Meals for a Family with a New Baby

Our longtime friends had a baby! We got to visit when he was just a week old. It was crazy holding him and thinking my baby was this small seven months ago. Where does the tininess go? Sigh. I really, REALLY miss it. Anyway, we're all hoping these two little boys will be the best of friends someday.

Since the mom was recovering from a Cesarean and they now have two kids under two (Remember when we met big sister?) we brought food, lots of food. For families with a new baby, I think it's more helpful to bring a whole day's worth of food rather than just dinner, if you can possibly manage it. The family's routine is off, they're sleep deprived, and I think it's sometimes harder to figure out what to eat for breakfast or lunch than what to eat for dinner. After all, you can always order a pizza for dinner, but you can't get breakfast delivered.

This particular family is kind of hard to make food for because the mom doesn't eat red meat, pork, or shellfish and toddlers are notoriously picky too. Plus, I think you have to be thoughtful about foods that might upset the baby's tummy if the mom is nursing. Broccoli, cabbage, onions, and excessive garlic can cause gas pain in newborns. Personally, I like to go easy on the dairy too, since many babies are lactose sensitive.

I did a lot of brainstorming to come up with a menu for them.
Breakfast: Cranberry scones (Joy of Cooking recipe, but I use craisins instead of currants)
Lunch: Veggie wraps (hummus, lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, carrot)
Dinner: BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches, carrot slaw
Dessert/Snack: Chocolate chocolate chip muffins

I wish I had done a spinach and mushroom quiche instead of the scones for added protein and nutrition and I also wish I had time to add another side dish for dinner (I would have made green beans sauteed with almonds) but I have a baby too and can't do everything. I have to keep telling myself, something is better than nothing.

If you're looking for meal ideas for your own meal deliveries, some other meal ideas I came up with but didn't use are:
Breakfast: pumpkin bread, banana bread, bagels and cream cheese, waffles, fritata, egg sandwiches
Lunch: chicken salad, tuna salad, chicken Cesar salad, quiche
Dinner: vegetarian taco bar with beans and Spanish rice, salmon pasta alfredo with garlic bread and veggies, pesto pasta, chili and cornbread, lasagne
Snacks: celery with peanut butter, veggies with onion dip, chips and salsa, oatmeal cookies, fruit salad

For more inspiration about delivering meals, you should check out the hospitality archives of the defunct blog Like Merchant Ships. Meredith has delivering beautiful, nutritious, affordable meals down to a science. Start here, here, here, or here.

Linking to Works for Me Wednesday.

Vote

If you haven't already, please go vote today. Although I almost never write about politics on this blog, it is a subject I feel passionately about. Women have been able to vote in this country for less than 100 years. All over the world, people are fighting for the right to vote, risking both jail and violence to do so. Don't squander your right.

I'm taking the baby with me to vote this afternoon, partially because I don't have childcare, but mostly because it's never too early for me to start indoctrinating him. The great thing about living in a swing state is that I feel like my vote really matters. The not so great thing is, of course, all the political ads. I can't wait for those to be over.

Chuk voted on Friday because he is working as an election official today. Do you realize the election officials make less than minimum wage and probably took a day off work to help keep our republic running smoothly? Please be nice to them. It's a long day at the polls for them. Chuk has to be there at 4:45 am and they told him he'd likely be there until after 8:00 pm.


If you live in the DC area, and still haven't figured out who you're voting for, this voter guide is very helpful. Unfortunately, I didn't discover it until I had already spent three hours Saturday night researching school board and city council candidates. Argh. I may love politics, but it turns out I don't love reading local election debate transcripts.

Getting Your Pumpkins to Last

As I've mentioned here a time or twelve, I'm pumpkin crazy. I love using pumpkins to decorate throughout the fall. They feel so autumnal to me and I like that they're also natural, affordable and disposable. Disposable is important when you live in a small apartment, like I do. I don't have the space to store decorations for every holiday and season.

I've kept pumpkins for up nine months before, but nowadays, I just want my pumpkins to last from the time I get them in September or October until the end of November. To keep my pumpkins looking nice and fresh and new throughout the season, this is what I do.

