My Paleo Man

Perhaps you've heard of one of the new, dare I say, "fad diets" sweeping the nation? (Or maybe it's just sweeping Los Angeles?) The Paleo diet is of what I speak and it's a diet similar to what Paleolithic man would have eaten, a diet comprised of food that was available in pre-agricultural times. Curious for the real facts? Click here.

Basically, to eat Paleo means you eat lean meat, fish, veggies and some fruit. On this diet, you can't have any dairy (boo hoo), grains (waaa!), or sugar (double waaaa!), so it's very similar to other low-carb diets out there but there is a bit of a twist.

Anyhow, why is the Paleo diet now part of my everyday vocabulary? Because my husband has gone truly APE for the paleo way of life. Thank goodness he has not started dragging me around by my hair or referring to me as "WOMAN." Naturally, by osmosis, I now eat mainly paleo meals at home with him. (Don't worry, since I am still nursing, I most certainly have my carb fests during my weekday lunches. Bring on the sandwiches, muffins, and the mac 'n cheese!)

Even though I give him a bad time about his current diet obsession, I must say in a lot of ways, it's a great diet. I feel good, we are eating and cooking a lot more vegetables at home, and it is fun for me to have him as an active particiant in our meal preparation and planning. We've always loved to cook together and now he's taken an even more active interest because his paleo reputation is on the line...

Recently, he even entered a Paleo diet weight loss competition at his gym and by golly, HE WON! He dropped over 20 pounds and has kept most of it off...Now anyone that knows my hubby would agree he looked good before and did not need to lose weight.

So from time to time, I'll share some of our favorite paleo recipes with my loyal readers. The biggest downfall of the diet to me is the "no dairy" rule, and I have been known to cheat...Like last night, we made PALEO BISON CHILI and I of course brought myself to the modern era and sprinkled some grated cheese on top to make it even more yummy!

ME WOMAN. ME LIKE MY CHEESE!

Pumpkin Pie Makes Everything Better

Today I ate a piece of pumpkin pie and it was so good, it made me want to cry. Literally. Like, I shook for a moment on the inside and had to fight off actual tears. Every bite I took filled my mouth with that sweet, nutmeg and cinnamon-y goodness of pumpkin and I could almost close my eyes and pretend it's Thanksgiving.

Thank you, Costco, for serving up delicious pumpkin pies for under $5 in early September.

By the time it is actually Thanksgiving, I am usually so full from eating other things (turkey, stuffing, cheese logs, Sees candy) that I feel like even though I bake the pies, I never really savor them.

So what better thing to do on Wednesday afternoon that taste a bit of holiday goodness a little early?

Next time you're feeling down or craving something delicious, try it. You'll give thanks that you did.

They may have worked for Julia Roberts...

Okay, so time for a heart-to-heart with the fashion world. Is anyone really going to embrace the seemingly ubiquitous, over-the-knee boot trend that is EVERYWHERE right now? I'll admit the black patent leather pair worked like a charm for Vivian, Julia Roberts' character, in PRETTY WOMAN, because she was, in fact,... A HOOKER. But with every fall catalog, fashion magazine, and E-blast I get showing these hot-to-trot over-the-knee styles, I am left slightly flabbergasted by the way this style is being literally whored out to dominate all of fall footwear fashion.

Look, anyone that knows me knows I have a weakness for a beautiful shoe, and yes, a lot of these boots look beautiful, but I just don't know who is actually going to wear them? Where do you wear them? To work? Never. To a bar? Maybe? On a date? Can you imagine wearing them to the movies? I have enough trouble keeping popcorn from going down my shirt, and I certainly don't need the top of my shoes to have an opening at the thigh for stray popcorn kernels and Raisinets to make their way down there...

Maybe it's me, and maybe in my new-mom state I am having a stuffy reaction to a hot new trend? Maybe in my old life, I'd snatch up a pair of these hot high boots and strut around town in them on weekends or when I wanted to feel especially sexy and powerful, but really? I just can't even imagine EVER finding a way to work these into my lifestyle.

Maybe I watched PRETTY WOMAN one too many times as a kid (because I am pretty sure I wore out the VHS tape), but I just think this is one trend that I won't be sad to see walk away.

(Please, though, I'd love to be proven wrong. I'd love to see some of my friends wear these and show me just how versatile these can be. Maybe a conservative flat pair with leggings and a simple top? Or if I am right about the trend not translating to real-world fashion, maybe the Lohmans and Marshalls of the world will be flooded with the left overs and NEXT fall I can rock this trend for a fraction of the price? For a good deal, after all, I can find an excuse to wear almost anything...)

Gonna Make a change...

Hello followers...I have been remiss about writing on my blog because, well, no excuses, but I feel like my life consists of two things: 1. working, and 2. taking care of my baby.

It's the same story from all working mothers, I am sure, where they wonder what ever did they do before they became a mother? I must have had a ton of free time, and just sat around blissfully with my husband thinking "What do I want to do today? Take a hike...watch a movie...bake a cake...read a book." Those are questions I can only dream of asking myself, but that's okay, because I LOVE BEING A MOM. Sure, most days I don't brush my hair, and I am always putting on make-up while sitting in traffic on the freeways, and somehow "working" has become my "break," but I wouldn't trade that little bubba for anything in the world.

I do have lots of things I want to share from the past several months of my dark period...the little one turned 8 months yesterday and I suddenly am a believer of everyone that says it all goes by so fast once you have kids. You truly must remember to treasure every moment, because they come and go all too quickly.

