Romanian Goodness

Having my mom with us for the past 5 months has been such a blast. Not only did we get some great help with C and sometimes a much need it break from stress, but she has been willing to re-create some of my childhood goodies.
We made some plum and walnuts jam, apricot jam as well as "zacusca", this Romanian veggie spread that is delicious on freshly baked bread or crackers. And while I was tasting all the goodies, I realized that eating them is not what I am looking forward to the most (though they certainly are delicious), it's the way the house smells when you cook and make all this, it's the memories of easier and simpler times of childhood!

CVS escape

For the past few months I have been struggling with the fact that I never have a moment alone anymore. With a 16 months old at home, a regular part time job that's never really a part time job, a mother who while is very very very helpful lives with us and speaks very little English, a house and a husband, I never have any time alone (unless you want to count the commute to Boston where I share the train with gazillion people on a good day!)
So I am sad to announce that my 10 minutes of sanity today were spent in CVS while I was looking for some better solution for C's diaper rash. I realize how pathetic that might sound, but sometimes those couple of minutes alone when I can just think without having to make funny faces or sing humpy dumpty, or translate whatever is all I can look forward to!

So no wonder that the idea of having another child is pretty much closed at this point...
See ya!

Hannibal rising

The latest book that I am reading is "Hannibal rising" by Thomas Harris and it's pre Red Dragon, Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs.

I have always been fascinated by characters that even though they are the evident villain make you feel sorry for them and understand why they are the way they are! While I still remember how spooked and horrified I was when I read Hannibal, now reading what happened to him makes me understand why he ended up doing all those terrible things later on. (and yes, I do understand that this is just a book and it's fiction, but I am trying to make a point here). I guess (and this is a spoiler) if you would have seen people eat your sister in front of you when you were 8 years old, you might have had some issues too! Reading the book I feel so terrible for him and the things he had to witness as a child and in the same time I am completely mortified by what he does later on in life...

I always wondered how much of who we are as adults is influenced by what we have been thru until that point in life! And while there are people out there who can grow and develop without being influenced by the "bad" stuff that happened to them, many of us are not! I always wondered what kind of person I would have been if my parents would have not gotten a divorce, if I would have never met Alan, if I would have never came here for an internship all those years ago...

Do you think of what your life would have been if...

Don't have the stomach for it...

For having to rip apart knitted items... I had been working on this baby blanket for one of C's cousins (for Christmas) for ever. It takes so long, maybe also because when I knit I have the attention span of a 2 year old kid. I still want the instant gratification, so I have been knitting smaller projects such as leg warmers, hats, cowls, scarves... The baby blanket was making me really unhappy! I just did not like the pattern, the yarn, the way it came out... so I ripped it apart! It hurt me to no extent to do so, but as my friend K says: it's all part of the process.
So now, K gave me this other easier, faster pattern for the blanket and so far so good! It's moving along and I like it.
I will try to take some pics this weekend with the finished projects and then post them...
Cheers!

Harder than it looks

I have been asking A for the past 2 summers to get Rollerblades with me. I guess this past weekend he got tired of me mentioning it, and we went to the store and got them! I am so excited about it!
You know, how sometimes you have a completely unrealistic, idealized vision of something? Yeah, I had this twisted image of us being able to just "wosh" thru the park while we push C in her little pink stroller. Reality? Not so much!
Let's say that though we had a lot of fun and are planning on doing again soon, it was a lot harder than what I though! A managed to fall twice, but he was able to skate several times around the park! I, on the other hand did not fall, but was not as brave as he was... I went back and forth on one of the alleys close to our car!
I am certainly not giving up my day job to become a professional Rollerblade (is that even a profession?)

Re-creating childhood

Growing up in a communist country, where "luxuries" such as fruit jams, tomato sauce and "zacusca" (a Romanian vegetable spread) were hard to come by in the store (not could the regular Romanian afford spending money on such a thing), my mom and grandma always made all those at home. And I have to admit they were sooo much better than anything you could find at the store. And I am pretty sure that was the truth and not some sort of idealized childhood memory of mine.
So this fall (I know I can't believe I am already talking about the fall as we had no real summer, but none the less fall is fast approaching!), I decided to just go back to the simpler things and make some goodies myself.
For the following few weeks I will be on the hunt for some great farmer's market fruits and veggies along with some receptacles to store the creations. I figured that not only will I get to remember some great times from my childhood when the house was filled with the sweet aroma of peaches and plums and sugary syrup, but also create some memories for Chloe!
I have all the good intentions of taking pictures and blogging about it, but don't hold your breath about it. Life really does get insane when you try to juggle so many things at once (anyone there can understand what I am talking about? :) And who knows what Santa might bring into your gift basket this year?

