finishing my sixth year working in schools. In just these six years, I have worked in three different districts in three different parts of Texas and with children of all ages (two year olds to eighteen year olds) with all sorts of varying degrees of disability and severity. I have worked with about every discipline of general and special education teacher and school administrato

One of the things I like best about working in schools is the feeling of closure and a set stopping point that comes every May/June. It is neat to see how students (and teachers and parents !) grow over that short period of time.

Granted, I am working tomorrow (Saturday!) and up until next Thursday, but regardless, the last day of school is kind of special and, I think, is worth mentioning.

Just for fun, here is a shot of my dear friend, Stephanie and I on the last day of school senior year. Notice the braces.

Also found in the archives is this shot of Greg and his friends on graduation night. In all fairness, right?

Toxic childhood

7pm central Thursday night:

Watching "toxic childhood" on CNN. Pregnant or future-pregnant women should be aware that there have been 200+ chemicals found in the cord blood of newborn babies.


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