Our new gym.

Last night I was lying in bed with Chowder curled up next to me, and suddenly I rolled over and woke to this sharp sharp pain in my arms.  What on earth is happening?! In a half awake state, I thought maybe the cat had bit me, or possibly someone was in our house, robbing us, taking my child, and stabbing my arm
Well, a mother worries.
Turns out, I am just extraordinarily out of shape, and the 45 minute yoga class I had taken that morning was making itself known.

It was pretty shocking for me to feel so incredibly butt-kicked after one Sunday morning yoga class.  There was a time when I was doing yoga 5 days a week.  When I was younger I was a competitive gymnast, and swimmer.  A dancer, too.  

So, how on earth did this happen?  

You know, when you become a mommy, you realize what it means to live an active life.  I have never considered myself really out of shape, especially since Violet was born.  If I'm not literally carrying all 30+ lbs. of her around like a pack mule, I am constantly running after her, or pushing her in the stroller...  bending down, standing up, lifting up, lifting down, etc.....
But, here's the thing:  it is not a complete self that I have been exercising.  It is the mommy-self, with the mommy muscles, and the mommy endurance, which isn't nothing...   but all of my other muscles; my body in its complete form; as well as my mind, have been feeling a bit neglected lately.
We all know how important exercise is, but I am realizing that the key to feeling better is actually taking the time to exercise in a way that is 1) intentional, and 2) enjoyable.   It's giving myself the gift of a true full body workout that has nothing to do with errands that need running, or being a mommy; Not allowing myself to be satisfied with two weekly turtle-paced walks to the library with Violet in hand.

In short, Tyler, Violet, and I are joining a gym.  This is big news for us.  It was a more complex decision than one might initially think--

Our goal was to find one with: 

1) childcare 

2) yoga and step classes (for me :) 

3) a pool  

And, (here's the tricky part) it had to be affordable.  Like, REALLy affordable.  

Also, scrupulously clean--  or at least appear that way.  I have a bit of a phobia of dirty gyms.   

We went on a bit of a gym hunt, and this is the gem-of-a-gym that we found.  It's a YMCA in Shoreline.  A little farther away than we had hoped for, but really only a 25 minute drive if we go in the middle of the day or weekends (which is what we're planning on).  

I think it's going to be really good for all of us.  Physically, mentally, a few steps in the right direction.  Also, they offer tons of classes for kids as Violet gets older-- swimming, dance, soccer....  all very fun.  

Thank You!

Certainly it must have something to do with the outpour of love and support I have received from all of you out there who read my last blog---   All of your good thoughts must have combined into one beautiful cloud of sleep dust that settled onto our home last night, because finally, after several weeks of no sleep, the Sprague family finally slept [with only one small night waking at 1am, and of course our "normal" 5:30 am rising].  But no hourly tears.  No bad dreams.  Just one night of sweet sleep.  

And the little thing woke up happy; singing to herself and reading Harold and the Purple Crayon to her animals at dawn.    

I am praying, begging, aching for this to last.  

Even the cat behaved himself!  

It is amazing what one small beautiful night of sleep can do.  We all felt so clear and happy and crisp today.  Many of the hard 3-year old moments were replaced with moments like these...  

In Remembrance of Sleep

I remember sleep.
The last time I saw sleep in its most complete and beautiful form was January 27th.
No joke.

This not sleeping--  I've heard it's a 3 year old thing, or 2 year old thing---  who knows.  I definitely feel as though I've written this same posting before...  But it's definitely become more and more of an issue lately.  On average I've been up with Violet around 4 times a night.  She wants water; she wants to rock with me in the rocking chair; she wants her heater on, or off.  She simply wants me, and she is most desperately sad about it.  
She comes pitter-pattering down the hallway and shows up at the foot of our bed.  She climbs in, wanting to sleep with us, then a few minutes later decides that no, actually, she wants to be back in her own bed.  So, off we go, back and forth and back and forth, two ladies wandering through the house in the wee small hours of the morning.


Well, then there is the cat.  Every time the little cat gets pushed out of place by the little girl next to me in bed, he remembers The Foot-Monster.  Some of you who own cats might know what I'm talking about.  It's our bed-feet that he attacks over and over again, with every tiny toe-move; we are finally settling back into sleep, and this lunatic cat is jumping around the bed like Zoro or Peter Pan, determined to kill whatever is under the blanket.
Friends, let me tell you, it's a three-ringed circus.  My only comfort is talking with other mommies, and realizing that this nightly charade is going on in other households.  Surely, soon, this phase will end-- right?

Sweet photo, maybe.  But those are some SERIOUS bags, mama!

    

Beer Baked Trout and Savoy Cabbage

Ok, mommies:    Violet has gotten a bit picky with her food lately.  This is a new thing for us, as she has always been very adventurous with food, and honestly up until now the only thing she has refused to eat is zucchini (and, at one point, watermelon).  I blame the soon-to-be-coming birthday #3.  Age 3, I can already tell, is going to be an entirely new game.  It comes with a fairly strong will, hourly battles over wanting this and not wanting that,  along with sugar sweet moments of huge brown eyes staring into my soul as she says "mama, I love you SOOOO much!".  

Also, nightmares (but that, I think, is another post).  

