Motherhood - Page 56 of 60 - ON THE EDGE w/ missstephanieb

Avoiding Gestational Diabetes and Calories – Mind Your…Sugar?

June 25, 2013

I am back from my lovely vacation on the exotic islands of Turks and Caicos, and back to reality. The beauty of traveling to a desolate island? Lots of fresh foods – seafood. Literally plucked out of the ocean and plopped right on your plate. The sea, sand and sun really are natural exfoliators of your life – all your stress, worries and concerns go right out to sea with the Trade Winds. No worries of calories, changing diapers, or …..gestational diabetes?

Then you fly in and it’s back to NYC. Try sitting on the tarmack for an hour, no cabs at JFK for over an hour, watching the international arrivals get into fights with the gyspy cab drivers, and then praying for your life as your Jackie Chan look alike cab driver bobs and weaves outta traffic like he’s staring in next bad Chris Tucker movie.

So it’s back to TRYING to be healthy again. As large and advanced as NYC is – it’s not always as easy as you think around here. My latest attempt?

Cutting sugar.

gestational diabetes, fireworks, astoria

Watching the Astoria Fireworks over the Triboro Bridge from our building.

I was watching the fireworks with, count them – 3 preggos last night. And it reminded me how much you cannot eat when you are carrying around that precious cargo – so why do we resort back to eating all the bad stuff once we’re not? I also learned about Gestational Diabetes – trust me PREGNANT PEOPLE OF THE WORLD – you do NOT want to get this – so MIND YOUR SUGAR!

What happens when you get ‘preggo’ diabetes? HA! You can’t EAT ANYTHING. And I am not sure what could be more worse that telling a pregnant woman with cravings that she can’t eat that blueberry muffin or even have an apple! But that’s what happens – you can’t have ANY sugars. So think eggs, and lots of dry crackers and water.

I used to think that being healthy meant cutting calories and fat. Now I realize it’s more about cutting out chemicals and GMOs (genetically modified organisms), and – sugar and salt. Say what? The things you eat aren’t even food anymore????? Say what??! Yeah, here in NYC they aren’t exactly pulling fish right out of the ocean for you. In fact, if they were spearing fresh fish out of the East River – I think I’d pass.

What can you eat anymore? They put added sugar in everything – everything! Yogurt, practically any drink but water, it occurs naturally in fruits….. SOSSSS! So how do you avoid it without adding chemicals like Splenda? What is Splenda anyways? (I know, I used to be an avid Splenda user too – until I realized I’m literally sprinkling chemicals all over my morning coffee. Awesome).

So being surrounded by all these healthy eaters – whether by choice or not, I thought – if I am so concerned not to give Maximo too much sugar, why am I not concerned to do the same for myself?? And so it starts – the great sugar battle. HOW THE F AM I GOING TO CUT OUT SUGAR?

So I have come to two options.

1. Use natural sweetners, like Stevia. These are nature’s natural sweetners other than pure sugar. They are NATURAL – not created in some factory somewhere. Call me a crunchy granola hippie, but when they are banning GMOs and fake sweetners in tons of countries outside of the US – you start to wonder just how ‘safe’ they can be.

TIP: (Carry a few around with you in that diaper bag for Starbucks stops. Unfortunately they and many other coffee shops and restaurants don’t carry these options yet). STEP UP YOUR GAME STARBUCKS.

2. Drink and eat foods with natural sweetners – or fruit juice (just make sure it’s REAL fruit juice).

There are tons of juice drinks out there that are ‘all natural’ but they still have over 21g of sugar ‘occurring naturally from fruit in a tiny little juice box that’s smaller than Jager Bombs I used to chug down. (talk about SUGAR. lol). So why limit yourself?

Personally, I LOVE LOVE LOVE La Croix sparkling water. They come flavored with ONLY natural fruit juice so there is ZERO SUGAR, ZERO FAT, ZERO SALT. Yep – it’s actually GOOD for you – they are even made here in the USA so they aren’t upping your carbon foot print just to ship in some sparkling water from Italy and call it ‘luxurious.’ Um…. water is water – and why wouldn’t we just drink our own when we can anyways??

AND THESE ARE PERFECT FOR PREGGOS – because they don’t have sugar – you can drink them all day AND you can even have them in the hospital when you’re starving and they will only give you ice chips. SCORE! I wish I knew that about a year ago!!! haha.

