verdemama — green around the edges

Goals for 2012

by verdemama on January 1, 2012

A new year is upon us, and with it comes the opportunity and inspiration to make needed changes in our lives. Obviously we can choose to improve our situation at any time we wish, but I love the gentle nudge the new year offers. We can start a new chapter, or write a whole new book.

Here are some of my personal goals for 2012.

First things first. We need to move Juna out of our bedroom and into the room she will share with Orion. She’s no longer sharing a bed with us, but is now camped out in her crib in the corner of our room while she’s learning how to sleep. So, that’s a step in the right direction, at least. I have a whole post dedicated to her sleep training coming soon, but in a nutshell, she needs to move into Orion’s room, like, yesterday.

I need to take charge of my health. This is always an ambition for me, but this year is the first I’ve truly felt like my health is declining. I’m not sleeping enough, I’m not eating well enough, and I’m not exercising enough. Not so long ago, I was in great shape—I walked two miles daily in addition to doing yoga and Pilates multiple times per week, and hiking and bicycling weekly. But now? I’m a flabby, exhausted mess with 15 postpartum pounds left to lose. My health goals for 2012 and onward include: SLEEPING MORE, eating fewer desserts and empty calories, eating mostly vegetarian, exercising daily, even if it’s just 20 minutes, drinking more water (seriously, I get so wrapped up meeting the kids’ needs that the entire day will pass before I realize I haven’t had a single glass of water), and taking more time for self-care—just a few minutes each night to pluck my eyebrows or do a facial mask or trim my fingernails or whatever little thing that I’ve been too crazed to notice lately. I’ve also recently dusted off my juicer and have been making some potent veggie juice blends to clean out ye olde system. 2012 is the year I get back into kick-ass shape.

Purge/organize/simplify the house. I have been dying to do this FOREVER but haven’t found the time, BUT BY GOD, I am going to go this. Our small, cluttered house is driving me crazy! We moved into our current home five days before I gave birth to Orion and I never had the chance to properly nest. Boxes were hurriedly unpacked and put away—often by well-meaning family members, which was WONDERFUL to have their help, but not everything ended up where I would have put it and lots of junk that should have been purged went right back into the mix. So. I am longing to tidy things up a bit and get rid of the things we don’t need. I know it will take a while, but if I just go room by room—maybe even giving myself several weeks or even a month to finish each room—by the end of the year, it will be done.

Get out in nature more. Last year Orion went through a period of being afraid of our back yard, so we didn’t go out there as much. He’s been over that for a few months now so we’re back outside making up for lost time. I also want to travel out of the city more often and do some camping. I grew up in the country and it blows my mind to think that I’m raising “city kids.”

Less TV, more books. Seriously, I think I read maybe one or two books (other than parenting books) last year. My brain needs exercise just as badly as my body does. I have a stack of books queued up and ready to be cracked open.

Reviving old skills, such as playing piano and speaking French. I studied both for years and I want to resurrect those talents.

Learn more Spanish. I’ve picked up quite a bit of Spanish language just from day-to-day interactions with people here in SoCal but I think it’s time to make a more official effort.

Make more of an effort on my personal appearance. This is way harder than it sounds, considering most days I have zero time to even shower, let alone pick out a cute outfit or put on makeup. If any of you childless folks wonder why women sometimes start looking like shit after they have kids, come over here and I’ll explain to you (right after I punch you in the mouth) how little time a mom has for herself on any given day. Still, I am vowing to try my best to not look like a zombie yoga pants mom in public, when possible.

Get back into paid writing and editing. In my past life, I made my living as a writer and editor. After I was laid off from my gig as a web editor for the healthy living giant Gaiam in January of 2010 we decided I’d be a SAHM for a while… and here I am, two years later, feeling very disconnected from the working world and wishing I could slowly—gently—make my way back into it. Maybe 2012 is the year I start earning a real paycheck again.

Other odds n’ ends include being kinder and less judgmental, learning to use my DSLR better, spending less and saving more money, being in the moment more and looking for the magic in everyday life.

