Announcing: September "Little Foodie Feasts" Dates!

Welcome September! Well, almost September . . . although, it doesn't feel much like fall is on the horizon here in Los Angeles. It's been in the incredibly toasty 100's all weekend and the valley is a blazing inferno, literally, as I speak. Let's hope that cooler weather is on the way.

Nevertheless, to kick off "fall" in festive foodie fashion, "Feeding Little Foodies" is proud to announce the lineup of September "Little Foodie Feasts" Workshops! There are three workshops scheduled--including a Saturday date for all of our working moms and pops out there:

• Thursday, September 3 at 1:00 p.m. (*only a few spaces remaining!*)
• Saturday, September 12th at 10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, September 17th at 10:00 a.m.
  

Please visit my workshop flier at my "Feeding Little Foodies" blog to find out more information about the workshop or e-mail me at jonisurettenelson@gmail.com to sign up.

Happy Feeding,
Joni

Nutty Wild Rice Salad.

I usually save recipe posts for my Feeding Little Foodies blog--but this was too good not to share (and besides, it's not baby food).

We finally got around to preparing a recipe found on a blog that my friend Asami introduced me to a few months ago called, Cooking With Trader Joe's. This fantastic foodie find is written by two women--Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati. They are self proclaimed lovers of food, cooking and Trader Joe’s. So, as far as I am concerned, they are my kind of ladies!

As anyone who really knows me knows, we pretty much exclusively shop at "TJ's". So, a blog that provides recipes with ingredients found strictly at Trader Joe's is a winner in our book. And, as luck had it, this recipe was definitely that!

Dean made it for us for lunch today and we can't wait for a refeast! The very simple recipe can be found at their blog, but I am also going to post it below with our minor modifications because what the heck, it was darn yummy. Thanks, Deana and Wona! You'll find our before and after pictures above--hope we made you proud . . .

Nutty Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) pkg fully cooked Wild Rice
• 2-3 cups pre-cooked Just Chicken (or cook your own)
• 1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
• 1 cup roasted cashews, whole or pieces
• 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts (WE OMITTED because we don't like them--yuck!)
• 2-3 stems green onion, chopped

Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (WE USED LIME because that is what we had on hand)

Directions:

1. Open the package of wild rice and put the contents into a large bowl, breaking up the rice.
   
2. To the rice, add chicken, grapes, cashews, water chestnuts (omit!) and green onion. Stir to combine.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon (lime) juice. Pour over the salad and stir to distribute evenly.

*This can be served warm or cold.
**Preparation time is 10 minutes and it serves 4.

All In A Good Day's Play: 6th Edition.

Here's our sixth weekly installment of, "All In A Good Day's Play"--a post where I chronicle, once a week, our day in snapshots!

Our Wednesday in pictures:

• 7:30 a.m.--Preparing breakfast for my hungry baby: steel cut oats porridge with red grapes, nectarine and banana (recipe over at my foodie blog: Feeding Little Foodies).
  
• 10:00 a.m.--Noah's play area rests as he naps.
• 12:20 p.m.--Dean made us lunch before he left for work--Nutty Wild Rice Salad: wild rice, red grapes, cashews, green onions, chicken, olive oil and lime juice--incredible!
• 1:00 p.m.--The mountain of both folded and unfolded laundry that awaits us always.
• 2:00 p.m.--Noah plays in the clothes basket as I attempt to make a dent in the laundry pile.
• 3:00 p.m.--"Babies On Blankies" Wednesdays.
  
• 4:15 p.m.--Noah, Kai and I spot an incredibly green praying mantis in the park.
• 5:30 p.m.--Asami, Kai and Noah play.

The Five-Toothed Octobaby.

Oie! Oie!

How I morn for the days of Noey past when he was not yet mobile, not yet teething and much, much less active.