They also come in tons of different flavors like Lime, Orange, Peach-Pear and MY FAVORITE – COCONUT. Seriously, just take it and tell me you want to drink anything else. I was passing them out last night at the fireworks party to all the preggos – I think they’re all offically hooked as well.

Now the fun stuff.

1. La Croix has already done all the hard work for you (big shout out), and offers TONS of fun recipes and ideas on their social media. Think Lime La Croix and some of that Turks and Caicos Bambarra Rum I just brought home. Yum Yum Yum. Zero sugars. Zero BAD STUFF. Well, except the hangover if you get a little rum happy.

2. You can find it anywhere – like Targets and ——- Yes, COSTCO!!!! (my favorite organic wholesaler, you!) So I can literally walk down to the Costco here in Astoria and grab a multi-pack for a descent price. And I have no excuses to be guzzling all that sugar.

P.S. – if you know me, or you’re preggo and have the ‘diabeetus’, I have some awesome coupons, so I’ll send you one to go and try it for yourself 🙂

So my friends, and PREGGO friends, I am already feeling healthy today!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Road trip with kids – Peeing in the Woods

June 6, 2013

Raise your hand if you have ever taken a road trip with kids under the year of one? ANYONE? haha – cam aaaaawwwwn – I know I can’t be the only one crazy to drive 7 hours to Pittsburgh with a toddler?

Actually – I LIKE the drive – I think it’s a lot easier to pull over and let Maximo sprawl out on a blanket on the grass at a rest stop than screaming because I won’t let him leave my lap on a 45 minute flight. Oh, you’re upcoming flight is 9 hours long you say? You’ll be fine! (that’s me lying through my teeth with an evil laugh).

Hysterically – it was ME that had the issues on the drive, not my 11 month old son. I decided it would be a brilliant idea to grab a iced coffee the size of Lake Michigan before we left, and right around the Poconos, it hit me – and bladders that have survived child births just don’t hold the way they used to! Unfortunately for me, there are no rest stops in the mountains. Just lots of roads. Windy roads. With zero pull offs that are safe with a baby. I’m starting to get that uncomfortable squirm – trying to squeeze your legs and still gas through 90 degree curves, uncomfortable squirm.

Then I see the sign for the ‘scenic overlook ahead.” YES!!!!!!!! THEY HAVE TO HAVE A BATHROOM! (Is it me or do 90% of all my stories involve bathrooms??)

At least – it shouldn’t be busy and there will be a private place for me to pull over. Not. The. Case.

There are no bathrooms. There are no private areas. And just to make it even worse, there are two guys chilling in a van at the far corner of the parking lot.

I can’t hold it anymore. I pull adjacent, angle the car and jump to the back door and open like I am checking on Maximo and let it go. Yep, one leg on the car, one leg on the door squat pose. I mean, once you’ve given birth in that public spectacle, you really don’t care much about who has or hasn’t seen your ‘goods’ anymore, anyways. Hey – before you judge me – I GUARANTEE you’ve peed in a parking lot yourself – and I am MORE than willing to bet you weren’t sober either!

So – anyways, Maximo slept through it all – and I jumped back in the car, (thank god for baby wipes!!) and was on my merry way. It was actually EASIER than a rest stop – I didn’t even have to take Maximo out of the car. hahaha – (I AM NOT PROMOTING FREE PEEING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY SIDE PPL!)

Ahhhh – and the road back to my roots as a country girl had officially begun. Why not compliment the rest of the ride with a little Bon Jovi Pandora radio as well? Nothing like Guns and Roses, Motley Crue and Van Halen to make the next 6 hours fly by. Who said a road trip with kids was awful?

Thank God I’m A Country Boy

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my family are dairy farmers. Holstein Dairy Farmers (the black and white cows). So now that Maximo was a little older I thought it would be a perfect age to go and visit the farm and let him see where his mom grew up. I mean HEY! He watches the farm everyday on his Baby Einstein videos. There’s nothing better than growing up well-rounded. Living in NYC seeing bums one day, and mucking around in cow poo and riding John Deer tractors the next.

