Random Thoughts by Pina

2013 has been...amazing. To say the least. I decided dona year In review for the 3 of us. Unfortunately I only have pics from the last couple of months on this phone and I dont have a computer at the moment, so pics will be limited.  We rang in the last new year with our dear friends. I distinctly remember that night was the first night little 1 1/2 month old Eloise slept a 4 hour stretch. I wish she would sleep a 4 hour stretch these days!! Eloise went on to learn how to roll over, crawl, walk and say a few words. She started eating solids around April and quickly showed me that she was an independent woman who would only feed herself. I gave her finger foods almost immediately. Now she sits in a booster seat at the table and eats with a fork. She went on her first plane rides in August when we visited friends and family in TN and ND. She did great. She started using a pacifier around that time also and it was amazing. She starting sleeping long stretches and even through the nigh...

I need to be a better person. I have always had a bad habit of being really obnoxious, loud and overly sarcastic when in social situations. I often don't realize it till everyone has gone home, that maybe I joked around a bit to much. Maybe I embarrassed someone by making them the but if my joke, or maybe I just went to far with coarse humor. I know that part of that is just who I am and that is fine. Sarcasm is a wonderful tool when not overly used. I also have felt a conviction to try and be a better person/friend.  I have always been the class clown. I was the one who would humiliate myself just to make everyone around me laugh. For some reason when there is a lull in a conversation, I feel like I need to fill it up with some funny story or joke. A lot of times it is funny...but a lot of times it is awkward...and unnecessary.  I think part of this issue is the fact that I live a pretty isolated life these days. Don't get me wrong . I am so grateful to God and my husband for...

I am thankful that Jesus Christ was such a revolutionary and that his character is so much more gracious and loving then a lot of his followers make him out to be.  I am thankful for a healthy baby girl  I am thankful that Sean had such a great job that enables me to stay home with our baby.  I am also thankful that if I had to I could easily get a job and support our family with my RN license. I am thankful for a comfortable home, although it may seem a bit small at times, its the home we were able to afford.  I am thankful to live in Chico where I have access to amazing local,organic and healthy food. I don't have to look far for grass fed meat or pasture raised eggs and my csa is amazing.  I am thankful that I have access to unlimited free babysitting from grandmas, we may not always live in the same town as our moms but for now it is a good thing we do :)  I am thankful for best friends, even if they move away from you right when you need them the most ...

Today started off with Eloise's usual morning apple which allowed me to sit on the couch and drink some coffee before getting started in out real breakfast.  We had an egg and broccoli scramble made with our pasture raised eggs. It's amazing how delicious eggs are when the chickens are left to do what they are supposed to do. Which is forage, eat grass, weeds and bugs. The shells are super hard and the yolks are a vibrant orange, full off good minerals and cholesterol for a growing brain.  Eloise also got a spoonful of cocnut oil. She has got used to me giving her a spoonful of coconut every time I use it, so gets a spoonful most mornings. She also are half of a persimmon with her breakfast.  We went to the store to get a few thanksgiving essentials and Eloise got to have an organic fruit leather thing for the way home. She is so cute, I usually give her a piece ten start driving, when she runs out she signs please and sticks her hand out for it. Also while I was putting ...

In laying in bed wide awake while my husband and baby sleep the night away. I'm jealous. Maybe my insomnia has something to do with the 2 naps I took with my baby today. I didn't feel the greatest today and was nursing a headache, so I succumbed to the temptation of napping. You would too if you had this cozy little angel nursing all snuggled up against you.  Lately I've let a few things back into my diet that aren't that great. Like sugar. Even though it is pure grade b maple sugar or raw unfiltered honey, it is still sugar. Also those delicious little Justin's dark chocolate peanut butter cups.  I used to get headaches a lot but since I drastically changed my diet and quit coffee a couple years ago my headaches disappeared. They are back. I'm not quite ready to quit the coffe drinking. I still have a baby who doesn't sleep through the night but needs a mama who isn't dead tired.  I  going to try to cut out my sugar intake again and see if that will hel...

Saturday started out with my amazing husband letting me sleep in!!! Sooooo wonderful! When I got up Eloise was snacking on some sliced almonds. We had some bacon that needed to get cooked to I decided to make an egg casserole with bacon, kale and potatoes. I got started on that while Sean made the coffee (essential). We kept Eloise busy by feeding her the last of the persimmon muffins. She is so funny. She likes to take a bite, go run around for a bit, then come back and eat some more. I always joke around and say that she likes to work off the calories in between bites.  I had to leave before the casserole was done. I forced myself to go work out and I'm glad I did. It was a hard one, but with thanksgiving coming up I didn't want to miss a workout. Sean said she liked the eggs so that is good. We decided to go to Sean's grandparents house to get some yard work done.  Eloise had so much fun playing outside. It's great having a bigger baby who can just play and get dirty...

I decided to call this one what she are yesterday...since it's about yesterday. I am a genius.  Yesterday we started the day out with a pre breakfast of an organic Fuji Apple, to keep her busy while I got the real breakfast going.  The real breakfast was an egg scramble with kale, salsa and chile powder. She wasn't as into it as I had hoped. She used to love this combo, but has grown weary if it I think...le sigh. Here is a pic.  I am glad I caught this squishy face. It is her special trick that she does all the time and expects you to do it back to her. So freaking cute.  Weezy had a nice nap but woke up kinda cranky so we shared an apple on the couch and watched Kelly and Michael while she woke up.  Also please note the red mark in the middle of her forehead. I have no idea what happened but one minute she was standing next to me in the kitchen and the next minute she was face down on the tile floor. Also my nose ring decided to form a giant zit around it so t...

I decided to start a new series (ha) called "what she ate today". Basically I am going to take iPhone pics of what my baby ate that day and post them. Sounds amazing right?  Why an I doing this? Well, people always seem surprised by what my baby eats so I thought this might give other moms some ideas for feeding their babies. I have to say first and foremost that Eloise is only 1 and eats pretty much anything I put in front if her but I realize that it may not last forever. I intend to be honest and post even when she stops eating such a great variety of foods.   Also, I am not trying to toot my own horn...I may feed my baby well, but that is pretty much the only thing I am good at. I am the worst housekeeper, I am lazy, and I take to many naps...but at least we eat well!!!  We eat a mostly paleo diet. I say mostly because we do eat rice occasionally snd Also the occasional cheese . We also partake in the occasional bean :). When I talk about beef on this blog it wil...