I have not done a lot of things lately--fold laundry, call my sister and dear friend in Virginia, pet the cats, push back my cuticles, read and comment on my fellow favorite bloggers blogs. Why? Because gone are the days of infant sensory slumber and here are the days of the finger feasts of burgeoning toddlerhood.

The eighth month for Noah has seen many exciting new developments. Teeth numbers 4 and 5 are making their way through the soft puffy pink of the middle top gum . . . and not far behind are the gleaming pearly white of the two "i teeth" right next door (teeth 6 and 7!), for example. But, among those that are keeping my head spinning are his new ability to crawl and his insatiable curiosity.

Move over "Octomom"--meet OctoNoey. On most days it feels more like I birthed an octopus rather than a baby. The speed and ferocity of his arms and little clammy hands reaching and grasping for anything and everything within eye shot is simply exhausting. And, every morning that he wakes his crawl has gained speed and purpose somehow over night.

He slides without stumble across the living room floor over to the coffee table to teethe on the mini record coasters that I got Dean for a birthday years ago . . . and he glides into the kitchen without pause to heave the small colorful ceramic flowerpots on the bottom shelf of the island containing our garlic and shallots across the floor.

. . . and, he's not even walking yet.

Oie! Oie!

But, he's so, so, so darn much fun. And really quite ravishingly handsome too.

The Swiffer Scare: Post #3.

Some months ago I posted an inquiry into the safety and all-around "greeness" of the Swiffer wet mop, here. And after being contacted by the brand's Account Executive, Chelsea Moreno, I posted a copy of her e-mail to me regarding the issues that were raised, here.

Now, I am certainly one who is just fine with letting sleeping dogs lie. Despite her defense of the product by citing it's proved safety in the laboratory, we still decided to switch to a more natural and environmentally friendly floor cleaner. But, today, I stumbled upon a fascinating interview between Swiffer designer, Gianfraco Zaccai, and green design blogger, Jennifer Van Der Meer, about the product's design and sustainability, here.

It's a tad long, but incredibly interesting and, not surprisingly, reveals the mass market design communities' lack of acknowledgment of the effects their products have on the environment.

Eight Extraordinary Months.

Today is Noah Finn's 8 month birthday, and boy, has it been a wild ride. We're two-thirds of the way to a full year and I feel as if we have already made a full revolution around the sun.

It has gone by so fast--but at the same time it seems like ages ago that we were caring for a tiny, wobbly, bobbly, gurgling newborn. I often sit back and stare at him in his play--my squawking, laughing, crawling, standing, saying "mama" boy--and I am floored that this is my son.

Being a mother is simply amazing. It is more fun than you could ever anticipate. It is more love than you could simply write a sonnet about. It is an experience unparalleled.

Happy eight month birthday, my beautiful boy.

Space Available: Saturday's "Little Foodie Feasts" Workshop!

I hate to be redundant--I guess that's the curse of having two blogs (sorry readers of both) . . .

Attention Los Angeles mommies and daddies . . . there is still space available in Saturday's "Little Foodie Feasts" workshop!

Armed with . . .

• helpful handouts
  
• hands-on demonstration
  
• your very own container of fresh food made during the workshop
  
• a sprinkle of confidence
  
• and a dash inspiration

. . . you will leave equipped to feed your little foodie--freshly, naturally and deliciously!

For details about the workshop, please visit my other blog: Feeding Little Foodies

For more information and to sign up, please contact me by e-mail at: jonisurettenelson@gmail.com.

I hope to see you all there!

Happy Feeding,
Joni

The Ever-Pleasurable Playdate.

Today was a busy day. The mid-morning was enjoyed at mama Carrie's house where we spent some quality blanket time with little Henry while his mama packed boxes and prepared for a move just a few miles east into the valley. I am not sure how much help we were, but we sure did enjoy their company.

The afternoon was lazed away at the park with our regular Wednesday "Babies On Blankets" crew followed by a frolic through the Farmer's Market at the bottom of the park hill.