• I'm careful to pick pumpkins with no soft spots, blemishes on the skin, gouges, or mold at the base of the stem or on the bottom. You really have to check them carefully. So many, especially ones from the grocery store, are damaged and aren't going to last. 
• When I get them home I wash them thoroughly in the sink or tub to get off any dirt and to wash away any mold spores and excess bacteria. The mold and bacteria are what causes the pumpkins to soften and rot.
• Make sure they are very, very dry. I dry them with a towel and then let them sit on my cold stove burners for a few hours so air can circulate underneath the pumpkins. (You could also use cooling racks, like for baking.)
• When I'm sure they're clean and dry, I take it a step further and wipe them down with either rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or a bleach solution. This ensures you're really killing the bacteria and mold spores. Be sure you clean the bottom of the pumpkin and the base of the stem very well. 
• Let it dry again. This shouldn't take as long as before. Then you're ready to display them in a cool (room temperature is fine, but try to avoid keeping them right under your heating vents or near your radiator or fireplace) dry place.
• I rarely carve pumpkins anymore, but if you do carve them, be aware that they'll only last a day or two at the very most.

It sounds like a lot of steps, but they go by quickly. It actually takes less hands on time than arranging grocery store flowers in a vase and then you don't have to think about your decorations for three months, so it's totally worth it. That totally works for me.

Helping Your Newborn Stay Asleep

Whenever anyone asks my how my baby sleeps, I always answer a little sheepishly. My guy was sleeping seven hours straight at night before he was a month old. This usually make other parents jealous...or hate me.  While I think there's a lot that contributes to him being a good sleeper (not least of which is pure luck!) one thing we noticed in the beginning is we'd put him in his crib completely asleep and he'd wake up in a minute or two. We'd put him back to sleep, lay him in his crib and then he'd wake up again, over and over. My intuition told me it was going from the warmth of our arms to the cool sheet that was causing the problem.

Turns out, my intuition was right. (I later learned there is an actual response in babies called "sheet shock".) By simply putting a heating pad on his bed for a few minutes to warm up his sheets before we put him down, we never again had the problem of him waking up again right away. It was such an easy solution and since we already had the heating pad, it was free.

Now, most of the time we would take the heating pad out of the crib right before we put him in it, but as you can see from the pictures, sometimes we let him sleep right on the heating pad. Let me assure you, the times we did this, we turned off the heating pad before we put him on it. It is safest for there to be nothing in the crib with your child, but if you do allow your child to sleep with a heating pad, please make sure it is turned off first. Use common sense.

Using a heating pad to warm my son's bed worked for me very, very well. 

Maternity Clothes on the Cheap

I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy and I've spent less than $100 on maternity clothes. I've had a hard time finding national averages for how much women spend on maternity clothes, but I've seen estimates ranging from $400 on a bargain website to $1200 on MSN money. One of my favorite frugal bloggers, Penny Saver, who is a never-ending source of inspiration for me, spent almost twice as much as I did on her maternity wardrobe, so I think I'm doing pretty well.

The first thing I did was evaluate my existing wardrobe to see what would still fit my growing belly. I was surprised how much still works for me. I had two empire waisted tops, two turtlenecks, a long sleeved tee, two polo shirts, two sweaters, and five dresses that fit me. Serendipitously, I prefer shift and wrap dresses; both styles work well as maternity dresses. I also had one sweater dress and the knit simply stretches over my bump. Cardigans, scarves, jewelry and other accessories should not be overlooked either as all of these pieces will fit you throughout pregnancy. (Simply don't button the cardigan.)

I think one of the reasons I was successful at finding so many pieces in my own closet that work for me is that I was very careful in how I thought about things. I spent a lot of time going through everything and trying things on. Have you heard that saying that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time? Your potential maternity clothes are probably in the 80% of clothes you don't wear very often/have forgotten about. Seriously, take an afternoon and try a bunch of stuff on.

Though I already had a lot of stuff I could wear during my pregnancy, I had to buy a few things to fill in the gaps. I bought:
1) a maternity band, which helped me wear my regular jeans into the second trimester. This is the one I have. I don't know if it is better or worse than other types, I bought it because it was cheaper than others I saw.

2) maternity jeans. All of my pre-pregnancy pants are mid-rise, which are not very forgiving with a swelling abdomen. If you typically wear low rise pants, you may be able to get away with not buying maternity pants. I bought these maternity jeans when they were on sale. I had to get them hemmed (at my dry cleaner's) which added to the cost, but even with the cost of hemming they were WAY cheaper than any jeans I saw at specialty maternity stores.

