I enjoy eating. Yes, I know most people do. I also like almost every food out there, and I'm willing to try just about everything once.
We have a rule in our family that you have to at least try it. If you don't like it you don't have to finish it. DB has discovered many foods that he likes because of this rule. The flip side is that I have had to try Slurpees with every flavor mixed together. Ugh! It tastes worse than cough medicine. I've also had to try DB's creations in the kitchen which is why he is learning to cook... some of those creations were horrible and that's an understatement. I think he came up with them just so he could see the faces I make when I put them in my mouth.
DB will eat just about anything I serve him. He's not a chicken fingers and french fries only kid. He likes fish (no, not just fish sticks), steak, veal, vegetables and fruit, but he doesn't like peaches. I'm to blame. Peaches are just too fuzzy for me. Oh! I forgot about raisins. They remind me of bugs and I just don't eat them mixed in foods. I will eat them out of the box though.
We both love frozen blueberries and Pink Lady apples. And the fact that he's my kid means that chocolate is a favorite food group. Just don't serve us a peach pie with raisins.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Bonus OR Mitzvah Goreres Mitzvah (One Good Deed Follows Another)
I had been meaning to write about this for quite some time, but never got around to it. Walking around yesterday, doing errands, and dealing with people reminded me of it. I love the way most people turn beautiful when they smile; a real smile that reaches their eyes, that is. Someone who looks unapproachable or just not pleasant automatically becomes accessible as soon as their lips turn upward.
I smile at everyone, well, almost everyone. It's who I am. At one point in my life it was extremely difficult to look people in the eye, even more so if they were strangers. Since I've made it past that point, I enjoy the ability to look and interact with people. It doesn't matter what they're wearing or if they are standing behind a counter ringing up a sale. I even smile at the homeless and down on their luck. They're people too and probably appreciate the smile more because they don't get that kind interaction that often.
So here are two stories about the homeless. First the background. I don't have that much money, and I've dealt with addicts so I do not give cash or checks to people. I do, however, make sure to carry food with me, in the car, in my pocketbook, or in my pocket. Usually it's whatever DB is taking to schools for snacks that week, fruit rolls, pretzels, and if it's cool out I will keep apples in the car. I eat them too when I get hungry.
There are usually homeless people near off ramps of the major highways, and I ask them first before I hand them food. Just because they're poor doesn't mean that they aren't picky. Then I give them the food and, "Have a nice day, Sir." Why not? Hashem made them too. They deserve respect if only for that reason. Usually after they hear that they give an even bigger smile and stand a little straighter. Yes, I do this for selfish reasons. It makes me feel good to make other people feel good. It always eats at my heart to see someone living on the street. I know how easy it actually is to get there. No, I've never been homeless, but in housing court and possibly evicted without somewhere to go comes darn close.
I was leaving Shmellen's apt. in the city and a man was holding a cup with change and jingling it. He was dressed in clean clothes and didn't really look like he needed it, but who's to say he didn't have a chance to shower and get some new clothes from a shelter. It just so happened that I didn't have food in my pocketbook. The sun had just set. The lights were coming on in the city and the street vendors were packing up.
I asked the gentleman if he would like a banana or two from the fruit cart. He immediately answered yes and I realized that maybe he would like something instead of a banana. Maybe he doesn't like them. I found out that he prefers peaches and I asked for two of them. The man who obviously owned the business instructed his employee to take from a certain box, and I could tell that those were the good peaches.
Once again, I wasn't thinking and I started to hand the peaches to the gentleman. The employee asked him if he would like them in a bag, and the answer was yes. Duh, CR. The owner who had continued packing up added two plums to the bag free of charge without letting the homeless man see. I noticed and made sure to thank him after the gentleman walked away. He tried to shrug it off, but I made sure he knew that it was something good that he did. I gave him a big smile too. He smiled back, and you could see that giving the extra fruit had made him feel good. From the way he acted it looked like he might do that in the future.
As my mother says I got "a bonus"; the appreciation from the gentleman, the extra fruit and the smile from the owner.
I'll write the other story later...