More than anything, though, I am on a mission to become a Stay-at-Home-Mom. Correction, I want to always be a WORKING mom, but I just cannot hack the 11-12 hour days away from him, and need to find a way to be closer to him while I work. And I need to work up the courage to make a change, whether it's figuring out a way to telecommute a few days a week, or even finding a new job, I've got to do it...for my own sanity, and for everyone around me that is probably growing tired of me complaining...

The PS to all of this is, I am very blessed. I recongize that. I feel very grateful for my job and for my loving husband and beautiful baby. I always feel that if I had everything all figured out right now, and everything was just the way I wanted it, that life might be slightly boring. So, here's to my quest to "figure it all out."

Help keep me honest and true to myself in my goal to make a change!

Taking your top off at work

There was a time in life when locking my office door and stripping down to where my breasts are fully exposed probably seemed scandalous and naughty...

Now I do it every three hours in my office...alone...while I am expressing breast milk for my dear, sweet little baby.

My, how things change when you have kids.

Sure, I am getting 1/2 naked several times a day at work, but the real scandal to me of pumping is nothing more than me feeling slightly shy when I take the fruits of my labor - small 5 oz. bottles of milk - down the hall, to our communal refrigerator to be stored until I leave for the day.

I just have to make sure no one decides to switch from Coffee Mate to breast milk...yuck!

Working Girl...Again

Thoughts from 2 weeks after giving birth...

I wear these dark circles like a badge of honor.

The softness of my empty belly reminds me of the precious gift it once carried.

Everything is different, yet I can't remember what it was like before he came.

Will my life ever feel the same? Will I ever look the way I did before I was pregnant?

It doesn't matter. But still I wonder,

Will I ever love anything more?

Tomorrow will be my first day back at work after having my baby. Tonight, I feel like I did the night before the first day of school. Even though, the difference is I already know who I'll be having lunch with (tomorrow, it will be my sister-in-law and the baby) and where my classes are, I still can't shake this feeling of jitters and nervousness.

On one hand, I am looking forward to exercising my professional muscles again. Even though I have actually worked some during my maternity leave, going into an office everyday is an entirely different routine than what I've been doing the past 3 months. It will be nice to have adult conversation, and to not be constantly thinking about someone else before me, but for the most part, I think I am rationalizing things in my head to make myself feel better...although, the thing is is that even though he won't be with me, I will constantly be thinking about him all day. Of course, I know he'll be fine and all of his needs will be met. But it is I that will be sad and will missing holding him, playing with him, and changing his diapers...It is I that will realize that we are not together, and it is I that will count the hours of the day until I get to see him again.

I know women do it all the time, but for some reason, I feel totally alone in this. Anyone out there (my 7 followers) have any advice for me? I told my boss I am probably going to cry tomorrow and she said "why?" (sigh)

I love my job and I feel so fortunate to have a job, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE my baby. I love every second that I am with him, even when he is screaming so loud I think the windows of the car are going to shatter, I can't get enough of his sweet face and the sound of his chattering voice.

Still, this is my path, to return to work. His diaper bag is packed full of diapers, wipes, books, 2 changes of clothes. His activity gym is in the car, along with the stroller. My clothes are laid out so I know exactly what fits and I won't have to have a "discard" pile of too-tight-tops when I am getting dressed in the morning. All that's left to do is hope we both get good nights of sleep so that we are well rested for our day of adventure tomorrow.

BTW, my goal bed-time was 9:00 pm...2 hours late and counting.

Damn you Olympics and pre-work jitters...

Roll Over...Beethoven?

There are many milestones to look forward to with a new baby, from first smiles, to first steps, with each new achievement perhaps seeming better than the last. But it is amazing how the small things can make you feel like everything is right in the world. That's how I felt tonight when Baby J rolled over for the first time! He's been getting stronger and stronger each day, and three days ago, during tummy time, he was looking especially agile. I was really hoping (probably for purely selfish reasons) that he would roll over for the first time before I went back to work, so I didn't have to hear from the nanny, "Oh, your son rolled over today and I was there to see it for the first time."

As I was getting him ready for his bath, I said to my sister-in-law, "He's getting really close to rolling over; let's see if he does it because I am really hoping to be with him when he does it for the first time..." No pressure though, baby...

Sure enough, I put him on his tummy on the floor and he wiggled and cooed and suddenly, over onto his back he went. When he realized he was on his back, he had this look of strange wonder on his face, like he wasn't sure if he should feel proud or scared. His eyes opened really wide and his little mouth gaped open, like he wanted to tell me something but couldn't find the words.

Babies are the best and I think it's the small moments that really make the biggest impact. He will be rolling over for the rest of his life, but it's fun to think that today he did it for the first time.

As for crawling, I can wait awhile for that milestone to occur...too much baby-proofing to do around the house before that happens.

10 signs you know you're a new mom

1. you have permanent dark circles under your eyes that your best concealer can't hide, and what's even better, you really don't care...
2. you're typing one-handed, in all lower case letters while nursing
3. you haven't blown-dry, washed, or even combed your hair in days
4. you mailed your holiday cards 2 weeks after christmas
5. you mailed your holiday cards 2 weeks after christmas, and only put postage stamps on 1/2 of them
6. it takes weeks for you to return phone calls
7. you live on the west coast, but decide to ring in the new year by watching the ball drop on the east coast feed, 3 hours early
8. you find yourself making up your own lines to lullabies because who knows what really comes after "and if that diamond ring don't shine?"
9. you consider exchanging "coos" and "ohs" as the makings of scintillating conversation
10. you're head over heals in love with someone new, and that special someone weighs 170 pounds less than your husband...