3) two pairs of leggings. (In retrospect, I wish I had only bought one pair. I haven't needed two.) I knew I had a lot of dresses already in my wardrobe, so my plan was to pair them with leggings to get me through the winter. I bought these online from JC Penney when I bought the jeans.

4) a pair of pajama pants. (In retrospect, I wish I had bought two pair because I live in these.) I bought these from Old Navy. They are regular (non-maternity) PJ pants. I bought them two sizes bigger than my normal size and they are glorious. Hands down, my favorite outfit is one of my husband's undershirts and these oversized PJ pants. It is a personal tragedy for me that I can't wear it out of the house. I wear it to bed and for lounging, too.

5) extra undies. Some women, including me, develop a problem during pregnancy where it feels like your crotch is bruised. It's simply a result of increased blood flow to the region, the baby putting pressure down there, and your body loosening up. I heard going commando or wearing bigger panties can help. I bought new panties two sizes larger than what I usually wear. They are the granniest of granny panties, and you know what, I don't care one bit. They're comfy.

6) a caftan. I was given a caftan from this etsy store for Christmas. (I'm not counting its cost in my total since it was a gift.) It is incredibly comfy and though I just use it for lounging, theoretically I could wear it out too. I'm thinking about wearing it as my post-delivery coming home outfit since I think it will be easy to nurse in. I am also thinking about buying another one for post-pregnancy.

The reason I listed my sources for things (none of the links are affiliate links) is because I want you to notice that I didn't buy anything from a maternity store. Maternity stores are a rip off. You're going to pay a ton of money for poor quality clothes. I'd rather spend that money on cute baby clothes or on decorating the baby's room.

In summary, to save money on maternity clothes I would suggest you try to reuse as much of what you already have as you can. You should consider buying regular, non-maternity clothes two sizes bigger than what you normally wear because simply being labeled "maternity" carries with it a premium price. If you do need specific maternity clothes, shop sales and clearance at department stores rather than specialty maternity stores.

Maternity clothes are not investment pieces for the rest of your life; you're only going to wear them for a few months, so you might as well save some money on them. Although my maternity wardrobe is small (it all fits in one dresser drawer) I have more than enough to last me the whole pregnancy, spanning three seasons, and I don't feel like I'm wearing the same thing everyday. And even though I am a housewife, I daresay that my maternity wardrobe would work just as well if I worked in an office.

Preventing Food Spoilage

In the last ten years, I've never lived with more than one other person, yet I cook family-size meals and love to shop at Costco. You'd think I'd be throwing out rotten food all the time, but food almost never goes bad on me and I attribute it to this one little trick: I set my fridge for slightly cooler than is recommended. I haven't noticed any increase in my electricity bill, but I have noticed my milk and veggies stay fresh much longer than they would otherwise.

Having an extra cold fridge works for me.

Thanksgiving Prep

Chuk and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year. It's our first time. The year before last, we hosted Christmas for my family, so we're not completely inexperienced, but this time we're hosting Chuk's family and also I'm "large with child". (I''ve wanted to say that this whole pregnancy. I'm weird.) Somehow, it being my in-laws makes it more intimidating and, well, pregnancy just makes everything more difficult.

To keep myself sane, I've divided everything I need to get done into daily tasks in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. That way I never get overwhelmed and can keep my energy levels up. I think it's the best way to tackle any big project.

Everyone's to-do list is going to look different, but I find the most helpful thing in planning for an event like Thanksgiving is to clean out your fridge first. Toss anything you're not going to eat (I'm looking at you weird olives that came in that gift basket) or that has gone bad (like that bottle of almost empty mustard that was "best by" Oct 2010.) No one likes to waste food, but this is the time to be ruthless.

Once you've cleared it out, wash all the shelves in the fridge so they're sparkling clean. Finally reorganize the remaining food in a way that 1) makes sense to you, and 2) leaves large spaces empty for all the holiday food you're going to be cramming in there over the next week. If you're like me you'll have lots of little bits of food that need to be eaten up before you go shopping again. Point these foods out to everyone in your family and tell the goal is to have them gone by X date.

Another way I keep myself sane when hosting holidays, is I ask the guests to help. I normally don't ask guests to bring things when I'm hosting, but somehow, in my mind, holidays have a different set of rules. There is a lot of food to make and I have a small apartment and an even smaller kitchen.