I smile at everyone, well, almost everyone. It's who I am. At one point in my life it was extremely difficult to look people in the eye, even more so if they were strangers. Since I've made it past that point, I enjoy the ability to look and interact with people. It doesn't matter what they're wearing or if they are standing behind a counter ringing up a sale. I even smile at the homeless and down on their luck. They're people too and probably appreciate the smile more because they don't get that kind interaction that often.
So here are two stories about the homeless. First the background. I don't have that much money, and I've dealt with addicts so I do not give cash or checks to people. I do, however, make sure to carry food with me, in the car, in my pocketbook, or in my pocket. Usually it's whatever DB is taking to schools for snacks that week, fruit rolls, pretzels, and if it's cool out I will keep apples in the car. I eat them too when I get hungry.
There are usually homeless people near off ramps of the major highways, and I ask them first before I hand them food. Just because they're poor doesn't mean that they aren't picky. Then I give them the food and, "Have a nice day, Sir." Why not? Hashem made them too. They deserve respect if only for that reason. Usually after they hear that they give an even bigger smile and stand a little straighter. Yes, I do this for selfish reasons. It makes me feel good to make other people feel good. It always eats at my heart to see someone living on the street. I know how easy it actually is to get there. No, I've never been homeless, but in housing court and possibly evicted without somewhere to go comes darn close.
I was leaving Shmellen's apt. in the city and a man was holding a cup with change and jingling it. He was dressed in clean clothes and didn't really look like he needed it, but who's to say he didn't have a chance to shower and get some new clothes from a shelter. It just so happened that I didn't have food in my pocketbook. The sun had just set. The lights were coming on in the city and the street vendors were packing up.
I asked the gentleman if he would like a banana or two from the fruit cart. He immediately answered yes and I realized that maybe he would like something instead of a banana. Maybe he doesn't like them. I found out that he prefers peaches and I asked for two of them. The man who obviously owned the business instructed his employee to take from a certain box, and I could tell that those were the good peaches.
Once again, I wasn't thinking and I started to hand the peaches to the gentleman. The employee asked him if he would like them in a bag, and the answer was yes. Duh, CR. The owner who had continued packing up added two plums to the bag free of charge without letting the homeless man see. I noticed and made sure to thank him after the gentleman walked away. He tried to shrug it off, but I made sure he knew that it was something good that he did. I gave him a big smile too. He smiled back, and you could see that giving the extra fruit had made him feel good. From the way he acted it looked like he might do that in the future.
As my mother says I got "a bonus"; the appreciation from the gentleman, the extra fruit and the smile from the owner.
I'll write the other story later...
Sunday, July 29, 2007
B'Sha'a Tova (In Good Time, At The Right Time)
Wonderful News delivered on my brother's b-day no less. I'm going to be an aunt again... for the seventh time. It's been about two years since the last boy was born. They're all boys and I'm jealous. Not in the way that I wish I could take this joy from them and give it to me, but in the way that I want to have more children too.
I've been thinking about that lately, and whether or not I will actually have the guts to get pregnant one day even if I'm not married. Don't get me wrong. I want to get married (at least I do today), but if it doesn't happen I don't want to lose the chance to have more children while waiting for Mr. Right (let's be realistic, Mr. Almost-Right).
I had a miserable pregnancy with DB and yes, I would suffer through it all over again. First there was the fear of miscarriage. The doctor didn't want to call my first visits (for DB) pregnancy visits until we were able to see the heartbeat and my blood levels were up. It's because of the mis that I had.
The doctor was doing the first ultrasound on my first pregnancy (before DB) and there was an empty sac. He was put on the spot and felt so bad telling us. Then stbx got tears in his eyes and I had to comfort him and make the doctor feel more at ease. This was during the eleventh week. I think I was in denial and shock. He asked me if I wanted to wait until it happened naturally and I immediately replied that if it wasn't a baby I wanted it out of me. I didn't want to feel pregnant if I wasn't. That was just too hard. So it was scheduled to take place less than a week. I also had the choice of having it done in the hospital or his office. Since the office could be scheduled quicker that's what I chose.
I was fine for the first few weeks after and then it hit.... and hard. The babies, the children, the families all ripped at my heart. One of the things that I had always known about myself was that I was born to be a mom. I have this connection with children and babies, and everyone who knows me agrees. Maybe it's their innocence and unconditional love.