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(LET ME JUST TAKE A SIDE NOTE HERE TO MAKE A RANT AT DISNEY AND BABY EINSTEIN SINCE I BROUGHT THEM UP. YES GEOFF – IT’S YELL VOICE TIME. I tried to plan ahead and download some Baby Einstein to my ipad for the drive – you know, because when you’re driving through banjo country there aren’t a lot of WiFi towers. Well, apparently Disney doesn’t HAVE the videos for download – and when I tweeted at them? They said – hey! Enjoy them on our YouTube Channel. Well, maybe my kid SHOULDN’T be watching your videos since YOU GENIUSES aren’t smart enough to realize WiFi doesn’t work on ROAD TRIPS!!! WTF DISNEY! GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER. So a word to the wise – before a roadtrip, find something ELSE your child will watch and is download friendly – my suggestion? Curious George. It has a lot of colors and characters that Maximo also seems to like.)

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Back to the story———

One day my son is learning Spanish lullaby’s, the next he’s understanding/actually SEEING that milk comes from cow udders, not your corner bodega. Seriously – can you get any more extreme? Well, we’re not exposing him to my FULL German roots like knocking down the Berlin wall over in Germany, but hey, let’s start somewhere. I did just encourage him to pee in the great outdoors.

Living in the city you forget about a lot of the simple things in life – and that many amenities that we all DIE for and brag about in New York, are second nature to most of the rest of the country. I actually thought about taking the keys out of the ignition and locking the doors, and then I was like – ummmmm who’s going to steal the car? The Amish neighbors??? Who aren’t allowed to drive??

And it was peacefully quiet. Not the quiet that you love when everyone finally goes home from the bars at 4 am, but this serenity of quiet. You can actually HEAR the vegetables growing in the fields I kid you not. You can hear the wind coming, whistling up the lines of trees next to the barn before it even gets to you and you see the leaves moving. (remember those scenes in THE HAPPENING? Just like that, but not creepy). You can actually lay back in the grass and not worry about rumaging your hair on a dirty paper cup or crack needle. AHHHH yes, New York – this kind of clean country really does exist!

So where do I start? What did Maximo love the best? UM EVERYTHING.

Bouncing on the trampoline? Check.

Letting a newborn calf eat his hand? Check.

Ride around on a tractor? Check.

Let puppies jump and wrestle on top of him? Check. CHECK.

I don’t think I have ever seen him fall asleep faster in the car than he did when we left. I don’t think I had even buckled him in and he was KOed.

Of course after all that we had ALL worked up an appetite and what is better than visiting the farm? HOME COOKED COUNTRY FOOD! Listen people – you DO realize that all those homemade crust apple pie recipes on my blog are the REAL DEAL right?? O. M. G. Since it was Memorial Day, we decided to go out to eat as a treat! Unlike in the city where we eat out everyday – haha.

I swear, I have NEVER had better warm apple pie (well, maybe other than my own haha) than I did at that teenie little country cooking kitchen in Mercer. And it was cute how all the locals looked at us – because obviously Maximo and I don’t look like farmers, even though we were covered in dirt head to toe. Maybe it was just because Maximo is quite the handsome young fellow and all those little old ladies couldn’t get enough of him.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE living in NYC, but there really is nothing better than going home. Just breathing some fresh country air, filling your belly with wholesome milk right from the cow, and warm apple pie that really was made with heart and soul – you can just feel your soul being revived. This must be how all those Chicken Soup for the Soul books originated??

So we’re back in NYC – and even though we’re back to yelling at cabbies, stepping over drunks and dodging rats, there’s nothing better than that warm feeling in your heart to know that – you can always go home. <3

How to Be a Cool NYC Mom

May 14, 2013

No this does NOT include how to:

1. Find and live in a Friends-size apartment in the most popular area of Manhattan.

2. Sneak into Acme without a reservation on a Friday night like in Goodfellas.

3. Strut down Fifth Avenue like Carrie Bradshaw in a tiny dress and Manolos while hailing a cab – on a writer’s salary.

If you honestly still believe those items exist, you must still be waiting for Santa to come down your non-existent chimney since Christmas.

I am here to give you the honest, brutal truth about NYC. And being a mom in this awful smelly city. A city that I just happen to love.

There are going to be plenty of FAILS. But, I am here to make those fails for you so you can get on with your life and not have to openly embarrass yourself as I. You get to look like the EXPERT, the MOM OF ALL MOMS. THE COOL NYC MOM!