We've asked Chuk's sister and brother-in-law to bring pumpkin and pecan pies. (I'm praying they make them themselves and don't buy frozen.) And we've asked my father-in-law, who doesn't cook at all, to bring things we don't mind him buying at the store: appetizers, rolls, and cranberry sauce. Chuk and I (and by "Chuk and I" I mean I) will be making the bulk of the meal: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and possibly glazed carrots. Chuk's sister called him last night and told him she was also going to bring apple sauce because their mom always made homemade apple sauce for holiday meals.

How are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year and what are you eating? I think it's so interesting how every family seems to have a pretty rigid Thanksgiving menu, but that it seems to vary from family to family. For instance, Chuk's family always had apple sauce and rolls, but never sweet potatoes. We never had apple sauce and rarely had rolls, but always had sweet potato casserole and brussel sprouts.

Packing Light

I used to pack an obscene amount when I travelled. I always worried about contingencies. What if it rains every day of a two week trip? Alternatively, what if there's a heat wave every day of the trip? I would pack for both and then have a month's worth of clothes for a two week trip.

When I was fifteen I left the country for the first time on an eighteen day trip to Europe. If memory serves, I took five big bags. I had so much that in the tiny Parisian hotel room I was sharing with two other girls, there was not enough room for my luggage and I had to leave two of my bags in the hallway.

Many years later in life, while backpacking around China, I realized I hardly needed anything to travel. I was away for several months with only what I could carry one my back. It was incredibly liberating. I love the feeling that I can make do with very little.

For this ten day trip to Alaska, I have only brought what I can fit in a carry-on suitcase. The suitcase is full, but I do not need to expand the bag or sit on it to close it. Honestly, I could have brought less too, but I need options since the ship has what sounds like a pretty strict dress code.

Including what I'm wearing on the plane, I have packed:

2 pairs of jeans
5 tops
1 sweater
1 velvet blazer
1 dress
10 pairs of underwear
11 pairs of socks
3 bras
1 bathing suit
1 bathing suit cover up
1 pair of pyjamas
1 pashmina wrap
1 pair of flip flops
1 pair of shoes
12 AA batteries (for my camera)
toiletries and makeup
5 pairs of earrings and a bracelet
windbreaker/raincoat
sunglasses

I plan to wear each top twice, mixing the look up with the blazer, sweater, wrap, and jewelry. I'm sure you realize that choosing pieces that match with everything else allows you to pack lightly, but I think it's important to recognize that choosing a color palate is important.

I know mixing brown and black is all the rage now, but I'm not feeling it. I choose either black or brown as my base neutral and work from there. You can see that everything I picked for this trip is black, grey or white. This is allows me to bring only one pair of shoes and and one set of accessories. In my everyday life, I normally wear a lot more color than this, but for a week and a half, I can deal with being drab. Besides, I have a bright blue wrap to add color and my jewelry adds color too.

In the same way that I base my clothes off a brown or black palette, I choose to either bring silver jewelry or gold jewelry so that I can mix and match pieces. On this trip, this isn't so much a factor because I'm not bringing necklaces that need to coordinate, but in general, I find the principle helpful.

What has really freed me from bringing everything but the kitchen sink when I travel is the awareness that if I really need something and didn't pack it, I can just buy it there. Even if I'm traveling to a remote developing nation, chances are, if it's something I REALLY need, they'll have it. And you know what, in all my travels, and I travel quite a bit, I have only ever not brought something I needed twice.

Once, I went on a long weekend trip to Pennsylvania Amish country and I was staying in a hostel because I was traveling alone. I forgot to bring a towel. (Hostels usually don't provide towels.) The first night, when I realized my mistake, I dried off with my dirty clothes when I got out of the shower. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world to do, but I lived. Then the next day I went to a store and bought a towel. It was ugly and brown and scratchy, but it got the job done for the next few days. No biggie.

Another time, I was in Africa and was bitten by something and was having a terrible allergic reaction to it. It was actually pretty frightening. My entire face was swollen and burning. (I was traveling alone then too.) I didn't have any benadryl, but I was able to stay calm and look on the internet for the name of the active ingredient in benadryl. (Benadryl is just a brand name and therefore can be called different in different parts of the world.) I wrote the name of the medicine down on a scrap of paper and took it to the pharmacy. Turns out, they didn't have benadryl, but they gave me some other type of antihistamine and again I lived to tell the tale.