I’m putting these goals out into the universe to create some accountability on my part. Now that I’ve shared them with the Internet, I have no choice but to follow through, right?

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A Very Belated Holiday Post

by verdemama on December 28, 2011

I should back up a bit, considering I haven’t written in weeks. First of all, check out these cuties:

Last year I couldn’t get Orion to sit on Santa’s lap, but this year? This year the kid is ALL ABOUT SANTA. It took all of .5 seconds for Orion to jump up on Santa’s lap and start rattling off all the trucks he hoped to find under the tree. The kid was beaming from ear to ear and even sat still for a few photos. Santa has become a popular fella around these parts.

We also decorated a tree, of course. This is some of Orion’s handiwork right here. I like how he hung 17 bulbs one small area.

We checked out some local Christmas lights with friends.

And then we spent the week preceding Christmas in Ohio visiting my family in their amazing new house. It was cold, so we got to wear hats! (But much to O’s disappointment there was no snow on the ground.)

We played outside in my parents’ amazing yard, threw sticks into the ravine and ran the dog ragged. I can’t wait to visit here in the summer, because their yard is so incredible. It’s a wonderland of rocks and leaves and trees and running water.

And as if that wasn’t cool enough, O discovered my stepdad’s riding lawnmower tractor and his little mind was officially blown.

Juna practiced crawling, but so far can only travel backwards. She kept getting stuck in the same corner. Poor lil’ cutie.

We made cookies for Santa, which were all devoured within hours. Santa almost didn’t get any.

We feasted on live Maine lobsters purchased out on a random country road.

And mostly just hung out and did all those things you do with your family during the holidays.

(Please excuse my horrible ‘do in the above pics. Hair-pulling baby = 24/7 bun.)

We arrived back home on the 25th, and had Christmas II: The Return of Santa. Orion has become a gift-opening professional and/or addict and is currently dealing with the post-Christmas blahs that come once there are no more gifts to unwrap. With Erik being off work this week, we are having a very lovely staycation and enjoying some fun field trips around LA with the kidlets.

Today we took all the ornaments off the tree and carefully tucked them away in their boxes. They’ll live in our attic until next year, when we unearth them once again from their dusty storage spot.

Now we’re looking forward to all the good things that 2012 has in store. Happy New Year, everyone!

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Juna || Six Months

by verdemama on December 1, 2011

Wow. Here we are already. Juna turned six months old on November 29th and, as usual, I’m floored by how fast time is zooming by us. It was my humble intention to document her every milestone on this blog, but of course that hasn’t happened, because—thankfully—I’d rather live my REAL life than my online life. I do jot down all her developmental deets on my iCal in the hope that someday I’ll have a spare moment to add her impressive (to me) list of accomplishments to a baby book or to this here blog.

So, to you six people who are interested in my lil’ bebe’s development… without further ado, here is a snapshot of Juna in her first six months of life.

First, the more mundane details: She’s a big girl for her age—about 90th percentile for weight and 75th for height. Her eyes are big, beautiful pools of serene blue, and her hair is recently turning patchy, with a cute little curly Mohawk on top. The hair she was born with is brown but it’s now growing in white blonde. That should make for an interesting reverse ombre look when it gets a bit longer. (So trendy, she is!) She got her first teeth—her two bottom central incisors—when she was four months old and judging by the way she’s been chomping on me lately there’s something new brewing in there as well. And her fat little arms and legs are so yummy I just want to nom on them all day long.

Juna is crazy strong, which is a good thing as it allows her to withstand daily pummelings by her dearest big bro. She started rolling over at three months old, and sitting up solo by four months old. She’s now starting to get up on her hands and knees, so crawling may or may not be imminent. (Orion didn’t officially crawl until 10 months old—he was pretty satisfied with the army crawl for several months—so I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes us wait a while for crawling. Or not. Who knows? These kids always keep us guessing.)