I used to laugh at the idea of "playdates" before having kids. How silly, contrived and suburban, I used to mutter to childless myself. Now, they are an essential and anticipated part of each day. Mingling with mamas and bantering over beautiful babies is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. And, by gosh, I think N to the Finn enjoys them too!

All In A Good Day's Play: Weekend Edition.

We've been so busy lately, that we haven't been posting our weekly installments of "All In A Good Day's Play" for a few weeks now. So, here's a special weekend edition.

Our Sunday in pictures:

• 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.--A family day of fun and blissfully breezy late summer sun at Manhattan beach. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

You Know You're A Tired Daddy When . . .

. . . you accidentally leave the baggie of frozen prune cubes in the cupboard.

Because Noah was up nursing much of the night, Dean got up with Noah when he woke for the day at 6:30 a.m. to let me sleep in.

Later on in the morning when both of them were napping, I opened the cabinet and reached for a coffee mug. And, to my surprise what did I see? Noah's bag of prune cubes thawed and in a heap of mushy mess.

Poor, poor, sleepy Daddy. Breakfast time must have been rough going.

Midnight Mommying, Nightime Nuturing.

You don't cease being a parent just because the sun sets--so, why would you want to act like you do?

Parenting is a 24 hour job. Your child needs you during the daytime, so you go to him. Your child needs you at nighttime, so you go to him, right? You would think so, but there are more books out there on sleep training then I can shake a stick at and I think it's darn right scary.

I posted a heated rant on one of the most controversial of those sleep methods, Babywise, a few weeks ago and it sparked commenter debate mostly in my favor. But, still I feel unease at the quantity of literature, mothers and even complete strangers who try to convince me to practice crying it out methods.

This is why reading Danielle's post on Attachment Parenting's blog today called, "Adventures in Nighttime Parenting" really struck a chord with me. Choosing to be a mom who does not believe in crying it out, can be a isolating decision. And, hearing mom after mom tout their child's healthy independence as a result of their successful sleep training just doesn't sit well with me.

The needs of your child don't dissipate with the setting sun--they still may find themselves uncomfortable in a dirty or wet diaper, they still might have grumbling bellies, they possibly could be enduring pain from teething or experiencing moments of loneliness. Allowing a child to cry them self to sleep and throughout the night is essentially the equivalent to taking the night off as a parent. If you wouldn't let them cry for these reasons during the day, then why would you at night?

Danielle and the 12 commenters on her blog have given me the gift of confidence in the fact that I am not alone on those long dark nights of sleeplessness--those nights of constant nursing, fussing, fidgeting and waking. I find comfort in knowing that there are other mothers facing the same challenges at night as I am and responding in the same way--being there no matter what.

Some nights I feel desperate. Some days I feel exhausted. But, the most important thing for me to remember is that these first years are fleeting. Noah will one day, when he's ready, sleep on his own in his own way and on his own terms. I look forward to looking back at these long, weary, foggy nights of little sleep with no regrets. I find peace in knowing that my son never cried for me in the night when I did not appear--that when he reached for me I was there.

These moments in our dark moonlit room are special. Time briefly pauses long enough for me to watch him grow, feel his breath against my breast and know that he is comforted by my nearness.

My role of mommy continues even with the setting sun. And, with a little nighttime help from daddy, I know that I can make it, albeit sleepily, to see it set and rise again.

Life's A Beach.

Spending a Thursday in Malibu is never half bad--even if it's overcast.

Many people don't realize that Southern California beaches are not always toasty warm and sunshiny like Hollywood so inaccurately depicts. Frankly, during our nearly 10 years beaching here in the sunshine state, our water's edge lounge fests are usually more overcast than sun soaked. It's the cities that are always sunny and bright--the dense ocean fog just has a hard time burning off on most days. And due to the lack of humidity--even at the beach (compared to the east coast)--the lack of sunshine leaves seaside visitors with very cool and windy days. Combine that with the frosty frigid Pacific and you have an image of L.A.'s sandy retreats that is quite different from that depicted in Baywatch.

