Archive for July, 2009

  • 31 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Wishing it Was Mischief Night

    0

    I recently realized that I could buy various household items on amazon.com. This was a timely epiphany; we were down to four rolls of toilet paper and didn’t have time to make the trip to Target. It requires the better part of three hours to get to Target, do our shopping, and get back home. Additionally, our personal shopping cart (that I love so much) doesn’t hold much more than one large pack of toilet paper and is a bit of a pain to push while leading an uncooperative 2-year-old around by the hand.

    So, 40 (FORTY!) rolls of toilet paper were just delivered to my door, and for a fantastic price and no shipping charge, I might add.

    Anyone want to go TPing?

    Next week, my shipment of Seventh Generation laundry detergent and Ecover laundry powder is scheduled to arrive. I’m also hoping to order our saline solution through amazon, because the price they’re offering is a lot better than what I can get in-store.

    Do you shop online for household items? What websites do you use?

  • 28 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Hungry (Like the Wolf)

    4

    You know, the problem with all this working out is that I cannot, for the life of me, eat enough to curb my hunger. Yesterday, I shoveled forkful after forkful of food into my mouth. As soon as one meal ended, I was looking for snacks. I drank tons of water (and a fair amount of coffee). It simply wasn’t enough.

    So, am I correct in thinking that my increased appetite is directly related to my increased daily movement? Like, my body suddenly realized that, holy shit, I’m actually burning calories, and I just might want to replace them? I don’t know. I suspect my theory is right, but I’d love to hear from other people who’ve experienced the same phenomenon.

    And, in related news, I think I have the dreaded “Summer-time Cold,” which means, I don’t feel like moving. At all. Jude and I took a quick bike ride to the beach this afternoon, and I had planned on practicing yoga tonight, but just the though of sun salutations makes my head feel like it’s going to explode, so I think I’ll be taking the night off.

    Now, off to raid the refrigerator. Again.

  • 27 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Yoga and Bike Riding OR Things that Make Me Sweat

    1

    A friend recently turned me on to Yoga Journal, an online source for all things yoga-related. I started practicing yoga when I was pregnant with Jude, but due to a lack of funds, stopped attending class when he was about a year old (give or take a few months). Since then, I’ve been hard pressed to shell out the money to attend a class at a studio or to attempt a 50-minute workout I found online. Yoga Journal has a 20-minute video that you can stream, and I’ve been doing that consistently for about six days now. The bad news is that I’m not sure how often, if ever, they post a new sequence. While I really like the instructor and the routine that’s available for streaming now, I can imagine getting pretty bored with it in a another week or two. I would like to be able to design my own practice sequence, but I just don’t feel like I’ve got the knowledge to do so. Or, better yet, I’d love it if Robyn Adler would come to my house so that I could have a one-on-one session with her.

    On top of my daily yoga practice, I’ve been taking daily bike rides with Jude for the better part of the past four or five days. Our bike trailer arrived late last week, and both he and I have been having a blast riding around the neighborhood. I don’t know how long it will be until I feel up to making the trek south to Lincoln Park to visit Jude’s girlfriend, but I’m hoping to get in shape sooner rather than later. For as much as I don’t notice the trailer as I ride (that is, it doesn’t affect my balance at all), MAN, it is a lot of work to pull that thing. This morning, Josh, Jude, and I rode south to the beginning of the lake trail and for about a mile further south once we got there. Josh put the trailer on his bike, and I was, amazingly, able to keep up with him. The past few times we’ve gone riding as a family, I’ve biked at an alarmingly slow speed. I chalked it up to not having ridden a bike since 2005, but apparently, pulling an extra forty pounds really puts a cramp in your biking style. Even Josh, who bikes fourteen miles round trip a day (and at quite the clip, let me tell you), could really tell the difference between having and not having the trailer attached…

    …So, GO ME! I’m not quite as lame as I thought I was.

  • 27 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Menu for July 26-August 1, 2009

    1

    Like the Weekly Menus?
    You can subscribe to them by RSS or by e-mail!

    Yesterday I took part in the monthly food swap I helped organize. I had planned on making a lentil dish, but found out, upon my test run of the recipe, that it didn’t reheat well. Instead, I opted for a semi-traditional baked rotini dish (link to the recipe below).