Seriously?

The other day I decided to go to the mall and get some new sandals. I really need a pair since somehow I managed to completely ruin the ones I bought 2 months ago! (don't ask, I have no idea how I did that).
And I have to say I was both annoyed and aggravated to notice that you can't really find summer things anymore. Ok that might not be completely true, but I could not find any normal looking black sandals since every single store had a huge stock of winter boots!
Seriously, I think this is the biggest problem this culture has! We are rushing into the next thing before we even had the chance to enjoy the one we are in right now. I understand that this year the summer has been all wacky, but it is just August, our family has not even been in vacation yet (at the end of this week), I have not worn my bathing suit yet, and I have no tan (not for lack of trying mind you!), do we really need to worry about winter?
Argh...

Proof of work!

Lately I have been getting the knitting bug...a lot! I started knitting a nice blanket for one of C's cousins, but it's taking a long time, so I took a break and made this cotton hat for C! It only took about a day and a half, and while it's supposed to be a 4 to 6 hours project, I really am not an expert and I have to knitt in between chasing Noodle around the house! I used the patern from this book called " Last minute knitted gifts", and I love it! It should be great for cool fall nights.
I have to say though... the cord nearly killed me!

Buni is back!

After 4 months of being away, my mom has returned for her second tour of baby-sitting services:) I can't even tell you how much easier my life gets when she is here. Now I get to run around like crazy (still) but at least I am not dragging a 1 year old (tomorrow!) with me! Grocery shopping gets to be a lot quicker and so does every other chore around the house or elsewhere. On top of everything I actually don't have to cut and chop and pack lunches and b-fast for day care and that is a huge stress reliever. Not to mention that I was promised Romanian meatball soup for dinner tonight and I was also told that all the downstairs windows were cleaned today!

Overall... having my mom back is awesome. She loves playing with Noodle and Noodle loooooooves her "buni". She even kicked A and I out of the house on Saturday so we can go out for lunch and to buy presents for Noodle's birthday.
If you have not had the chance to meet her during her first stay, please come by. She might not speak a lot of English (though she is doing better and better each day), but she will give you a huge hug and feed you some yummy food!

Should have a group for this...

My daughter is totally addicted to Gerber puffs! I think I need to start a group for her (and probably for mothers with kids like C.) so she can "discuss" her obsession with this snack. I guess in all fairness, she is a good eater, she ates whatever we have at the table including some things that I would probably not eat (pieces of parsnip anyone?) I just thing it's hilarious that she knows where the puffs "live" in our kitchen, she could be all done with her actual food, but would never refuse those puffs! And she shoves them by the handful (hers) into her mouth!
So, yeah, if your kid is addicted to this snack and would like to discuss it, please let me know :)

Stitch markers

Here's my latest project... stitch markers. I have lots of small amounts of cute beads from all my beading project and since they are not enough for anything (maybe just for earrings, but how many pairs does one really need?), I decided to try my hand at some stitch markers. I told my friend K. I will make her a bunch and she promised to blog them. If you know any knitters out there who would like some, please let me know. I have more than I know what to do with and will be happy to give some away...
Let me know what you think.

Yup, that's my child

Tuesdays are "story time hour" at the Attleboro library. C has been going there since she was 2 weeks old. For months and months at the very beginning she used to sleep thru the whole thing. Now she is crawling around with the other kids, licks the books and smiles at everyone. Yesterday morning was no exception. She "talked" to a bunch of kids, ate some cheerios (some of hers and some of another boy), and settled in to listed to the stories and sing songs. Or so I thought! The room was dead quiet, she was in the middle of the circle (yeah, she is not a drama queen at all), and she let out the loudest burp I have ever heard coming out of her! Everyone thought it was the funniest thing, including her! I tell you, she is the sweetest, happy go lucky kid, and then she turns into this "truck driver" ( sorry for the stereotype) in a second.
I wonder what's next....