But listen to me, all doom and beach gloom. I honestly, love the beach that way. I mean don't get me wrong I do take pleasure in pulling out my sunglasses and soaking in a bit of vitamin D, but a cloudy day at the beach in a city that perpetually shines is a welcome day indeed.

The salty air. The rusty kelp. The greedy seagulls. The playful dolphins. The crashing waves. I just can't get enough of any beach no matter it's flaws.

Noah and his trusty mate, Kai, had a thrilling time taking in the sensory feast that the ocean has to offer while Asami, Dean and I picnicked and snapped shots of them wallowing on the sandy shore.

Before I put Noah into the bath tonight, I took a long deep breath with my nose buried in his silky hair. I wanted to breathe in the beach before I washed it all away. So as not to soon forget our beautiful day.

Announcing My First Guest Post: "Pooptastic, Pooperiffic: The Adventures Of Solid Wastes"

Greetings loyal readers and blog followers . . . this is a week of firsts for m a m a :: m i l i e u. Not only have I received my first blogger award, but today I am announcing my first guest blog post!

My dear friend and fellow blogger, Domestic Dork, has gone on vacation. While she is gone, she will be posting several guest's postings in her absence and I am the first one--she has just posted it today! Please pay her blog a visit this week to check out her lineup of great guests!

The guest post that I wrote for her is called, "Pooptastic, Pooperiffic: The Adventures Of Solid Wastes". You can find it below and at her blog at www.DomesticDork.com. Enjoy and happy Monday!

Pooptastic, Pooperiffic! The Adventures Of Solid Wastes.

You know you're a mom when you begin to obsess about poop--that's right, the color, the texture, the frequency, the smell, the consistency.

Bringing your wee bundle home from the hospital means that you, as a freshly squeezed parent, must begin the many tasks of your baby's care--bathing, feeding, soothing and, of course, changing. And, interestingly enough, it's the changing part--the poop part--that often gets the most attention from pediatricians and therefore, moms too.

Why all of this poop quandary? Well, because changes in your baby's poop can be an important signal, not to be missed, that something has gone awry with your baby's well being.

So, the parental poop-i-scope focuses it's lens on every diaper removed from your baby's buns throughout infancy . . . and then the feeding of solid food begins and everything changes. Radically. Every sign of hazard you had been trained to spot becomes the new norm--green poop, speckled poop, stiff poop, dry poop, and the most worrisome . . . no poop.

My little Noah Finn was a regular pooper--he pooped three to four times a day when he was strictly breast feeding. But the recent introduction of solids has given his digestive system a run for it's a money, a kink in the cords, a cog in it's wheel. And the result? Poop has once again become a household fascination and dinnertime talk topic as my husband and I frequently ask one another, "Has Noah pooped today?", "What did it look like?", and so on.

Now, the poor little guy has harrowing three and sometimes four day lapses between those blessed movements of the bowels. And when those moments of relief finally come, it aint' pretty. It's a day full of grunting, straining and red-faced pushing that results in many, many dirty diapers. Needless to say, on those days we are scrubbing diapers until sunrise.

We have increased his water intake and have introduced plum and prune puree and flax seed oil into his diet--just until his plumbing acclimates. It seems to help so far, and so has feeding solids with regularity--the more solids he eats, the more "regular" he becomes.

So the lesson here is, beware new parents and parents who are slated to soon be experimenting with solids. They're lots of fun going in, it's just the coming out part that really stinks.

Drum Roll, Please . . .

m a m a :: m i l i e u has been given its first blogger award, and I must say it feels pretty darn good!

I really enjoy blogging. Not only does m a m a :: m i l i e u keep our family and friends both near and far informed about everything Noah Finn, it also provides me with an outlet for writing (which I do so much enjoy), a place for venting, ranting and seeking baby advice, and hopefully it provides a helpful and insightful forum where other mothers can come for the same types of things. To receive an award for all of it, is just icing on the bloggy cake.

