We finally have internet (FOURTH Comcast visit since moving…sooo…third time is not the charm). Meaning this post is semi-current! [Depeding on how long it takes me to write and publish]
Where to begin! It has certainly been a crazy April. But I have to back up to the end of March first. When we said goodbye to our (rental) house and moved 2 minutes south.
We moved here when P was a mere 3 months old and now look at him! Almost walking and ready to take the world by storm.
I was in a salad for lunch phase – the above has kale, goat cheese, avo and strawberries and the below has spinach, dried cranz, carrots, avo, and goat cheese.
I had several others very similar to these always with a snacky carb on the side, like chips, crackers, or rice cakes.
No such thing as moderation when it comes to Costco bags of tortilla chips. They are freakin’ addicting as all hell. Damn you salt. Why you gotta taste so good!
Despite appearances, he is NOT stuck in this photo. He enjoys crawling over the non-door side of his car so much that he stops half way over and plays with the balls that go in the holes. Upside down. NBD.
I went home for a day to honor my favorite teacher (turned vice principal) who won the Citizen of the Year award in my hometown. I can think of NOBODY more deserving. She is truly the essence of everything good and she radiates love and warmth while keeping rambunctious kids in line. She left such a huge impression on me that I have stayed in touch with her long since middle school. I chose her as my sponsor for my Confirmation and she attended my wedding. I love her and was so happy to attend the ceremony. It was also a monumental night because it was the first time neither Kyle nor I did Patty-cake’s bedtime routine! We’d been doing the bottle for a week (started after returning from Oz) and it was going so so. Luckily, my sister is a pro. P loves her like crazy and I knew she’d be the perfect one for the job. And it went great! He cried a bit but not much and then slept through the night while I wined and dined with my mom at the event. I had a million different emotions as I left that evening. Bittersweet for sure. Baby steps for us both.
The next day I drove back to Davis and went to town packing up our house. Kyle was away for the weekend so it was on me to TCB. I treated myself to sushi, chocolate and Roscato (the trifecta of my dreams).
By the way, packing with a 13 month old is no easy task! I had to do it in short bursts while he was occupied or napping and then store everything out of reach. The first pic is all the contents of our pantry (JUST the pantry!).
We decided to got the DIY route with this move (we’ve done so many I feel like a pro), so aside from large furniture we did it mostly on our own.
I took tons of trips like this. Car packed, baby in tow. Thank goodness the houses were close to each other! It took a lot longer than it should, but not as long as I thought. Obviously we were not super efficient because I was working around P’s nap and food schedule (as well as my ability to load and unload the car).
I did the toy room first in the hopes that he’d be self sufficient there so I could get things done, but he found the stairs to be way more entertaining.
Fabulous. Baby gate from amazon on the way!
[Empty] home sweet home.
My last breakfast in the old place – thank goodness for frozen quick breads!
My mom came and helped me on Sunday and we did a TON, including the whole kitchen and mega cleaning.
Kyle returned on Monday and that’s when sh!t got real. We spent the first night in our new place and stayed up way too late making towers with empty boxes.
So worth it. Progress pics…
Just pinch me.
Breakfast for the wee one.
Breakfast for mama.
Then back to unpacking. That’s pretty much how the past weeks have gone.
The weather was poopy for a while, but then it decided to be spring for reals and it has been gorgeous ever since.
On the plus side P and I got to rock our raincoats that we bought for Australia but never wore.
Sandal weather. I love it.
I transplanted my chard from the old place and it seems to be doing okay. Only time will tell… In the meantime I have sunflowers and tomatoes going strong.
Too many meals were from the WF/Co-op/Nugget prepared foods section and I was just ITCHING to get back to cooking. Which I have! And I love! But can we talk about the fact that the Davis Whole Foods has paleo labeled items?
Vita unpacked!!!
Looky looky! The return of tempeh!
I made this mustard tempeh salad which I plopped on greens. Then added P’s leftover peas because why not?
It was a totally random dinner but it was quick and easy and that’s all that I cared about since I had a date with the garage shelving unit on the agenda.
The reason I’m back on the tempeh train is because I am no longer nursing P. 🙁
It was a sad day but I have LOTS of breastmilk stored up still so that’s a small comfort – even though I really miss the special one on one time that nursing gave us.
I gave P some hemp seeds in his oats a while ago and he didn’t have a reaction so I made hemp milk and added it to some other eats of his to see if he liked it (he did). Then he drank it plain. So now I’m making it and giving him 50/50 breastmilk/hemp milk in the morning and at bedtime.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t go through the hassle of straining it, but the seed particles get stuck in the nipple of the bottle so I use a cheesecloth in a strainer and that makes it all silky smooth.
He sucks it down like a champ.
