House Mouse.

 (some new wall art in my art studio)

 

My house-mouse preferences are taking over more and more of our days. I feel like I have a very short list of somewhat valid reasons as to why I feel like my hermitage is justified. But I am nearly positive that listing them would end in a yawn on your end, so let's move on to the important stuff.

I found a new brand of makeup that I love. Tarte Cosmetics. It's all natural, it doesn't have lead or formaldehyde in it, and it increases both my beauty and confidence. I bought pretty much the entire line, so I can confidently recommend almost any product on their site. I love it all. It's beautiful. You should go buy yourself some as a late Valentine's Day present.

I'm still nursing Rosemary. Nursing a 17 month old is like wrangling a crocodile and hosting a three ring circus at the same time. The other day I questioned her, "Can't you be pleasant while you're eating?" and she responded by pulling away and doing her most impressive lion "ROAR" to date. Apparently not.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I found three gray hairs on my head this morning, and they were all named Rosemary. And since she has now discovered how to climb on the dining room chairs, and from the chairs to the table, and from the table to almost-the-counter-if-i-take-a-running-jump, I am anticipating many more gray hairs to come.

Today we are leaving the house. When I told Timmy he was clearly wowed and commented "You're leaving the hobbit hole?!" Yes. There are some things you can't buy online.

A Conversation: About Chicken

Tim: What are we having for dinner sweetie?

Me: Chicken tacos.
Tim: Oh. I've never had a chicken taco before.
Me: You had one last night. That's what you always get at Chipotle....
Tim: You make a strong case.

I've had several people ask me why I started eating chicken again, and it is a fair question that deserves an explanation. I had been vegan for ten years! So here it is, in summary.

I became vegan for health reasons – I wanted to be healthier. There are many many benefits to being vegan, and I still believe it to be a very nutritious lifestyle. But, I've never believed it to be the only healthy way of eating, and I truly believe that it's more about the quality of the foods you do eat. Such as, eating fresh, organic, locally grown, non-gmo, etc. I think that we sometimes make it too hard and want people to fit into our idea of what exactly they should be eating (gluten-free, raw, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, etc.), instead of focusing on good, solid nutrition. Let's eat vegetables, people! And say NO to McDonald's!

So, when Tim and I discuss what we want our future family to look like, the topic of food comes up often. We want our whole family to be united and to eat the same healthy meals. It just made sense for me to start eating chicken occasionally. Chicken wasn't something he was willing to give up, and I couldn't really see a reason to not start incorporating it into our family diet. Honestly, I've been enjoying it. 

And Rosie ate an egg tonight. Let's add that to the list of three things she is willing to eat and rejoice. 

Unplanned Traditions.

Tim rocks Rosemary to sleep every night. While he rocks, he sings "Amazing Grace" and gazes into her eyes. He has told me that nothing is sweeter than keeping eye contact with her as she falls asleep. Every now and then she will peep an eye open to see if he's still looking. He always is.

I can't be certain of when this tradition started. It definitely wasn't intentional, but somewhere along the way, bedtime became something special between the two of them.

Every day, after Rosemary's afternoon nap, we have ice cream. "Do you want some ice cream?" I ask, and she smiles and nods her head excitedly in response. We sit at the table, eating ice cream and watching for people and puppies walking by outside the window. Our version of "ice cream" happens to be little more than frozen coconut milk, but it's special and she knows it.

It's a tradition that started without forethought, but continues with intentionality.

Unplanned traditions. They happen spontaneously. And they're extra sweet.

Valentines.

 

My Valentine surprise from Mr. Valentine included a babysitter, a festively decorated hotel room, a yummy meal, vegan chocolates, sparkling juice, roses, candles… and a two hour nap.

The nap was the best part. Really.

We had the hotel room and the babysitter for about six hours. And while I have never heard of anyone renting a hotel room for just half of a day, I must say that it was a perfect idea. I've been feeling a little sick these past days and Rosemary hasn't been sleeping well. A cozy little space to curl up in, snuggle, and sleep was just exactly the very best way to spend Valentine's Day 2013.

Five Things on a Monday.

 

1. I recently started teaching Rosemary sign language, and I've been amazed at how quickly she catches on. This morning she made the sign for "food" and then the sign for "more". This is doubly fantastic, as she typically doesn't express the desire to eat "more" of anything except breastmilk. Progress? I hope so.

2. I really love my husband. He's so cool and funny. Valentine's Day may be my favorite holiday, and I know he has something planned… 

3. Rosemary has been sleeping with us a lot lately. She's getting four teeth right now, and nights have been hard. When she has woken up for the third time and it's only midnight, co-sleeping looks like a desirable option to no sleeping. And, while it's definitely not my ideal scenario for a restful nights sleep, I kind of love to feel her warm little body nuzzled close to mine. 

4. My life has been pretty boring lately. What have we been up to? Rosie and I camp out in our jammies all day, reading books and playing with baby dolls. The weather here has been less than pleasant, and the thought of leaving the house in an ice storm or a blizzard is even less pleasant. So I have been ordering things online and making the delivery people bring me things in this less than pleasant weather. Online shopping is great.

5. Rosemary pooped on the floor last night during naked time. Nobody noticed until I almost laid down in it. Then she walked in it and got it all over her feet and the floor. Potty training is off to a roaring start.

Exercising.

 I really love Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred. I really dislike Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred. Somehow it is possible to feel both emotions strongly at the same time.

Crazy J kicks my butt every single day. I have been panting my way through the "Level One" workout for months now and only just recently worked up the courage to try "Level Two". After twenty minutes of what could only be described as breathless TORTURE… I decided that "Level One" is a great place to be. And stay.

No matter the level, this workout works and so I love it.

Rosemary likes to help out by making things a little more difficult for me. She especially loves to sit on my back while I do push-ups. I can now do thirty push-ups in a row with a baby on my back. Is that impressive? I'm not sure, but I feel like it must be.

If you're looking for a somewhat painful but really rewarding workout, this one is for you. I recommend hitting "mute" once you have the moves down. I can only listen to Jillian yell "Come on buddy!" so many times…

A CONVERSATION: ABOUT HEDGEHOGS.

 

Me: I guess we're going to have an early Spring!
Timmy: Oh? Did the hedgehog see its wings?

Happy Groundhog Day!

Inside.

 We left the house today. It was the first time in, quite literally, weeks. Rosemary and I changed out of our pajamas and into real clothes. We went to Target and bought diapers and juice and a shower curtain. Then we stopped to visit Tim at work and he commented "Wow, you look hot! Is this the first time you straightened your hair in a while?" Yes.

It's been a sick winter for us. Rosemary caught the stomach flu at the beginning of December and she threw up for weeks. Not kidding. It was awful and she lost two pounds in one month. I had high hopes for January. But then we all caught the worst cold imaginable and much misery followed. Three weeks later, we're not quite certain if we're better or not. Coughing is still happening and also a sneaky little fever that keeps coming back.

So we've been inside. Inside where it's warm and cozy and where pajamas are encouraged. And, for the most part, the hermit in me does not care to leave. And after shivering our way through -5 degree weather this morning, we may just decide to stay here until Spring.