Fellow super mommy blogger, former early childhood teacher and Aussie mom Christie, over at Childhood 101, included me on a list seven mommy blogs that she admires. As part of receiving the award, I must do the following: 1) List seven interesting tid bits about me, the author of m a m a :: m i l i e u and, 2) name seven other blogs/bloggers that I admire.

So here we go . . .

Seven Non-Mommy Related Tids Bits About Me:

1. I ran the San Diego Marathon when I was 24 years old. My father has run more than 5 marathons in his mid 50's--he beats my finish line time every single time he runs one . . . without even trying.
2. I didn't truly fully understand English grammar until I was in grad school receiving my M.A. in Literature--English, essentially--and teaching composition at the University. And, this is of course is after receiving a B.A. in English. I still struggle at times. To compensate, I have simply stylized my flaws so that I do not have learn how to correct them.
3. I studied in Sundsvall, Sweden as an undergrad. When I arrived, I thought that the soft boiled egg cups that the University had furnished my apartment kitchen with were shot glasses (hey, give me a break--I was coming from North Carolina where they drink moonshine out of boots). My roommates and fellow students have never let me forget it.
4. Before pregnancy, despite my healthful eating and living habits, I could not go a single weekday morning without a cup of coffee--with no sugar and lots of half and half.
5. As a child, I played the french horn, the trumpet, the flute and the guitar. Unfortunately, I never stuck with any one long enough to become really good.
6. If I had to choose another profession aside from teaching, I would choose to be an Archeologist. I love history. I love digging around in the mud. I love old finds. I love traveling.
   
7. The topic of my Master's Thesis was based upon two books by two authors. One of which was a late 17th and early 18th century controversial French pornographer, novelist, activist, politician and philosopher, and the other, a controversial and revolutionary 19th century gay French activist, philosopher, linguist, historian and sociologist who died of AIDS in 1984 . . . and my degree was in English Literature. This will be a must-read on Noah's childhood bookshelf for sure. Tee, hee, hee.

Seven Mommy Blogs I Admire:
(This was an incredibly hard list to put together--as there are so many incredible mommy blogs that I follow. I hope that I have not hurt anyoe's feelings by leaving anyone out . . .)

1. Salt and Chocolate--Mary Beth over at Salt and Chocolate writes an amazingly inspirational blog for any mom interested in natural parenting. She includes recipes for everything from making your own natural deodorant to delicious homemade desserts, as well as, inspirations for crafts, activities, and design. This was one of my first mommy blog finds and I have been an avid reader ever since.
2. Our Unschooled Family--Earth mama Gina and her nest of three keep a beautiful blog detailing their life and times in the UK. Gina writes a great once-a-week post called, "Book Sharing Mondays", where she features great children books that they are currently reading.
   
3. DosFamily--This stunning visually captivating family blog is run by Jenny, Steffan and Isabelle--a sort of Swedish collective. Their life capturing photos are absolutely enviable and the places where they capture them at is the stuff that fairytales are made of. This blog will make your aesthetic senses salivate.
4. HeartFelt--A New Zealand based mama blog that truly captures the beauty of raising a family in a truly beautiful place. Nature abounds in this mama of two's blog--and one more is on the way! Congratulations mama!
   
5. JJustKidding--Friend and fellow Los Angeles mommy of beautiful baby Bea, blogs about everything that you've always wanted to ask, say, complain, or rejoice about as a mom but just haven't. She's blunt, honest and astutely on the mark with all issues baby. She's certainly one of the best of my blogging nest.
6. Domestic Dork--Meet my blogging neighbor to the north, Holly Noelle, mother of little Lucy. Holly is a Canadian super mom and a super blogger--she's a motivational inspiration for me as a fellow blogging mom. She has her stuff together and it shows in her own custom detailed blog design. She offers tips, tricks and advice for moms looking to start their own blogs, and she very recently has launched her own graphic design "business" just for blogs called Coffee Graphic Design. Check it out!
7. Of Grateful Praise--As most of my closet friends know, I am not a religious person. But, fellow Los Angeles mama Jennifer's blog provides a beautiful glimpse of the spiritual side of mommying that I cannot help but seek inspiration from. She is a spiritual mom who embraces the natural way of living in the big city with her amazing little guys, Ezra and Isaak.