Balanced!

One of my goals at the beginning of this years was to get in shape. I think I wrote about getting a personal training (and how she kills me each week)! I also started to be mindful of what and more than anything how much I eat. While I am making progress (12 lbs in 4 months, thank you very much!), I am far from being done. Honestly, I don't think I will ever be done. People always talk about eating right as a way of life and not just a 6 months state of life. And I finally get it (I think!) I still don't love to go to the gym, but it's becoming more part of my routine much the same way drinking coffee so I can stay awake did.

I have been a huge fan of the "Biggest looser" over the past few months. Part of it because I have all the respect for people who want to change and do something about it, and part because it motivated and inspired me to keep going. I would rationalize that if the 340 lbs teenage boy could run each day and struggle thru, so could I!
Last night while I was watching this week's episode, one of the trainers said something to the extent that we need to have a balance in life, and not just stress out about the 200 cal glass of wine you had or the desert you ate for your friends visit. And it finally clicked for me. I finally got it! I often go to one extreme or the other. I either stress about it to an obsessive compulsive level, or I just don't care anymore!
So my goal is to find that balance between being healthy, exercising and living life to the fullest with no regrets! But as always that is easier said than done, so any help would be much appreciated!

Money saving pampering trick!

In light of the declining economy, and as many other women, I am always on the hunt for cheaper solutions to the little life indulgences.
After a long day on Saturday (running errands with C. most of the morning, and spending the afternoon in the park pushing her on the swing), my feet were achy and tired and sore. So I decided I would love to soak them for a bit and use some scrub on them, and ... you got it, pamper a bit! Of course I discovered I have no more of those handy jars of body/foot scrub mix, so I decided to make my own. And it's so easy and muuuuch cheaper than the retail version that I don't think I would ever go back to buying it. I just mixed some baby oil with some salt (or you can use sugar if you like) in a little cup! And it worked just as well as the ones you buy in a jar. It was not the fancy kind, no lavender or rose petals in it, but it did what it was supposed to do: pampered my tired feet.

Has it really been that long?

Goodness! I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged.
Lots of things happened during this time.

My brother came and visited. He got to meet C. for the first time and that was really neat! They were playing and ticking each other and all that. If you would know my brother you would know that's a huge deal. He, like most men I know, is not one to express feelings and all that. But he was really sweet with C, and really did not hold back! It made me wish I could be back in Romania so that she could grow up with her cousins there!
Oh, and we did lots of shopping! He did actually, I was just along for the ride and to chauffeur him from Walmart to Target, to Old Navy, Borders and then back to Target... You know, the works!

Easter happened too! It was great to spend time with A's family, but it's always bitter sweet for me. Holidays always make me think of my family back in Romania. You would think that after 7 years I would be used to living here and not still miss it! But I still do. None the less, I loved being able to see the whole family together, especially that C's cousins came and they played together.

I am running back home now, but will update more in the next couple of days!

Not so fast buddy!

Hi everyone! It's Poomba! Yeah I know, Mari wrote about me being gone, but I was just at a party and lost track of time. I really did tell my sister, Timone about it, but she wanted to get me in trouble and never told anyone where I was.
I am a little confused though. Mari was all excited to see me at the door and she let me in immediately, and then within 5 minutes of being back she was already yelling at me to get off the counters! In her defense though she cleans those counters at least 4 times a day when she is around. I just can't help it, there is so much to look at and play with up there (I am honestly fascinated by this machine that makes brown water collect in a carafe. I think they call it a coffee maker! I love sitting there and watch the brown water and I sometimes try to get to it, but it's always too hot.)
Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure you all know I am back. Mari promised to buy me a new bug collar so I can go and visit with friends, but until then I am grounded.

PS. Thanks Pumpkin for telling me how to hack into Mari's blog!

Poomba no more!