Anyway, the job I had made it even harder. I saw children and pregnant women every day usually every hour. The fact that no one knew made it even harder. Stbx could've cared less, "Get over it. It happened weeks ago." I didn't even try to explain it to him. Useless to do so, and I was starting to recognize that. I did tell one co-worker when it was just too much one day and someone (actually most of the customers) had asked me when I was finally going to have a child. I smiled and turned away with tears in my eyes. I had to leave for awhile and I came back with the three dots that shape a triangle that I get on my upper right cheek near my eye whenever I cry.
It was a release to finally let someone else know. Of course, after I had DB and was talking to friends of mine and other new moms in the community I discovered that almost all of them had had miscarriages and that half of them had a miscarriage in their first pregnancy. WHOA!!! If only the doctor would've told me or if there was even an article about it at the mikva. Because you don't discuss this with people when you're trying... then they know you're trying and ask you how it's going. I would've felt hundreds of times better if I knew this. To this day I am still finding out about people having miscarriages on their first and second tries. I'm also finding out that it hurts just as much even when you already have two children.
Then there was the weight gain and morning sickness. I wasn't vomiting so I gained ninety (yes, nine zero) lbs. The only things I could eat were white bread, potato chips, noodles, sour cream, bologna and potatoes-white potatoes for the first 4 1/2 months. I couldn't sleep or stand because of the nausea and the only way to stop it was to actually be chewing and swallowing. I had to go into a separate room if people wanted to eat anything other than those items.
I also had amniocentesis done, but no one told me that most women experience cramping after it. That was scary. Then there was some bleeding and I was hospitalized and had to take it easy after that. Finally after 24 hours of labor, three of which involved pushing without an epidural and while on pitocin (it makes the contractions so much harder) and trying every possible position to get that baby out of me. I asked for a knife because I was ready to cut him out myself then and there. Don't mess with a woman in delivery. I felt a contraction coming and ORDERED the anesthesiologist to hold my foot so I could push. He just looked at me until I YELLED at him to "HOLD MY FOOT!!!" Then he couldn't move fast enough.
Finally after the c-section the darlin' boy was born, albeit with his skull rubbed raw from where he had been trying to get past my tailbone. It stayed that way for a week until it finally scabbed over. Back labor isn't fun for anyone involved.
Anyway... I forgot what I was writing about... Oh! Wanting more kids... HA! Even after all that and a couple months of colic, I do... I really do want to have more children. I have so much love to give and share. I used to feel bad that DB didn't have a sibling to go through this horrible divorce with, but if he had who knows if I would've been able to help him as much and to discover his learning issues.
btw - DB is extremely bright and I don't want to just focus on his weaknesses like reading and writing. I want to also push his strengths... any type of reasoning, logic, spatial etc. Anyone have any ideas how to do this??? I'll probably have to get some more books, and do some more reading to figure out how to work on this.
I've been thinking about that lately, and whether or not I will actually have the guts to get pregnant one day even if I'm not married. Don't get me wrong. I want to get married (at least I do today), but if it doesn't happen I don't want to lose the chance to have more children while waiting for Mr. Right (let's be realistic, Mr. Almost-Right).
I had a miserable pregnancy with DB and yes, I would suffer through it all over again. First there was the fear of miscarriage. The doctor didn't want to call my first visits (for DB) pregnancy visits until we were able to see the heartbeat and my blood levels were up. It's because of the mis that I had.
The doctor was doing the first ultrasound on my first pregnancy (before DB) and there was an empty sac. He was put on the spot and felt so bad telling us. Then stbx got tears in his eyes and I had to comfort him and make the doctor feel more at ease. This was during the eleventh week. I think I was in denial and shock. He asked me if I wanted to wait until it happened naturally and I immediately replied that if it wasn't a baby I wanted it out of me. I didn't want to feel pregnant if I wasn't. That was just too hard. So it was scheduled to take place less than a week. I also had the choice of having it done in the hospital or his office. Since the office could be scheduled quicker that's what I chose.
I was fine for the first few weeks after and then it hit.... and hard. The babies, the children, the families all ripped at my heart. One of the things that I had always known about myself was that I was born to be a mom. I have this connection with children and babies, and everyone who knows me agrees. Maybe it's their innocence and unconditional love.