My dearest JuJu started out as the world’s greatest sleeper for about the first three months of her life, and then the four month sleep regression hit, which happened to coincide with our trip to Italy and suddenly she no longer held the title of sleep champion of the world. We’re still recovering from that so we’re now attempting some sleep training. To make matters even more complicated, she’s currently sleeping in our room—sometimes in her co-sleeper, sometimes snuggled right up next to me in bed. The end goal is for her and Orion to share a room, but in order for that to happen, both kids need to be sleeping reasonably well (and up until five seconds ago, Orion has NOT been sleeping well due to scary dreams. These two-year-olds and their budding imaginations…). I do enjoy snuggling with her at night and will certainly miss that coziness, but I also miss getting a solid night sleep and I’m ready to start feeling human again.

Juna first tried solid food around five months old, but she didn’t really dig it. So I backed off for a few weeks and re-introduced it just a few days ago… and she’s still not really into it. So far she’s tried homemade organic butternut squash, yam, banana and avocado purees but nothing really excites her save for maybe banana. Maybe purees just aren’t her thing. Maybe she’d enjoy Baby Led Weaning more? I’m curious enough to give it a try. Regardless, I’m going to keep offering her a little food with each meal but I’m not going to push it. Obviously breast milk is working out just fine for her.

She seems to have overcome her sensitive digestion and reflux issues she had as a baby and is now a healthy, happy little lady who is head over heels in love with her brother, no matter how much he beats up on her.

She is mellow and curious (she gives a fierce raised eyebrow when she’s thinking deep thoughts about life), but she has a lighthearted side as well. And my two kids together? Well, they are the most fun… and the most frustration… I’ve ever had. Such is the life of a parent.

Considering this is probably my last baby, I am soaking up every. second. of Juna’s delicious babyness.

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To TV or Not TV? That is the Question

by verdemama on November 13, 2011

This is a child’s brain on TV

I used to be one of those people who thought when I became a parent I’d never allow my child to watch TV. Fast forward a few years later, and once again I’m laughing manically at my former idealistic (and cluelessly judgmental) self. The reality is, I do let Orion watch a little bit of television—usually in the form of educational videos, sometimes in the form of whatever the hell happens to be on Nick Jr. at the time. But never more than an hour, and not every day. Just enough to make me feel super guilty and wonder if I’m ruining my kid for life.

Orion is not the kind of toddler who likes to hang by himself—he always wants me to play with him and partake in whatever activity he’s into at the moment. Which I enjoy… to an extent. (I mean, I can only play with trucks for so many thousands of hours before I start to go a little nuts.) But it’s also nice to have a few seconds to tend to my own needs—you know, little things, like peeing or brushing my teeth. Watching TV is the one thing he doesn’t mind doing alone and I always pounce on the opportunity to either a.) shower, or b.) make dinner. Frankly, he enjoys TV, and is learning his letters and numbers thanks to educational videos, and I get a few moments to do what I need to do. It’s a win-win situation. Except it isn’t.

Our problem is, when it comes time to turn off the TV. He freaks out. FUH-REAKS. Not every time, but often enough to make me really question allowing him to watch any TV at all. It’s like a drug, TV is, and he’s a two-year-old junkie. Now he asks to watch “TD” almost every day, and can turn into a screamy crazy monster if I say no.

So, what’s a parent to do? I try to limit the tantrums by only allowing him to watch DVDs—which have a definite end, as opposed to Nick Jr., which airs one show after the other forever and ever and ever. The finiteness of a DVD makes it easier for Orion to transition into the next activity without making a fuss.

Other than banning television altogether, which is pretty unlikely now that it’s been introduced, what are your tips for taming the TV monster? (Full disclosure: my child spends 99% of his day playing, often outside, and is by no means a couch potato TV zombie. Just so you know.) We’ve tried setting timers, etc., which sometimes works.

What are your thoughts on this? How do you handle TV watching (or lack thereof)?

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Halloween: A Preview

by verdemama on October 30, 2011

Why, hello, my little lady bug.

She’s not so crazy about her costume.

Orion, on the other hand, loved wearing his costume. After a little coaxing, anyway.

And daddy did, too.

Juna is still contemplating just how much she hates this darling ladybug costume.

Maybe sitting in the grass is better? Nah.

Almost got a smile here.

Out of the costume = much happier.

Sitting and playing? Even better.