It has been a sad weekend in our household... Poomba, one of our cats disappeared on Saturday. He usually goes out during the nice weather, but never ventured too far. And he always comes back at night for food, cuddles (though he hates them) and a nice place to sleep. This past Saturday he went out, but never came back. We have been walking around the neighborhood, and we have not seen him. We are hoping he just got lost and not killed by a car or some other awful event.
Poomba has been with us since we bought the house 4 years ago. He was/is a pain in the butt: he steals food from your plate, gets up on the counters, eats like a pig (first he gets his food all over the floor and then he eats it), but he was ours and we loved him. He was also one of those strange cats who loved ice-cream and bananas, hated soda, loved to cuddle and be petted on his own terms and only for certain amounts of times!
We keep hoping that one day he will come back, but until then we are just sad!

From Noodle!

Hi everyone, it' me C. aka Noodle! While I seam to still not be able to clearly communicate my desires to mama and dada, I am able to use the computer! This blogging thing is very interesting, I should get one myself, but for now I will use mama's! Oh, yeah, she is sick! I think I gave her whatever I had over the weekend (it was bad enough that they made me stay home on Monday with dada instead of letting me play with Mrs. Karah and her son!).

Since mama will probably figure out soon enough what I am up to, I better give you a quick update:
1. I have 2 teeth! I bite everyone and I put everything in my mouth (including Poomba's toys), but it feels good to be able to bite into my apples now
2. I go to day care 3 days per week (mama is teaching a class on Fridays for 2 months, so I get an extra day to play with kids!). I love it! There are lots of other kids and I get to spend my day ordering them around, throwing my toys and waiting for them to bring them back to me. No matter how many times I do it, this one boy, N. always brings my toys back!
3. I can stand on my feet! I need assistance since I am still very wobbly, but I am getting really strong. I still have trouble with crawling, but I think I will give that up and just start walking. Walking seams to get you there faster!
4. I can speak Romanian! I don't know how that happened, but every time "buni" calls, she seams to understand everything I say to her. And I know for sure she does not speak English to me since she doesn't know that much! Therefore, I must know Romanian
5. Timone is my fav buddy (except Pumpkin, but I have not seen her in a while, so I am not sure about that one!). She rubs her head on my belly and makes me laugh and she lets me pat her (in my own way since I seam to mostly grab at her!)

There's lots more, but I need to run now. I heard dada is on his way home from work and I better go and help mama with dinner (I told you she sick, right?)

Messy bussiness!

Teaching your/a child to self feed and use a sippy cup is no joke! And such a messy job. C started being interested in getting food into her mouth on her own, so we give her some cheerios! I laugh and smile and clap my hands each time she manages to get one into her mouth. And I cringe inside for each and every little cheerio that flies around my dinning room floor! I love this stage of life with her. She is so much more interactive and "talkative", but messy! And if you know me any bit, you know that mess and stuff all over the place gets on my nerves and makes me pretty edgy! So I am trying to figure out how to relax and kind of let it go. I figured that I really can't humanly possibly vacuum 3 times a day, nor can I clean up after each session of "tummy time"! But boy, do I have a hard time with it!
Any advice?

First day!

Today is C's first day of daycare! Am I terrified? Pretty much! I keep trying to hold on to what one of our friends L said in an email the other days: "it will be good for her. It was good for out son! She will be with other kids and play with them". That brings me some confidence, but as a mom, it's my job to worry! I spoke with A a little earlier and he said she did not even noticed when he left (I know that's not entirely true), so it was a little bit less gut wrenching to think of her with other people.
I don't think I am an overprotective parent (I might be and have no idea about it, though!). I am a strong believer in disciplining your kids early, helping them to be independent! But all that goes out the window when I think of my little Noodle!
I just hope and pray that the guilt of sending your kid to be taken care of by someone else goes away! Goodness I have such a complicated, twisted mind sometimes!
I better stop rambling now.
Cheers!

Coming to an end

My mom's visit, that is. It's amazing that 6 months already passed. I just wanted to share couple of things I have learned during this time:
1. My mom is one courageous lady! She picked up her stuff and moved here for 6 months to live with us and be with her grand daughter. She did not speak a lick on English and she does not drive, but she still moved here.
2. Though I speak Romanian fluently, I am so not apart of that culture anymore. I guess we as humans are wired to adapt, and that's exactly what I did. I will always be a Romanian at heart, but every day life changed me to be more and more American.
3. I still have a hard time saying "please, can you help me" even to my own mom. When you move to a foreign country, though you have friends, you learn to became what you need to be. On top of everything I am a self sufficient, independent person, who would first die trying before asking for help!
4. Motherhood will change you. Having your own child, will teach you to speak up if not for yourself, then for your kids. I had no problem telling my mom what to do and how to do it!
5. Having her around was a blessing more than a struggle. We both have strong personalities, but I think time changed both of us.