Moral of the story, even if you do have to buy something, chances are it'll cost you less to buy it than it will to check a bag on an airplane. Even if you're not traveling by plane, schlepping around a bunch of luggage is a pain in the butt and makes you more likely to leave something behind. Though I'm not a minimalist in my everyday life, I like to travel like I'm one.

Do you pack a lot or a little?

The Big Talk About Grown Up Decisions

Isn't my niece the cutest? I just want to gobble her up.

Chuk had a bad day at work which was the catalyst for a "come to Jesus" talk tonight. Long story short, his job is in danger. This is hugely problematic since he is our only wage earner. Besides the financial strain, he's feeling extra stressed because he has to be perfect at work. Even one little mistake could result in termination.

I don't know what your partner is like, but mine doesn't like to talk about his problems. However, we've found that when we are both open to talking about what we're going through it brings us closer together. I work hard to encourage him to talk about what's going on by being persistent, asking open ended questions, helping him to verbalize emotions, and being sympathetic. Even though this process can sometimes be exasperating for me, the emotional intimacy is totally worth it. If your partner isn't forthcoming, it really is a worthwhile skill to work on together. I'll get off my soapbox now.

We made a "worst case scenario" plan in case he does lose his job and that helped us both feel a lot more secure. At this point, the WCS plan is for Chuk to move to a smaller apartment, go to grad school in the fall (as planned) and work at a part-time retail job, while I would get a job teaching English in Korea and send remittances home. Yes, this plan would suck because we'd be apart, but it would only be for two years. Besides, people all over the world do this type of thing everyday, so I'm sure we could manage it too.

The non-worst case scenario plan is for Chuk to bust his butt at work for the next two months, or so, to remind everyone how indispensable he is. He will mind all his Ps and Qs, put in longer hours, take lunch breaks outside his office so his "off the clock" time isn't confused with slacking, and he will not use the internet for any personal reason at all. I will pick up more slack at home so he can go to bed earlier and make him lunch everyday so he can be early to work. Additionally, I will stop looking for permanent work (not that I was looking all that hard before) and instead try to start working with another temp agency since I have not been getting very many assignments anymore. We will use any money I make to bolster the emergency fund...which thankfully, we do have.

The reason I won't be looking for permanent work is because we are OFFICIALLY trying to have a baby now. (I likely wouldn't make enough money to cover the exorbitant cost of child care in this area and, no judgement, we agree that we would prefer a parent stay home with any child(ren) we may have. It doesn't really make sense for me to get a job only to have to quit after a few months.) We even looked at ovulation charts and I made an inspiration board for how to convert our guest room/office to a baby room/office. At this point, the plan is for me to temp before and into my pregnancy, and then try and babysit another child once our baby is a few months old and I've gotten into the swing of things, to contribute to our income.

So there you have it internet, we're talking about job loss, big moves, future careers, babies, and money. We made a big life plan and a big life contingency plan. I'm feeling very adult.

Help Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

Sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) I have a hard time getting up in the morning. This is particularly a problem when I have to wake up to catch an early flight, or something similar, because usually I'm going to bed late and I have the added anxiety that I'll sleep through my alarm.

What works for me is to set my "water alarm" in addition to my regular alarm clock. Chuk makes fun of me for this, but it totally works. I drink a full glass of water right before going to bed and then when the alarm goes off I have extra motivation to get up and out of bed quickly rather than hitting the snooze button.

When you can't get a full night's sleep, how do you make sure you get up on time?

Sofa Fabric

Yay! I'm so glad you all approve of my fabric choice. Here's a little more information on it. I got it at Ikea for $2.99/yard. (Actually, I got the first 4.75 yards at $1/yard because they rang it up wrong and I didn't realize until later.) Unfortunately, I don't see it on the website anymore, so maybe that's why it was on sale.

It does have a kind of canvas feel to it and it's reversible so I didn't have to worry about a "wrong side" when I was sewing. The thin stripes look black in the pictures but are navy blue, so it matches the navy accessories I already had in the room. I was a little nervous about sewing stripes because I didn't want them to be wavy, but the stripes actually helped me sew a straight line, so it was a good thing.

For the record, I had my sewing machine for over a year before I ever attempted to sew anything. I was totally scared too, but now I'm loving it. If your fear is holding your back, I say go for it anyway. Other than threading the machine and bobbin, it's totally not as hard as you think.