    Breakfast
    Oatmeal with Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar and Fresh Fruit

    Lunch/Dinner
    Baked Rotini with Zucchini and Leek (my contribution to the food swap)
    Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers (from Mary Jo and her family)
    Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna (from Corrin and her family)
    Veggie Stir-fry over Basmati Rice (leftovers)
    Homemade Pizza
    ALTs

    I’m really excited about next month’s swap. We have the potential of adding three additional families to the swap, which would bring the total number of participating families up to seven. It will mean a fair amount of cooking on everyone’s part, but I think the payoff it entirely worth it–an entire week of not having to cook!

    Cheers, everyone. Hope you have a lovely week!

    Want more? Check out the Weekly Menus archive.

    Need more dinner ideas? Check out Jenna’s Chive Talkin’ Blog!

  • 24 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Father’s Day

    2

    Well, this post is more than a month overdue. Nonetheless, I wanted to share with you, my faithful reader(s), the creation Jude made for Josh this past Father’s Day.

    I got the idea from my upstairs neighbor. She’s a teacher, and thus, crafty. The original idea was to get some finger paint, let Jude put hand prints all over a piece of paper, and frame the picture for Josh. After consulting two friends who are amazing, wonderful, awe-inspiring artists (see Katrina’s work here and Jennifer’s work here), I decided to use acrylic paint on a canvas-covered, three-sided box that would hang on the wall.

    Josh was away on a mission trip during the week leading up to Father’s Day, so Jude and I didn’t have to act in secret or try to hide what we were doing. On Saturday, the day before Father’s Day, Jude and I took the L to Evanston and visited our local Dick Blick store. After picking up all the necessary materials, we headed home and got ready for bed.

    Early on Sunday morning, Jude and I woke up and got straight to work on creating Josh’s gift. I spread some paint onto a paper plate and helped Jude get the palms of his hands covered. Each time he pressed his hands into the canvas, he smiled and squealed. I wish I had been able to take photos, but I was a bit busy trying to keep the paint on the canvas. He used two different shades of green and brown and he also used white. After Jude finished and the paint dried, I took our newly purchased fancy pen and wrote on the upper and lower edges of the canvas so that Josh would always remember when and for what Jude created such a lovely piece of art.

    So, without further ado (and please forgive the poor picture quality!):

    STA70785
  • 23 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Books

    0

    If I had a million dollars, I’d use about $100 of it and buy these books:

    Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants by Dana Ullman

    How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Robert S. Mendelsohn M.D.

    Naturally Healthy Babies and Children: A Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies, Nutrition, and Health by Aviva Jill Romm

    Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves: Transforming Parent-child Relationships from Reaction And Struggle to Freedom, Power And Joy by Naomi Aldort

    Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn

    The Unschooling Unmanual

    For those of you who are wondering, my birthday is in early November, and I’m always happy to receive a “Happy Tuesday” present. Just sayin’…

  • 22 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Menu for July 19-26, 2009

    0

    Like the Weekly Menus?
    You can subscribe to them by RSS or by e-mail!

    Days and days late; bucks and bucks short. I know. I KNOW.

    Breakfast
    Oatmeal made with almond milk, seasoned with cinnamon, sweetened with honey, and topped with fresh fruit (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches). Also, green smoothies.

    Lunch/Dinner as I see it now
    Homemade Pizza with Spinach-Packed Marinara Sauce
    Pasta with Spinach-Packed Marinara Sauce and Fresh Bread
    Lentils with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta (and Zucchini)
    ALTs with Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole
    Fresh-from-the-Freezer Minestrone Soup
    Vegetable Stir-Fry over Basmati Rice
    Some kind of Bulger Salad-TBD

    On Sunday, I’m getting together with some friends for another food swap. My contribution is going to be the Lentils with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Feta, and Zucchini recipe that’s mentioned above. I’m not sure what everyone else is making, but I’ll be sure to post what’s for dinner after the swap. Cheers!

    Want more? Check out the Weekly Menus archive.

  • 21 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Letter to Jude: Month 26

    2

    Dear Snoring Monkey,

    I’ve been horrible about updating this blog lately. I have no real excuse. I’ve simply been tired. I’ve been napping when you nap, and occasionally using your down time to catch up on cleaning. (Okay, that happened once. Who’s counting?!?!) We also right in the middle of summer, and you just go, go, go hour after hour, day after day. You run circles around me, literally. Simply put, you tired me out, Jude; but I’m not complaining.