Anyway, in our house we have never had much patience for picky eaters.  You eat what we make, and if you don't like it, then you can just not eat.  Ok, that's fine, except that if Violet doesn't eat much dinner then she doesn't sleep well at night (and our nights are hard enough as is without her waking up hungry in the wee hours of the morning).  So, really, getting her to eat dinner is a necessity for the sanity of the entire household.  

Well, tonight I made an easy and very tasty dinner that my girl loved!  Savoy cabbage pan fried in butter with caraway seeds and rosemary (and did I mention butter?), and trout, baked in beer.  --served with leftover cheesy mashed potatoes and a diced tomato salad (just to add a little color to this very british looking plate). 

Recipes?  Yes! Enjoy :)     

Beer Baked Trout 

2 trout 

1/2 bottle of light beer (I used Heineken) 

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic chopped in half 

salt, pepper 

Heat over to 400F.  

Oil a large baking dish, and rinse and pat dry fish (inside and out).  

Place fish in baking dish and stuff with onions, garlic, salt and pepper.  

Pour beer over and inside fish.  

Cover baking dish with tin foil, and bake for about 15-20 minutes (until fish-skin peels off easily, and the meat flakes nicely with a fork).  

Serve with lemon to your toddler, being very very careful to pick out all of the little tiny bones.  If your toddler is like mine, she will eat almost the entirety of two whole trout in one sitting.  

Pan Fried Savoy Cabbage  

1 small savoy cabbage chopped into thin strips.   

2/3 stick butter 

2 Tbs olive oil 

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 

1 Tbs roughly chopped rosemary

1 good shake of caraway seeds (maybe about 1/4 tsp?)   

Melt oil and butter in a large pan over med/low heat.  Add onion and rosemary, and cook until soft (around 10 minutes).  

Add cabbage, and stir fry over med/high heat for another 10 minutes, or until soft and slightly caramelized.  Add caraway seeds, and cook for about 1 minute more. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Valentine's Day

Our home is full of love.  Along with dust and cat hair, it's settled quietly on everything--  our old green couch; boxes of outdated textbooks and unfinished artwork; photo albums from college when we were and weren't dating; Violet's baby clothes; your jar of bottle caps.

Yet, among the clutter of our everyday life-marriage-parenting, Valentine's Day is fun, and special.  

-An excuse for me to remind you that -- freshly, newly, presently-- still you spark my interest; through the lull of daily life, I continue to choose you.  And this little empire we have built within this small apartment, with a short-stack dictator who we both raise and obey-- it's all side-lines to my love for you.

Your ladies adore you, and the little one made you this parade.  

Pals

Is it selfish and horrible and weird to envy the bond your daughter has developed with the new cat?    Tyler and I have been sulking around, pouting a bit;  Chowder is WAY more excited about Violet than he is about us.  He has to stand there and literally watch her bedroom door close at night, proof that she's gone to bed, before he turns his attention to us, and even then he usually isn't too horribly interested in us; he's mostly just blue that his partner in crime has gone away for the night.

Well, they are sweet together.  

Also, I have had a horrible cold these past few days, so it has been nice to be able to send them both down the hallway with a string or ball, while I sit on the couch and drink tea and cough.  Photos:  

Making a cat-food/little-people parade.

Chowder, helping make an animal/pen party.

Playing in the dollhouse.

Sharing the rocking chair.

Washing hands.

Violet set Chowder up with a blanket, and some toys before  dinner.

Eating dinner. 

Brushing teeth. 

Getting ready for bed.  :) 

Turkey Tetrazinni

Well, in between our meals thrown together with beans, beans, and more beans, every once in a while we really shake things up and buy a chicken, or a turkey.  Did you know you can buy turkeys all year long?  Look for them.  They are there, and they are often on sale when no one is looking.
I feel a lot less horrible buying a turkey than I do a flat of mechanically separated chicken legs.  Maybe I'm telling myself stories, but I really feel like we use every single bit of the animal when we buy a turkey.  It seems to carry itself into a multitude of soups, sandwiches, casseroles, broths, satays, etc.....
Tonight, we found ourselves in the glorious land of Turkey Tetrazinni.    

This recipe is another one from my mom's newest rendition of The Family Cookbook.  I think it was originally my Aunt's recipe, although it must have transformed over the years, because my Aunt famously does not care for mushrooms, and this thing has as many mushroom bits as turkey bits in it... so who knows what happened there.  Anyway, it is the BEST Turkey Tetrazinni recipe I have ever tried, and my own mother recently even upped its glory by adding a can of chopped artichoke hearts.  I made this for dinner, had two helpings, and I might go for a third after my sudoku tub hour tonight.

Turkey Tetrazinni 


8 oz spaghetti, broken in half
1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms 

2 Tb plus 1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup milk

2 cups chicken or turkey broth 

3 Tb sherry
a tomato, sliced thin
fresh basil, or a bit of dried
3-4 cups cooked turkey
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

Heat oven to 350
Boil and drain spaghetti
Stir fry mushrooms and green pepper in 2 TB butter until slightly soft; Set aside.
Melt 1/4 cup butter.  Whisk in flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and cook until bubbly (just a few minutes)
Stir in broth and milk.  Bring to boil over medium heat, and boil 1 minute.
Whisk in sherry.
Add sauce to cooked spaghetti, along with turkey, green pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and egg yolk.
Pour into 2 qt baking dish.  Arrange tomato slices and basil on top.  Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered 25 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.