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Vignettes #5

by verdemama on October 18, 2011

I’m still enjoying this open-ended blogcation I’ve embarked on — I’d rather nurture my real life even if that means my online life withers a bit. Even if I don’t have much to say, I always have a few images to share.

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PS: More Italy Photos

by verdemama on October 11, 2011

Usually my favorite photos of our world travels aren’t the many awe-inspiring landscape shots (although though are many, MANY of those). Rather, my very favorite pics end up being the snapshots of people. Specifically, my favorite people—my kids. My family. Occasionally, even, me. (Although in these shots I look as tired as I feel. Damn you, sleep deprivation.)

I was overwhelmed with the prospect of narrowing down the 1,300+ plus photos from our Italian adventures to share here on y’olde blog, but I did pick out a few that made me smile for one reason or another.

Exploring the “streets” of Venice.

I think what really makes this photo awesome is Orion’s finger up his nose.

Mother and daughter at a Venice cafe.

There was a 200-step climb/descent from our Cinque Terre cottage to civilization and Orion wanted to walk (or run) it himself every. single. time.

Poor us. We had to look at this every day during our Cinque Terre stay. (That’s my stepdad in the lower right corner. Hi, Dick!)

One of many, many pizzas devoured during our two-week trek through Italy. See also: sleeping lap baby.

More sleeping baby. She’s just so awesomely transportable and adaptable.

Just plain cute.

See above caption.

Sprinting down the streets of Lucca.

This pigeon in Venice’s San Marco Square thinks my head looks like a nice place to hang out.

The cutest accessory. (And some random guy. Sorry. I probably shoulda cropped him out.)

Three generations.

Outside our B&B near Siena. We didn’t spend nearly enough time at this stop. The landscape was beyond gorgeous.

Blending in with the scenery in Siena.

After almost two full weeks of scorching 90+ degree heat, the weather cooled tremendously during our stay in Siena and we got to break out the handful of warm clothes we brought. (Sadly we didn’t get to use that gorgeous pool in the background. Next time, Siena. Next time.)

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I May Or May Not Have Had a Birthday Today…

by verdemama on October 5, 2011

But I definitely did spend time with these amazing people today.

Eatin’ my homemade jam.

Playin’ in the activity thingamabobber (aka the “UFO”)

Lovin’ on each other.

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Ciao, Italia

by verdemama on October 3, 2011

Yes, I know. I’m a terrible, terrible blogger. We packed up and went on a two-week Italian vacation, and I didn’t even bother to say goodbye.

We are back (we have been for over a week, actually, but I’m having a hard time coming out of vacation mode) and readjusting to preschool, work, baby sleep schedules (or lack thereof) and fighting colds, to boot. I’m still sorting through over 1,300 DSLR photos, but in the meantime, I’ll share some iPhone pics.

In brief: We had an amazing trip. My parents came along, we rented a giant nine-passenger van and cruised the Italian countryside, spending time in Rome, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Lucca, Sienna and Venice. It was WONDERFUL. It amazes me to think about how worldly, cultured and open minded our kiddos are going to be. They did great, by the way (Orion is already a seasoned world traveler) and I’m so excited to have a lifetime of these fun adventures together.

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Vignettes #4

by verdemama on August 24, 2011

Lots of great things going on here at Casa Verdemama. We received a big, wonderful surprise last week when the preschool that Orion has been on the wait list for since he was four months old called to say they have a place for him. (Yes, in California cities you have to put your babies on multiple years-long waiting lists for good preschools. It’s crazy.) It’s an amazing school AND it’s literally right down the street from where we live, so we are over the moon excited about this big change about to take place. More on this later!

I’ve also been super busy planning for our upcoming European adventure, obsessively searching for the perfect apartments, villas and B&Bs to stay in while we traipse across Italy next month. (More on this soon, too! ) I’ve devoted every spare moment I’ve had to this cause, and now that everything is booked, I can breathe a sigh of relief and give ye olde blog a little attention.

So without further ado, I bring you cute photos of my kidlets.

Safety goggles are a must while playing with daddy’s tools.