Food Rant

Maggie started on solid foods around 5 months of age....and was an excellent eater, always willing to try new things, and ate everything I put in front of her........until recently. What she likes one day, she may throw off her tray the next. I can't get her to eat meat consistently (i don't think she likes the texture), and forget anything green (unless they are peas). I feel like a horrible and lazy mom, because I am feeding her the same things over and over again. I try to avoid overdoing the grains...which would be easy to do, because babies seem to like crackers and breads....so I'm left with fruit, veggies, and dairy products as my options (since I can't get her to eat meat). Staples in her diet are...
-Organic whole milk, plain yogurt with some sort of berry
-cottage cheese
-cheese
-peas
-sweet potatoes
-oranges
-bananas
-apples...............okay, ANY fruit, she loves
-avocado
-kidney and black beans
-- sometimes she'll eat PBJ

When I write it out as a list, it seems like it's not much. I know she goes through phases where she doesn't want to eat much at all (due to teething), but I can't help but feel like I am slacking as a mother because I don't provide her with more variety, and I don't push veggies and meat more. Don't get me wrong, she's growing and gaining weight beautifully...I just don't want her to not be properly nourished.

What makes me feel even worse about myself as personal chef to Maggie, is that I KNOW what good, nourishing options are for babies (I'm Thrifty Oreganic's sister) yet, I have no energy in the kitchen to soak things, and boil bones, and culture products---believe me, I wish I did! Maybe one day I'll be more inspired....but for now, I avoid spending any more time in the kitchen than is already necessary to feed my family 3 meals a day. I hate that I feel this way....maybe my priorities will change.

What have you other moms experienced when it comes to feeding a toddler?

A new year....a one-year-old....a purpose.

I would apologize for not writing in such a long time, but I've probably spoken in person with a majority of my (few) readers :) over the holiday season, and haven't had much time to write lately.

So, it's a new year.....Maggie turned one in January, and I can't believe how fast the year went by. I'm realizing more and more that time is something I need to be treasuring instead of wasting (which is what I am really good at doing). As much as I complain about the trials that being a mom can bring....I am loving my new role whole-heartedly, and I know I'll regret not savoring every moment more when my kids are older, and have no time for me :) Maggie had a wonderful first birthday, celebrated with her best baby friends and our close friends. She isn't walking yet, but she can stand on her own, and she walks with a push toy all around the house. She is such a joyous, happy child...I am sooooo very blessed to have her in my life. Her eyes are always full of light and love, and I can't begin to express how thankful I am that God has given this Gift to me. I know she will grow and change soooo much this next year....it'unbelievable when I am with a 2 year old, and I realize that Maggie will be doing the same things in less than a year! The human mind is quite remarkable...the way it absorbs and learns soooo much in the first 5 years of life---another reason why I am so thankful to be at home with her, to share these experiences with her, and teach her as much as I possibly can about the world around her, and how much she is loved by her family and God.

Purpose in the New Year....

I'm really trying to make a conscious effort to enjoy every day I have with my family, and to not view my roles as mother, wife, and homemaker as stifling my own personal interests, hobbies and passions in life. I've realized that I am standing in my own way when it comes to the aspects of my personal life that I either want to pursue or grow in. I choose how I spend my free time, and most of the time, it isn't on all the things "I wish I had time for". The truth is, I'll never have time for anything that I don't MAKE time for. These things include: prayer, knitting, crafting, journaling, reading, exercise, baking, organization around the home, etc. I am the QUEEN of excuses, and I've finally decided that blaming is getting me nowhere. I can be a mom, and knit, and have time to do my prayers and read spiritual books....I can make time for exercise--and it doesn't have to be at an expensive, fancy gym with cute workout outfits to wear when I go. I've decided to turn our office into my "workout room", which is nice because I can watch workout videos on Netflix, and do them in the privacy and convenience of my own home. I have a variety of videos in my "que" and I'm excited to mix it up throughout the week. I thought about joining a gym, because it would be nice to get away for an hour, but I realized I would have to pay someone to watch maggie while I went, and on top of gym membership fees, it would be more than we should pay for something I probably won't end up using enough.

So, the goal is to wake up early....a new concept for me (we'll see how it goes)...do my prayers, and do as much of a workout as I can before Maggie wakes up. As it stands now, Daniel and I let Maggie wake us up, and I nurse her in bed when she does, so I can "rest" more. I could easily get in an hour or 45 minutes of "me" time in the morning before she even wakes up. Lately, I rely on getting this "me" time late at night, when the house is quiet and Maggie is sleeping...but by then, I am pretty fried, and I tend to gravitate toward mindless activities....like watching movies or surfing the internet. These are things that aren't edifying...and I can go to bed earlier so that I can wake up to do things that are very edifying, and will jumpstart my day in the best ways possible---with prayer and exercise.

We'll see how this venture goes. I didn't get up this morning....but I did take maggie on a morning jog in her stroller, which was lovely...so hopefully I will do things like that on the days I fail to rise early. If anyone reading this is interested in doing something similar, or is already doing it...I'd love some accountability :)

well...maggie just woke up from a wonderfully long nap...so that's my cue to go! Hope you are all doing well!