Enter my latest article post on MommyNearest.com –

(excerpt)

Every time my friend Jess and I attempt to be cool city moms, it ends up a major fail. Here are a few stories to underscore how motherhood and us are sometimes at odds with each other. There was the time we took the subway NORTHBOUND instead of south. The time one of us may or may not have attempted to take the escalator in Macy’s with our stroller but we’re obviously stopped by security (I mean waiting for an elevator EVERY TIME is unbearable). Our kids aren’t exempt from this either. There was the time her son Mikey almost got eaten by a goat at the petting zoo, or the time my son Maximo almost flew off the carousel at the Flushing Meadows Park Carousel. So I should’ve known from the beginning that not using my Mommy Nearest app to find a kid-friendly restaurant would be an automatic FAIL.

Read the full article here.

Drive-Thru Mom

April 29, 2013

Raise your hand if you are guilty of driving around while you child is asleep so you don’t have to wake him up??

UGH!!! Ever since we transitioned Maximo into the big boy car seat, I can’t just pop him in and out of the car for errands – or leave him in his car-seat and just carry upstairs while leaving him asleep. No I have to unbuckle and carry through slamming doors, pops, buzzing intercoms and elevators. So I know I am not the only one guilty of driving around a little bit longer to let him get some sleep!

So now that I have become DRIVING MR. MAXIMO, my life would be AWESOME if there were drive thrus for this instance – yeah yeah you suburbia moms are like – well we have Starbucks, and McDonalds. Whatevs – I’m talking 5 -star drive thrus.

I want a mom drive thru that has sushi, diapers and nail polish AND Starbucks. Heck, let’s go all out and get valet. I pull up, and YOU drive, so I can eat, do my nails or answer emails from the passenger seat for an hour.

Sound crazy? Not in New York perhaps! I think I might establish one – who’s with me!!!

Living Like a Caveman – Paleo Apple Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops

April 23, 2013

I like being a meat-eater. But never has it been so ‘trendy’ as it is now – I am almost scared to walk down the street seeing everyone being Andrew Zimmer – holding a raw chicken leg in their hand just gnawing away as they walk down the street. Not ready for that yet.

And while I am a big fan of my meat red and bloody, I am not sure I want to live totally ‘raw.’ But I am trying to be healthy and eat things that are REAL FOOD. lol – yes that means we do longer eat McNuggets, mang.

But I realized the downfall to my dieting is not having food prepared or having meals planned out. I am not saying you should always plan ahead and have everything scheduled out – but when I actually went and picked out some recipes, bought those items and had them ready to go in the fridge, it was A LOT easier to eat better- AND DELICIOUS.

My Trainer, the one and only Life By The Bells recommended this site to me –

www. thefoodee.com

AND IT ROCKS.

There are TONS of recipes to pick from – and then once you put them all in your ‘cart’ it will print or email you the full list of grocery items you need for the whole week of recipes! Now, THAT’S LOVE.

It was so easy to go and grab everything on the list!

Last night we decided we would try the Apple and Bacon Stuffed Porkchops – and they were MOUTHWATERING! I will be keeping this recipe on file for another round soon! We also complimented the meal with Cinnamon Balsamic Carrots – and you can find the recipe on my client’s blog here!

Apple Bacon Stuffed PorkChops

(this is their delicious image, and see my actual images below!)

Ingredients

6 1″ thick pork chops
2 Tbsp lard
2 medium baking apples (Gala and York are our favorites), peeled, cored and diced
10 strips of bacon, diced
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minces
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Ask your butcher to “pocket” your baking chops. If you need to do it yourself, use a 4-6″ knife and pierce the fatty side of the chop. Wiggleyour knife side to side until your “pocket” is about 5″ long and 3″ wide (70% of the chop) ****We didn’t ‘pocket’ our chops – I just bought 10 think chops and layered them on top of each other with the ‘stuffing’ inbetween which was still good!
In a medium pan (we recommend a cast iron skillet or dutch oven), melt lard over medium-high heat
Cook apples, bacon and onion until onion is softened and bacon is crispy, about 8 minutes
Add garlic, sage, paprika and lemon juice and toss for 2 minutes
Remove stuffing from heat, transfer to bowl and set-aside
♥ Salt and pepper each side of pork chop, stuff it with as much stuffing as you can fit and use a skewer or toothpick to close and prevent spilling (about half of the stuffing will be leftover)
Insert pork chops into the hot pan to sear on each side, cook each side of the chops for 5 minutes in hot pan over medium-high heat
Transfer pan/dutch oven to 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for 35 minutes
To serve, warm remaining stuffing and spoon on top of each chop

How ours turned out!!!

Looking for more healthy meal recipes?