I am sad to see her go. She has been a huge support and help for all 3 of us. I am blessed to have been able to have her take care of not only C, but us as well. She is coming back in the summer for another "6 months tour" and I am looking forward to it!

Still can't believe it sometimes

I was putting my daughter to bed tonight and while this might sound really corny, I still can't believe she is ours. She smiles and giggles, and gets cranky and grumpy and then smiles and giggles again! Sometimes I look at her and I don't really get it. She obviously doesn't say much (well, except her regular "chitty chatter box" routine), she trusts us unconditionally, she moves around (in her own way)! Sometimes when I wake up in the morning and I am really tired (that happens a lot these days), I forget for one second that we have a kid now. And then it hits me and fills me with wonder! I hope she never gets tired of being with us, never gets embarrassed by us.
It's been a long day, so I am off to bed.
Sleep well!

I found a loophole!

You know how I have recently started knitting? I love it, but I often looked forward to the instant gratification that my jewelry making gives me (you can whip up a pair of earrings in no time!). Well, I guess I found the loophole in knitting, or almost: knitting scarves! It's fun, easy and quick! The other day I finished a scarf for one of my friends bdays(she loved it) and started another one and I am almost finished with that one too. Can one have too many scarves?

My next project is to make a blanket out of little squares. I figured "little squares" are portable and how hard can it be to follow a pattern, right? Of course I might be eating my own words in couple of day, but I will keep you posted!

I am so getting my butt kicked!

One of our new year resolutions was to get in shape. I know, how cliche, since 80% of the Americans decide that (no, I really don't know the number exactly, I just made it up!). But you know what? I really wanted to stick to my decision, and since money is a really good motivation (especially when you have to really cut other things to make it), we decided that I can sign up for a personal trainer. Now, you might say that that's crazy, but if you know me, you know that I get bored easily. I go to the gym for the first 2 weeks, and then get into a routine and then get bored. And then I quit! So this year, I am determined to be different. I signed up for a 6 months personal trainer once a week. I figured that will give me the motivation and the boost to actually do something about it. I would never not show up for a training especially since I have set them up at 6 am. I would feel horrible knowing that someone got up at that hour for me and then I don't show up.
Yesterday was my free session and OMH I hate it every single minute of it! But in a good way! By the end of the session I called A and asked him how much of my life insurance money he promised them if they kill me! Today I can barely walk, I can't sit and surely I can't lift more than a glass of water!
Honestly I am not one of those people who enjoy going to the gym. I wish I was, but I am not. I go and I hate every minute of it! But I am determined to do it, so that I am able to keep up with the noodle. I want to be able to run and Rollerblade and bike with my daughter without the huffing and puffing!
I have high hopes for the following 6 months and I really hope I can reach my goal of loosing 30 lbs!

A world of possibilities

Every since I have discovered the crock pot, I loved it! I love cooking, but with a part time job and a 6 months infant it gets quite tricky sometimes. I love the fact that you can just put your things into the crock pot and then go on with your day and by the time you come back, dinner is ready. But I am forever stuck with making the same beef stew or the occasional soup in it. One of my friends at work heard me talking about it and the other day she gave me a crock pot recipes book! I can't tell you how excited I am about the whole world of possibilities that has opened for me. Did you know you can even make deserts in the crock pot? Or appetizers? It's awesome and I can't wait to try some new things. We will see how it goes!

Proof!

I have mentioned before that I am a new knitting convert. Here is the proof. All I know is that I am knitting 2 and then purling 2. I have no idea all the other fancy things you can actually say about your work, but I am sure I will eventually learn that stuff too.
My new year resolution of learning how to knit is on its way to accomplishment, so much so that my eagerness has inspired my mom to start (or restart) knitting herself.
My husband A would sit in front of the TV with us and make fun by timing who finishes one row first! So much pressure!

Cheers!