Anyway, the job I had made it even harder. I saw children and pregnant women every day usually every hour. The fact that no one knew made it even harder. Stbx could've cared less, "Get over it. It happened weeks ago." I didn't even try to explain it to him. Useless to do so, and I was starting to recognize that. I did tell one co-worker when it was just too much one day and someone (actually most of the customers) had asked me when I was finally going to have a child. I smiled and turned away with tears in my eyes. I had to leave for awhile and I came back with the three dots that shape a triangle that I get on my upper right cheek near my eye whenever I cry.
It was a release to finally let someone else know. Of course, after I had DB and was talking to friends of mine and other new moms in the community I discovered that almost all of them had had miscarriages and that half of them had a miscarriage in their first pregnancy. WHOA!!! If only the doctor would've told me or if there was even an article about it at the mikva. Because you don't discuss this with people when you're trying... then they know you're trying and ask you how it's going. I would've felt hundreds of times better if I knew this. To this day I am still finding out about people having miscarriages on their first and second tries. I'm also finding out that it hurts just as much even when you already have two children.
Then there was the weight gain and morning sickness. I wasn't vomiting so I gained ninety (yes, nine zero) lbs. The only things I could eat were white bread, potato chips, noodles, sour cream, bologna and potatoes-white potatoes for the first 4 1/2 months. I couldn't sleep or stand because of the nausea and the only way to stop it was to actually be chewing and swallowing. I had to go into a separate room if people wanted to eat anything other than those items.
I also had amniocentesis done, but no one told me that most women experience cramping after it. That was scary. Then there was some bleeding and I was hospitalized and had to take it easy after that. Finally after 24 hours of labor, three of which involved pushing without an epidural and while on pitocin (it makes the contractions so much harder) and trying every possible position to get that baby out of me. I asked for a knife because I was ready to cut him out myself then and there. Don't mess with a woman in delivery. I felt a contraction coming and ORDERED the anesthesiologist to hold my foot so I could push. He just looked at me until I YELLED at him to "HOLD MY FOOT!!!" Then he couldn't move fast enough.
Finally after the c-section the darlin' boy was born, albeit with his skull rubbed raw from where he had been trying to get past my tailbone. It stayed that way for a week until it finally scabbed over. Back labor isn't fun for anyone involved.
Anyway... I forgot what I was writing about... Oh! Wanting more kids... HA! Even after all that and a couple months of colic, I do... I really do want to have more children. I have so much love to give and share. I used to feel bad that DB didn't have a sibling to go through this horrible divorce with, but if he had who knows if I would've been able to help him as much and to discover his learning issues.
btw - DB is extremely bright and I don't want to just focus on his weaknesses like reading and writing. I want to also push his strengths... any type of reasoning, logic, spatial etc. Anyone have any ideas how to do this??? I'll probably have to get some more books, and do some more reading to figure out how to work on this.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Daddy
Dad, Mr. Marine, tough guy, whose heart melts whenever db is around. Spoke with him a few moments ago and boy was he grumpy. A friend of his was running late, and he doesn't appreciate that AT ALL. Of course it's also 1:30 and Daddy didn't have any lunch yet. I suggested that he eats something before she comes over and his reply in a deep voice, "I don't want to eat anything I want to be grumpy when she gets here."
I started to crack up.... couldn't help it. Dad knows that if he eats something he won't be cranky anymore and wouldn't say anything about the lateness to his friend. I can see Daddy's lips pressed together so he wouldn't smile and I'm sure that his eyes were twinkling and his nostrils flaring.... that's the tell-tale sign. Whenever I point it out to him he can't hold back his laughter. He tried to rush me off the phone in his gruff voice so that I wouldn't hear him chuckle.
Gotta love Dad.
I started to crack up.... couldn't help it. Dad knows that if he eats something he won't be cranky anymore and wouldn't say anything about the lateness to his friend. I can see Daddy's lips pressed together so he wouldn't smile and I'm sure that his eyes were twinkling and his nostrils flaring.... that's the tell-tale sign. Whenever I point it out to him he can't hold back his laughter. He tried to rush me off the phone in his gruff voice so that I wouldn't hear him chuckle.
Gotta love Dad.
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