So, there it is . . . if the mommies above choose to play along, they will need to . . .

• Post the logo of the blog love token
• Thank and link to the person who passed it on to them
• List seven things about themselves
• Pass the token on to seven other bloggers (and leave comments on their blogs to let them know they have been loved)

Happy Blogging,
Joni, at m a m a :: m i l i e u

Teething Sucks.

Harsh title for harsh times, my friends. I have wanted to post something deliciously bobby all week in honor of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week and as you can plainly see, I have not. While my "Little Foodie Feasts" endeavor has usurped a bit of my clock, my teething infant has been the primary culprit for my lack of lactation activism.

Oie! Oie, is all I can say. Last night was the worst night by far, since the day he was born. He was up at 1:30 a.m. crying--I mean really miserably crying--and cried more on than off until 4:30 a.m. Then, he was up again at 7:30 a.m. crying . . . well, you get the picture.

Nothing, nothing I say, makes him feel better. I have bagged my homeopathic potions with this set of chompers and have resorted to the high fructose corn syrup laden children's Tylenol. And while it does offer him some relief, it has not helped as much as I had hoped it would. We have tried among many other things, frosty carrots, chilled teething toys, gum massages, all to no avail. Walks and crawling practice brings the only relief, though temporary--we're talking 5 minutes temporary.

As I mentioned in my post on Wednesday, he did get a tooth this week--his third tooth! But, there must, must be another if not more finding its painstaking way to the puffy pink surface. But by golly, I hope it/they come soon. We're going crazy here. And, poor Noah. Oh, poor Noah.

And, thanks to all of you for your sweet supportive comments in response to third-tooth-Wednesday's post . . . it really helps to know that we're not in teething hell alone.

Sincerely,
Sleepless In Salivaland

This One Wild And Precious Life.

So, the daily literary quote rss feed on my igoogle home page has done it yet again. It's prompted me to pause and deeply ponder. And, random chance would have it that it was another Mary Oliver quote that was the catalyst.

I perhaps have been an unknowing closet fan of hers. Despite a Bachelor and Masters degree in Literature, I never once stumbled upon her in my studies--her thought provoking work has only recently dashed across my path and caused me to pull over for a pit stop.

After reading:

"Tell Me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life."
(Mary Oliver, American Poet)

I began to wonder what I am doing--what I will do--with my one wild and precious life.

Dean and I watched "Revolutionary Road" this weekend and for those of you who have yet to see it, it too, makes you think--think about just the kinds of questions that Oliver's quote prompts . . . will I settle for mediocrity, comfort, routine, stability and forgo living out dreams, desires, (non-destructive) impulsive urges, and yearnings? Will the house, kids, cars, bills, responsibilities whittle down my whimsical wants into empty suburban shells of lone gone aspirations?

When Dean and I met, I was in my last year of college as an undergrad and had joined the Peace Corps. I was headed to teach English in the humid and untamed jungles of Thailand. But, when he proposed that I move to Los Angeles with him after 9 months of a make-your-knees-weak-can't-concentrate-sweeter-than-honey romance, I agreed. It seemed exciting--not quite Thailand--but 3,000 miles away from home nonetheless.

Almost a decade later I can say that I have lived a wild and precious life--here in Los Angeles. We have lived out this time in arguably one of the grooviest places to possibly spend your 20 somethings. But now we want more. Both of us.

What we will do with our one wild and precious life?