    STA70771

    Summertime suits you well. We spend our mornings visiting local playgrounds or, if Papa’s home, playing at the beach. Sometimes we cap off playtime with a trip to Charmer’s for a bagel with veggie cream cheese. After nap time we usually play indoors; you love to finger paint and draw, dance and listen to music. If the weather is crummy, or if you’re not feeling well, I make popcorn for us to share, and we snuggle up in bed together and watch The Incredibles.

    STA70807

    Your favorite books right now are Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, The Peace Book by Todd Parr, and Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.You love ‘reading’ these books on your own, and you love describing what you see on each page while flipping through the books with Papa or me. You’ve (thankfully) gotten through your obsession with The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree, and have moved on to requesting Agony & Irony by the Alkaline Trio. How grateful I am for this progression, I’ll never be able to adequately put into words. Thank you, Jude. Thank you.

    Earlier this month, your Aunt Erin and Uncle Grant came to Chicago and stayed for a week. We met up with them a few times during their vacation and visited Shedd Aquarium with them. That same week, you, Papa, and I stayed at the Belden-Stratford Hotel for a night. We had a great time there, living the high life, and were reluctant to leave. This past month we also purchased a child seat for my bike so that you and I could go for rides together. Sadly, I don’t have much biking skill and was unable to balance you, the seat, and the bike well enough to take you on any rides. BUT! not to worry, sweet boy. Yesterday we returned the seat and ordered a bike trailer for you to ride in. By this time next week (hopefully sooner!), you and I will be cruising all around Rogers Park in style.

    STA70861

    In other, pointy-er news, your second set of molars are on their way in. So far, I’ve spotted those sharp little buggers on each side of your bottom row of teeth. You’re dealing with them fairly well, though Papa and I have both noticed you chewing on your had a lot lately. Also, there’s the crankiness, but who’s to say that’s from the teeth? It could stem from your refusal to go to bed before 10 the other night, or your subsequent refusal to nap for more than sixty minutes the following afternoon. Thankfully, you went to bed at a decent time this evening, so tomorrow, if the crankiness ensues, we should know what it is we’re dealing with.

    STA70822

    And on that note, Monkey, I think I’ll sign off and join you in bed. The weather is supposed to be nice again tomorrow, and we have an early playdate scheduled with your girlfriend in Lincoln Park. Sleep tight, Jude. Thanks for another great month.

    Love,
    Mama

  • 16 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Playground Etiquette

    1

    Jude and I are morning people. He wakes up early, and I follow in his wake. After playing around the house for a while and eating breakfast, we like to go outside and play at the park next door to our house. This routine works well for us for a number of reasons: 1. It’s cooler outside than it would be at say, noon. 2. The playground is usually fairly empty. If anyone else comes to play, it’s usually younger children and their respective stay-at-home-moms. 3. Because we tend to have the playground to ourselves, I feel much better about Jude running around and doing his own thing without me hovering. When there are lots of kids around, I feel like I need to be nearby.

    Yesterday and today, upon our arrival at the playground, Jude and I were met with full on cigarette smoke in our faces. At the playground. Where CHILDREN PLAY. And not only that, but the offenders? Two separate sets of adults, just chillin’ in the playground. By themselves. Without kids. SMOKING. ON. THE. PLAYGROUND.

    What. The. Fuck.

    I simply cannot convey how irate I was both yesterday and today. There is an ENTIRE PARK they could utilize, but instead, they choose to set up shop in the one area that is designated for children. These people have neither the ability for logical thought nor a sense of common courtesy, that’s for effing sure.

    Gorram Reavers…

  • 15 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Christmas in July

    0

    For a while, Jude was stuck on “VeggieTales Radio.” Then he only wanted to listen to two different VeggieTales Silly Songs… compilation CDs. Now… well, now I’m forced to listen to The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree over and over again, day in and day out. I’ve been suffering for about a week now. I don’t know how much longer I can take it.

    If you asked my husband, he would probably say I’m getting what I deserve. I tend to start listening to Christmas music in the middle of October (or November 1st, at the very latest) each year, much to his dismay. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t hear a Christmas-themed tune until December 24th; because of me, he gets at least two months of non-stop Christmasy goodness every year.

    On the upside, Jude will occasionally tolerate listening to either the Blue or Red Weezer albums. When that happens, I crank up the volume, break out the white-girl dance moves, and pray that Troublemaker will somehow replace Jingle Ka-Chinge as the song that’s stuck in my head.

Page 1 of 212»