Try my Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese

Crock Pot Pot Roast Green Chili Stew

Broccoli Rabe Sausage Crostini with Sweet Potato Mash

Paint and Toilet Swirlies Taught me How to Baby Proof

April 13, 2013

Being in your thirties is a great decade to finally learn who you are – and progress into this adult life of cooking at home, having matching furniture that’s not from Ikea, and finally getting rid of that beer pong table in your dining room. (haha 326 shoutout!) I don’t care if you have kids or not you KNOW you’re guilty of spending a Saturday at Home Depot only to go home and paint a wall instead of getting slaughtered at a bar. **sigh**

So now that I am living as an adult, I try to maintain my serenity and coolness of a thirty-something without having toys strewn throughout my home. Major Fail. There is nothing like stepping on a choo choo train at 4 am that not only wrecks your foot and pedicure but starts blowing it’s whistle loud enough to not only wake the baby but the entire building. Somehow, we have managed to dodge any write-ups. So far.

But now that Maximo is crawling and pulling himself up to reach pretty much every surface in our home, it’s taken on a new level – baby proofing. That glass of water that I thought was safe on my desk – NOPE! Oh, that bucket of paint in the kitchen? FAIR GAME!!

In one week, Maximo has managed to dump TWO – T-W-O buckets of paint in our lovely little apartment. Yes, not once, but twice. Neither of course that I take blame for lol – but apparently curious 9 month old boys are fond of paint cans. So consider yourself warned. See the proof <———

Also in the last 7 days, we (by we I mean Maximo aka the destroyer) have managed to break a floor-length mirror, a plate full of empanadas in a restaurant, and well, my sanity. Nothing is off limits, or beyond the reach of his superman grip. Including my toilet which just taunts him with swirlies that he MUST NOT MISS! It took us a good week to remember to keep putting the seat down – where’s Maximo crawling off to? Oh yeah, the bathroom – FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF! And if you know ANY moms, you probably aren’t surprised to hear this for the first time. —-> like this little guy – we haven’t reached full-toilet lift-off yet, but apparently this isn’t uncharted territory.

But it’s one of those things when you read other moms Facebook status updates and think OMGGGGGGGGG MY SON WILL NEVER BE LIKE THAT! Yeah grown the F up – welcome to your thirties! My trendy apartment decor now boasts outlet covers, toilet locks and two levels of item-less bottom shelves. So if you walk into my apartment and think, oh that’s odd – now you know why.

Oh, and let me warn you also – you, yourself are not baby proof. Maximo is boy – which means, he will rip out your hair, bite you with his teeth and try to pull your lips and eyelids off. He sounds scarier than a trained guard dog.

Maybe they should make THOSE signs to put in your front yard – BE WARE OF TEETHING CRAWLING CURIOUS TODDLER!

So if you have any words of wisdom or advice for this mom who is just dipping her toes into uncharted territory – please feel free to share your horror stories below – haha

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Exploring Central Park Zoo – Best Seen any day but Sunday and without a Car

April 9, 2013

**As seen on MommyNearest.com as Expert Mom Blogger from the one and only Astoria, Queens! ** Read the article on their website here.

Mom in NYC? Definitely download the app while it’s FREE here! —–>

When you’re a mom – all your days are the same. There are no whooo hoooo it’s Friday night! Or ahhh it’s Sunday I should sleep off my hangover and eat McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

So when I first did some research on the mom sites of NYC to see what there was to do, and NOTHING – I mean NOTHING popped up for infants – I didn’t see it as a red flag, I saw it as an adventure. Manhattan is full of things to do and see, so I figured it being a beautiful day and all – we would just ‘wing it.’

Now, let’s pause to reassess this situation. I am a planner. I may or may not make plans to make plans. Especially when it involves a 9 month old human being that requires more luggage for an afternoon than Kim Kardashian for a long weekend in Paris. I used to be pre-mom however, spontaneous and love last minute day trips. This is a conflicting battle as you can see. Soooooo – we drove into the city and attempted to crash the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival – hoping for some cool old school Looney Tunes. No – it was just one of those expos for people who never leave their apartments except to play video games, leave their apartments only to come and see comic books. Not really stimulating for a 9-month old. Sooooooo – Plan B –

After Driving Around for An Hour for Parking – We Decided to Check Out Central Park Zoo.

Maximo has been to the Bronx Zoo and Queens Zoo and LOVES the animals – he is the age that he can see them and interact with the little creatures running around – so okay – why not?! It was beautiful outside!