Drying Berries Without Crushing Them

I don't know about you, but we've been eating berries like crazy around here. To improve the longevity of your berries, you shouldn't wash your them until right before you eat them. After washing, use your salad spinner to dry the berries. It's works so well and doesn't damage the fragile fruit at all. It also works great on cherries.

It works for me!

Avoiding the Fashion Police

Now that the weather is getting warmer, most of the shoes I'm wearing don't look good with socks, but wearing shoes without anything is uncomfortable for me.

A few years ago, when they first came out, I would wear peds most of the time, but they would either slip off the back of my foot or would be visible around the edge of my shoe. It wasn't ideal.

The solution that works for me is to do what my grandmothers would have done. (Isn't that so often the answer?!) I wear knee-high nylons. They're not as hot and constricting as full stockings, but don't slip off my feet or show like peds. Now, I'm not advocating wearing knee-highs with skirts and dresses (à la Vicki Lawrence in Mama's Family) but with pants, they're totally invisible.

Cute Overload

Chuk and I got these two bathing suits for our little six-month old niece. Why do they have to make kids' clothes so freaking cute? I thought I didn't have a biological clock, but then I see the clothes and my clock starts ringing like crazy.

It all started when a guy at my temp job brought in his less than one-year old daughter. She was the most beautiful child I have ever seen in my life. Seriously. Not cute, beautiful. I got to hold her and play with her and ever since I've been ruined. I see babies everywhere now and I just want to hold them and kiss their chubby little cheeks. I have to hold myself back because I'm sure their parents wouldn't want some crazy stranger grabbing them and kissing them.

Now, if you're like me and seeing cute little babies (or even cute little baby clothes) tempts you to do some unauthorized cuddling with the nearest child, then do what I do. 1) Clean cat pee up off your carpet or 2) Read the blog post from November 5 here. It helps take the baby cravings away.

Cutting a Man's Hair

Chuk used to get his hair cut at those $13 walk-in places, which was fine. He cut my hair, which was, until fairly recently, just long and straight. It was easy for him. All he had to do was cut a straight line across.

At some point, I don't remember how or who brought it up, we decided I would try cutting HIS hair. Boy hair is intimidating. There are "machines" involved. But Chuk's not very vain and I am pretty adventurous, so we decided to go for it. We went to Target and bought the second cheapest hair cutting set they had. (The cheapest one, which Chuk tried to convince me to buy, was for African-American hair. Hair texture matters in these things, I think.) It cost $20 or $25, the cost of two haircuts with tip.

I was totally scared the first time I cut it. I had no idea what I was doing. I just followed the instructions that came with the kit. It was not hard, but I went slowly because of my nerves. The cut turned out fine.

I've been cutting his hair for probably the last six months or so now. It takes me about 15 minutes start to finish, including his inspection of my work and sweeping. It's certainly faster than the walk-in places and they're pretty much free hair cuts at this point, which we appreciate too. The set has a five year warranty, so if we figure that the set will last for five years and I give him one haircut a month, each haircut is about $0.50 each. Not bad.

If you've thought about cutting your guy's hair, I say go for it. Seriously, it's easier than you think, and much easier than using scissors. If you follow the instructions and go slowly, you won't screw it up. I promise.

Before


After

Tip for Adding Images to Your Blog Entries

The oldest known photograph in the world was taken by Nicéphore Niépce in 1825.

I’m not normally one to give blogging tips because I’m still a newbie blogger and don’t really know what I’m doing, but I have figured one thing out that has been really helpful for me. Maybe you’re all already doing this, and if you are, please let me live in my delusional world thinking I’m clever to figure out this little cheat.

I like to include pictures with most of my posts, but sometimes I don’t have or can’t take a photo of what I want to go with the post. In that case, Wikipedia has been a wonderful resource for copy write-free, open source pictures. And because Wikipedia has entries on just about everything, chances are, you can find a picture of what you need without violating any intellectual property laws.

Of course there’s a catch, and that is that most of the people who post the pictures on Wikipedia entries (i.e. the people who own that image) specify that the picture be used for non-commercial purposes only. So if you make money off your blog through advertisements, sponsors, etc. you probably would still have to get permission from the artist to use the image.

To make sure you’re not infringing on anyone’s rights, when you click on the image you want, it will enlarge it. Below the image there’s a summary with a description, date, artist information and permissions. The permissions will tell you where and how you can use it in plain language. For most of them, you’re able to use them willy-nilly for non-commercial purposes or you may be asked to credit the source. Either way though, it’s not a big deal.