And now I’m in a hemp phase. I sprinkle some on avocado rice cakes with a bit of nooch…mmmmmm…fave breakfast of the moment.
That toy room looks awesome!!! Can’t wait to see the house – whenever that may be!
Congrats on a beautiful new home. Those floors are gorgeous. And what a cute rain coat. Wear it as often as you can!
Congrats on the house!
Avocado on rice cakes with a little sea salt is the best thing ever. If you like the sweet/savory combo…add jam to it. It is so awesome.
Congratulations on your move! I love the looks of your kitchen! I cannot WAIT until we find a house.
Love reading your updates! Quick question- what do you usually use to dress your salads? They always look like fantastic combinations I’d try, but I get stuck trying to figure out what to top them with!
usually a simple olive oil/balsamic/lemon juice/maple syrup blend. if not homemade then garlic gold or TJs dressings.
yes! i love ago and fruit together. sliced strawberries too 🙂
thank you!
thanks lee 🙂
christmas this year right?!?!?!?!
I love your highlights posts! Congrats on the gorgeous new house! I love those dark hardwood floors and your bathroom looks awesome. And those pants P is wearing with the elephant on the back are just too cute!
Strawberries and avocado is an AMAZING combo! Can’t wait until we have strawberries here again!
Wow the new home looks amazing!! Congrats on the lovely place :).
First off, I absolutely love the pictures of your new house. It looks beautiful, roomy & cozy 🙂 Second, where did you get that rain jacket?! (love it!) & Thirdly P is one lucky guy to have you as his mama! Maybe once we are moved & settled I’ll give hemp milk a try… P.s. I felt the same way when we stopped nursing… loved that bond <3
Elise, your new home is BEAUTIFUL!! I’m sure you are pinching yourself! And you’re a hero…and your hubby should realize it…that you did a lot of that moving yourself! Congrats on a job well done, and God’s richest blessings to you and your family in your new home!!
I am amazed that P likes hemp milk! Was it sweetened? Particularly after breast milk? Was it difficult to wean him off? I had major issues with all three 🙁
Congratulations!
i added ~1 tsp of maple syrup to the whole amount i made (maybe 3 cups worth?). i was kinda surprised too! he seemed ready to wean so that was the easy part. the emotional part on my end was harder 🙁
you are so sweet jan. life is so so good – we are very blessed and we know it 🙂
good luck moving 🙁
ill keep you in my thoughts!
Congrats on your beautiful new home!! Glad that weaning went smoothly for you two. Those hormones can be rough. So be gentle with yourself.
Yay, love your new home! Congrats! Well done for bfing as long as you did; amazing. I still miss it now, though Theo wasn’t bothered at all when we stopped.
xxx
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Ooooooo – what instructions do you use for making your own hemp milk? I have been wanting to wean (selflishly, so I can eat eggs again! And perhaps one day get pregnant again.) but I was 1) worried about Mason meeting his nutritional needs with so many allergies and essentially eating a nut free paleo diet, and 2) too skeptical of the guar gum and carrageenan in all the milk subs including hemp. Is it time consuming? Can you make it ahead to last a few days?
Sorry for all the nervous allergy mom questions. 😉
you NEVER have to apologize for anxious allergy mama questions! i am the same way so i totally get it.
i make his hemp milk fairly weak because i really just want him to get fluid and a little protein – i dont care much about him drinking calories since hes a good eater. i use 1/2 cup hulled seeds + 3 cups water + 1-2 tbsp maple syrup and blend blend blend. then i pour it through a mesh strainer that has a cheesecloth nestled inside it. ordinarily i dont think it needs straining but the teeny bits get stuck in the nipple of his bottle so i have to strain it for now. later i imagine a sippy cup or straw could be fine without straining. its not terribly time consuming. im making a batch right now as im writing you back (i pour some and let it strain while i do some crap…). i make a bunch at once (if im dirtying the blender i may as well!) and store it in big glass mason jars / urns. i use wide mouthed ones so i can strain it right into the jar. it lasts a while but i basically have been running out and making more on a weekly basis. maybe every 5 days?
i too am skeptical of the gums and carageenans – especially on his new and developing gut flora – so i figure this is a good sub for breastmilk. my freezer stash of milk is down to the last 10 bags or so, but we’ve been doing hemp solo because he had a flare up of eczema and i wanted to be sure it wasnt from my old breast milk (when i was consuming who knows what before we knew of his allergies).
good luck!
Thank you so much! I’m going to try it today!
We had a similar problem with old milk bags, I ended up throwing most of them out and rebuilding my stash. I’m so glad to read that weaning has been successful for you and that you’ve found a good alternative. It gives me hope 🙂 Thanks again!
such a bummer 🙁 it breaks my heart throwing them out but i know its for the best / safest…good luck with the hemp milk!