First Impression:

Central Park Zoo is cute and historic – popping up among the worn and aged buildings of Central Park South/East. It’s so cute in fact that it should be illegal to walk past it on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The staff were really friendly (surprising for NYC), and first glance over, it was impressively clean.

Pros:

1. You can see some animals without paying the fee to get in. Like the Sea Lions – and the Sea Lion feeding show.
2. At least on weekends, they had a guard watching the stroller parking lot by the 4D Adventure (for free!). Notice – you can’t take your stroller into the exhibits, like the penguins. So this was great – because they don’t do this at the Bronx Zoo. It’s leave-at-your-own-risk.

3. Petting Zoo for kids – Is for kids only and is separate from the rest of the zoo – so it removes a lot of the crowds, plus it’s interactive for all ages. Maximo loved petting the goats and watching the pigs. (Connie Ferra you’d be proud!!)

Hidden Gem = they offer a yearly membership for only $189 a year, which works out to about 4 trips to the zoo. This also includes:

– up to 3 adults (such as your babysitter or nanny!)
– 4 kids
– free parking
– free admission to ALL 5 Parks (Central Park Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and the New York Aquarium, located in

Brooklyn)
– free admission to all exhibits (and carousels and 4D Adventures!)
– and 10% off all food and merchandise inside.
ANNNNND – all zoos are open all year round! Sounds like a great birthday present to me!! You can sign up for your membership here.

Cons:

1. It’s pretty packed on weekends. It was the first nice day out for spring and everyone and their kids were out enjoying it. While you are

allowed to take your stroller inside, it gets hard to move around with tons of people and kids everywhere.

2. Prepare for tourist pricing on food. Such as $7 for a small bowl of Dippin Dots. I wouldn’t even all it a ‘bowl.’ AND THEY ONLY TAKE CASH AT THE FOOD STANDS. So if you need a bottle of water for your 2pm feeding, you better bring one with you ahead of time!

3. The 4D Adventure isn’t good for kids under 2 years old. Maximo loved the Dora and Diego experience at the Bronx Zoo, but this one was Ice Age, with Dinosaurs which was actually really scary! And there was one point when the dinosaur snorted water out and HARD at you which even startled me, and of course threw Maximo into a crying fit which means we have to leave the show quickly. Whomp Whomp.

Changing Table Situation:

Better map them out. They exist but are few and far between. The Dancing Crane Cafe only has TWO SINGLE uni-sex stalls—so if your kid’s screaming with a wet diaper, prepare for a few glares while standing in line to use them.

Hidden Gem = They have a restroom in the children’s petting zoo area

that is only for parents AND they have a single private family bathroom right when you walk into the 4D theater. Since the show runs every 15 minutes, I am sure they would let you sneak in to use it quickly ‘while waiting in line.’

Things to Take into Consideration if You’re Driving into the City on a Weekend –

1. It’s Race Season. No matter what day, I am pr

etty sure there are runners somewhere. There is also a 99% chance they will either end or start in Central Park which means roads blocked off, backed up traffic and zero parking in the surround area.

2. It’s Parade Season. Yes. Already. After we left Central Park Zoo exhausted and ready to go eat, we were greeted by blaring trumpets and marchers carrying blue and white flags. It was Greek Pride Parade Day – if you have never seen a parade in NYC before let me paint a picture. Millions of people lining a street waiving flags and yelling at the top of their lungs in their native language. You also cannot cross the street except for something like every 10 blocks. And our car just happened to be on the other side of this sea of blue and white flags.

Would You Give to the Poor on the Streets?

March 15, 2013

Brace yourself. I have a sweet story to tell instead of my usual anger WTF posts. LOL.

We encounter a lot of crazies in the city – the bum on bathsalts up on 30th Ave who always accuses me of stealing his toothbrush, the cabbie who purposely cuts you off to start a fight and makes sexual gestures I cannot describe in a ‘family friendly’ blog, creeps in your building who go through your children’s clothes in the dryer, so when there is a genuine person asking for help – you rarely turn an eye, let alone believe them.

Except for Claudio. He is always helping others in a city that is usually so rude and vain. If you saw him as a tourist, it would probably change your perception of New Yorkers. (Well, on MOST days – he still has the I LOVE TO BLOW MY HORN AT EVERYONE WHEN I DRIVE bug).
I always see him stop to help moms carry their strollers up or down if they’re entering when we are on the subway, he will join up with a good cause to help distribute clothes and food and diapers to those who lost their homes in Hurricane Sandy, and, like yesterday, when a man is begging for money on the streets to buy formula for his infant child, Claudio will stop, walk the man into the grocery store and buy the largest package of formula they have and hand it to them.