Now that we have a baby, I do not believe that the answer to that question has to fit into a nicely packaged square box. I do not believe that we have to cease continuing to live the life we dreamed of living, say, before we birthed Noah Finn. I am not being unrealistic. I do admit that accommodations and adaptations and even concessions will have to be made. But I do hold firmly to the idea that a responsible and familial-friendly version of the life you've always dreamed of is attainable--even with a family--even without a large bank account--even if you are told you can't.

Studying the subject for years now that I love, marrying Dean, birthing Noah and being fortunate enough to stay at home to raise him is half of my answer to this question. But I am only 30 years old. I have a long wild road ahead to travel and precious things yet to explore.

Dean and I are deciding now how to answer this question. We have been and still are planning a move in the next few years. We are seriously considering Portland, Oregon. An organic farm just outside of the city limits sounds divine. We have talked about Paris. Riding a red bicycle with a baguette in basket and pants rolled just above the ankle sounds pretty heavenly too.

Silly, you might say? Why, you might ask?

Why not? . . . I would respond. Why not?

So, now . . . you tell me in the comments below if you feel so obliged, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

By Golly, We're On Tooth Number 3!

Noah has been an incredible little guy lately. Ever since his second tooth popped up right after the first a few months ago, he has been so much fun to be with. He has been smiling, laughing, crawling, rolling, scooting and talking the days away with great virtuosity.

Then, two mornings ago--at nearly 7.5 months old--he woke with a familiar host of symptoms--the teething monster had returned. Last time he was incredibly whiny, extremely slobbery, and had two large red rashes on his little cheeks. This time has been a little different . . . he's not slobbering as much but is a little fussier--even crying quite hard at times (which he doesn't really do anymore), isn't eating solids with great eagerness, and is running a low grade fever (about 99 degrees give or take a bit) off and on.

He definitely is not his usual self--that familiar bright-eyed twinkle is missing from his big baby blues and he is missing that pep in his crawling step. My heart aches for him--I hate to see him in such pain. I know that teething is part and parcel of this whole growing up thing, but it somehow just doesn't seem very fair.

Dean noticed the top of his right eyetooth peeking through the gum this morning. So, it's here . . . but there has been no relief. Is it possible that he's getting a top tooth at the same time? We can only hope that there is some big reward at the end of all of this suffering. Two teeth for the price of one would be nice.

Temporary Blogging Brown Out.

If the Fire Department in our neighborhood can take the day off due to budget restraints, then why can't I? They call them "Brown Outs". I guess hoping that "Brown Out" sounds nicer than "we are closing because the state pissed away your tax money and now you and your family may die a grisly fiery death because of it".

Anywho, "Little Foodie Feasts" have taken off more quickly than I expected and I am proud to announce that I will be holding the workshops regularly at my home. As I busily make fliers, workshop handouts, blog over at Feeding Little Foodies and pound the pavement spreading the word, I am admittedly too brain depleted to wittily blog after getting my teething monster to bed.

But, not to fear, I will return and return soon. I have a notebook I have been filling with topics running round my head as of late.

AND, I will will be featured as a guest on Domestic Dork's blog next week while she's off visiting family on vacation. So, please do check out my post "Pooptastic, Pooperiffic! The Adventures of Solid Wastes." It promises not to disappoint!

Love, Love, Love.

The Beatles had it oh-so-right--all you need is love. Truer words have never been spoken . . . or sung.

We went to our dear friends, Eddie Jo and Annie's, wedding this weekend in Pasadena--and let's just say that love was in the air. There's nothing like a wedding to get you thinking about love, family, and all things that nurture the heart. It seems like only yesterday that Dean and I were walking down that aisle of matrimonial bliss, and now here we were at someone else's wedding with our baby in tow. I suppose it will only be a matter of time before Eddie Jo and Annie are attending a wedding with a wee little tike, too.

It's just unbelievable how beautiful life can be when you're in love.