The man cried when Claudio handed it to him after the checkout, and walked away, not asking for anymore money.

The skeptic in me is still convinced he just walked down the street to return it to another store for money to buy drugs, but Claudio sees the good in people. It’s his belief that there is still honest good people that need help that gives me faith in humanity some days when I can’t deal anymore in this city.

So ask yourself – what would you do? Stop and buy the formula or keep walking?

I just thought it was cute to share as a reminder to give others a chance sometimes, because you never know who they might be or know how horrible their situation is – and even if it’s not for the best cause in the world – it’s better than you spending the money on another designer coffee or H&M sweater you’ll never wear.

Sometimes I need to sit back and appreciate the little things in life – like the fact that we might not be able to always buy everything we want, but we are blessed to be able to walk into a store and buy formula, not beg for money to feed our child on the streets. Could you imagine the feeling you must feel to see your own child go hungry? It breaks my heart. Even when you think you don’t have enough money, or space, or shoes, there is someone who would give ANYTHING to have what you have. So everyone pay it forward today a little!

xoxo

My Secret Valentine

February 15, 2013

I had to share this story as my civil duty to restore faith in humanity. I admit myself, especially living in NYC, that I don’t see a lot of genuine kindness throughout the day. Ride with me in the city for a few minutes dodging cabs and you’ll find yourself signing up for anger management classes.

Claudio was in Dallas for work all week, so I decided to drive to Pittsburgh and visit everyone instead of staying at home alone for 4 days. I was also in need of a mini vacation to revive and recharge outside of the city. Maximo went HAM (see definition in the Jay -Z and Kayne song here) everyday playing with so many kiddies I swear I need to start a daycare back in NYC now to keep him happy all day!

Claudio was landing back in NYC on Valentine’s Day evening, so we decided to drive back and meet him too since Maximo was missing his papi. The drive itself isn’t bad if you can break it up in the middle with a pit stop to swap a diaper and get some more gas and food. So when I saw Cracker Barrel coming up on the next exit, I didn’t think twice about making it my pit stop (if you know me, I pretty much stop anytime I see a Cracker Barrel, even if I just ate!) Dom – EAR MUFFS!! (that’s my trainer. He won’t be happy to know I stopped at CB).

I don’t notice until AFTER we sit down that all the tables surrounding us are STARING. Like uncomfortable staring. Then I realize – F. It’s Valentine’s Day. And I am sitting alone, with my infant son, and they are all looks of pity. I am pretty sure I even saw the one ladies eyes glistening with tears.

I am also sitting there FOR A WHILE before the waitress comes up and finally says, are you still waiting? No hunnie, it’s just me. The look of shock and sorriness overcomes here. She thinks she’s really offended me. And if I really WAS SINGLE, yeah that would be like taking a knife. But I am not, and I explain simply that we are traveling back to NYC.

It’s also the middle of NO WHERE PA, so as I am used to sitting alone to eat all the time in NYC, these people all probably think I am REALLY alone, and decided to suck it up and go to eat with Maximo, even though there is no man in my life. I am pretty sure not having a ring on my finger added to the sympathy votes.

Claudio is flying somewhere over Maryland with WIFI on his way back to NYC as well, so I text him about the situation and how silly I feel. Then I tell him how I see one of the tables call the waitress over and whisper something in her ear. I tell him I just KNOW it’s about me.

Sure enough once they leave, the waitress comes over to my table and lays my bill down saying someone paid for my meal this evening. My exact words to her? SHUT THE FUCK UP. (I think this was the same expression I told the NFL when they sent me to the super bowl, so I know my chance at politics is out – they would have to mute me anytime I was on television).

I was literally speechless. As I felt a little guilty because I truly am not single, it was really nice to know that someone was watching and thought I was a great mom from a far. And as a mom, a strangers approval speaks volumes.

I left the waitress the full bill plus tip as a tip to #payitforward, and was back on the road.

I just think it’s am important lesson to remember that 1. you never know who’s watching, and 2. simple random acts of kindness can restore your faith in humanity, and 3. sometimes it takes a stranger to remind us to slow down and appreciate the little things in life that make it worth living. Like Maximo spending his first Valentine’s Day with me – he truly was ‘the best Valentine I have ever had.’

Happy Cows, Farming and the truth about Milk

January 17, 2013

So I am watching Good Morning America this AM after my ass-kicking workout with Dom (Life by the Bells) and it’s like EVERYONE is jumping on the health kick wagon – they are showing you just HOW many calories (again) are in your favorite foods –

ex. this morning – Johnny Rockets

Double Bacon Cheeseburger
Sweet Potato Fries
Apple Pie Milk Shake (actual piece of Apple Pie blended into it. yes).

Take a guess? 3500 calories.

Um let’s say that again. 3500 – maybe spell it out T H I R T Y F I V E H U N D R E D C A L O R I E S.

The average person’s diet requires 1800 calories. That’s DOUBLE. Just do a double check when you walk outside on your lunch break – see all those over weight people walking around? Yeah, that’s why!

FLASSSSSSHBACK.

Last night I was laughing with Adam and Connie about MTV (yes we’re all 30 and still watch it, no judgement). We are addicted to Catfish, but the other show, Buck Wild is about these wild country folk growing up in West Virginia. While we were quite a bit more ‘wild’ than these people, I can’t help but laugh every time Claudio says, “look at you get all excited – it’s like you growing up!” Cause he is right! I did grow up a country girl, milking cows on the farm and all. (here’s proof – since I know you probably don’t believe me – these are REAL PHOTOS! Don’t Faint!!)

Yes we rode dirt bikes with no helmets in the woods, I would go deer hunting with my grandpa and was never afraid to jump in and cut it up and get bloody, and I was even kicked in the face by a cow once when I was milking them. Yes. True story. I have lots more – buuuuuuut, let’s space them out and save for later hahaha.

My Point.

on the farm with my dad after he was in the tornado – you can still see his stiches

I grew up on a dairy farm. We drank milk right from the cow. Not literally (stop picturing me sucking on an udder), but we milked the cow and then that’s what we had in the fridge – NO hormones, no antibioitcs, no pasturizing, no SKIM milk. Just pure, creamy milk. And it was delicious – and guess what – I NEVER DIED FROM IT.

SHOCKER.

Our cows were all ‘happy cows’ – grazing in the pastures, and we spent our days milking them and then out in the fields bailing hay and corn that we would chop and stock to feed them in the winter in a silo.

So I am just dumbfounded anymore when I go to a store and it says – “HEY GUESS WHAT! Our cows are happy cows! We’re Organic!! We graze in pastures!”

However, DID YOU KNOW – “organic pasture grazing means they get 4 MONTHS out of the year to graze. UMMMM that’s 1/3 the year. That’s it. That means the other 8 months they can be barricaded in a barn.

Just to clarify this – I am paying $5 for a half gallon of milk that they HAVE to let cows graze for 4 months. It’s like it’s an inconvenience for them. This was never an inconvenience for us. Having cows meant having pastures, just like going out for a drink meant you have to have money to tip the bartender. It’s just common sense.

It just seems odd to me that I am paying all this extra money for ‘organic’ milk – when I don’t even understand WHAT I am paying for?? It’s cheaper for them to add all those chemicals? Again, I never DIED or got sick from drinking milk from a cow and vegetables right out of the ground. Our Amish neighbors gave us eggs right from chickens (that were ‘free ranging’ all over their yards and even the road). In fact, I am pretty sure the reason I RARELY get sick, is because I have eaten these growing up – I built up my immune system to any ‘bacterias’ they claim they need to kill to sell in the store. Pretty sure most people back in the days used to eat and grow up this way too.

Remember old milk mans? They delivered it to the door in a glass jar? Pretty sure that wasn’t ‘pasteurized.’

So hopefully that makes you think before you buy items in the store anymore – remember ‘less is better’ and check the ingredients. Even if it says ‘organic’ make sure you know what that means too. No I doubt we can all have milk delivered daily from my grandparent’s dairy
farm – but to feel better and eat better you have to KNOW BETTER.

Just like one of my great friends Todd said in a Facebook status the other day –

Maybe the movie Wall-E isn’t far off – we might be only a few years away from all being fat and flying around in hovercrafts! Scary!

You’re welcome for the educational lesson today. Yes, I am a expert in dairy farming (WHO KNEW!) We were a Holstein dairy farm (that’s the black and white spotted cows lol) Feel free to shoot me any questions you might have about REAL farming.