Nearly un-fettered access to millions of pictures to use on my blog works for me.

Natural Mood Improvement

Sometimes I just don’t feel like myself. I’m not as cheerful as I want to be. I feel melancholy and lethargic. I just have the blahs. A lot of it results from circumstances that are beyond my control; in the last two years, I’ve lost both a parent and a grandparent and have been dealing with chronic unemployment.

How I deal with these feelings is within my control though. The following three homeopathic remedies for non-clinical depression have worked for me and the results are supported by emerging science.

Vitamin D: According to Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., vitamin D is essential to the brain. "The new research is confirming previous observations that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of depression." (source) Vitamin D is particularly helpful for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder. Vitamin D increases levels of serotonin, a hormone in the brain that alters mood. (source) According to Dr. Marcelle Pick, most medical practitioners agree that normal neurotransmitter function depends in part on adequate vitamin D synthesis. (source)

You can get vitamin D from the sun, but if you work inside or live where there isn’t much sun during the winter months, you may not be getting enough. I take a supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D each day, though the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food and the US Food and Nutrition Board both say that one can safely have up to 2000 IU per day. (source) I’ve noticed a change in my mood even with this relatively small dose.

B Vitamins: According to Dr. Hall-Flavin, B vitamins play a role in the production of certain brain chemicals that are important in regulating mood and other brain functions. (source) The first clinical effects of insufficient vitamin B complex are mood changes, insomnia, and changes in appetite. B vitamins play an important role both in alleviating depression and in relieving the anxiety and restlessness which often accompanies it. (source)

B vitamins are a group of compounds that are similar in structure but chemically distinct. I take a supplement of vitamin B complex, which includes each of these eight different compounds in amounts very close to the recommended daily allowance.

Exercise: Exercise releases neurotransmitters and endorphins in the brain, which may relieve depression symptoms. (source) One study showed that after sixteen weeks, patients who exercised reduced their depression symptoms as much as those taking antidepressants. (source) “Another study examined how much cardiovascular exercise was needed to see changes in mood among those with mild to moderate major depressive disorder. Those in the group that exercised at moderate intensity three to five days a week for about 40 minutes showed the biggest decrease in depressive symptoms compared with those who exercised less, or just did stretching.” (source)

I don’t get nearly the exercise I should because I’m one of those people who hates exercise. I have recently recommitted to resuming walking for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week. It’s free and should help me boost my vitamin D levels too.

I am not a doctor; I’m just telling you what has worked for me. Depression is a serious medical condition and if you suspect you have it, you should talk to your doctor about it. However, what I describe falls within medically accepted parameters for health and nutrition with few side effects for an otherwise healthy person. It has improved my mood and may help you too.

Experimenting with Pennsylvania Dutch BBQ

When I read Margo’s recipe for "barbeque", I too had been snowed in for a week and was in need of comfort food using only ingredients I had on hand. I mean, I couldn’t very well go to the store with an unplowed street and about 3 feet of snow on the ground. As soon as I read her recipe, I knew I would make it. I had a package of ground turkey in the fridge (leftover from our aborted Super Bowl party) and a lot of onions.

She doesn’t lie. The recipe is delicious and comforting and makes your house smell wonderful. I made the recipe as she posted it (except for substituting ground turkey for ground beef) on Thursday and served it with a carrot salad. Then tonight I mixed the leftover meat with some rice (leftover from another meal) and stuffed it into bell peppers and baked them. It was delicious that way too.

If you’re looking for a yummy, homey meal, give Margo’s recipe a try.

Computer Crash

Unfortunately, my computer crashed the day before yesterday for no apparent reason. Maybe the fact that it's almost six years old had something to do with it? Fortunately, I married someone who is much more computer savvy than I am and he was able to fix it (by reinstalling Windows) without losing any of my data.

It is a scary moment when you can't get your computer to turn on, even in safe mode. It is a scarier moment when your husband has your computer case opened up on the floor and is pulling out handfuls of wires and circuit boards. I hadn't backed my data up since November. He had to pull out my hard drive and hook it up to his computer before he could copy my computer's data onto our external hard drive. Lesson learned. I need to back up more frequently.

How often do you back up? If you don't have an external hard drive, I highly recommend you get one. It makes backing up so much easier, and in the case of an emergency, you can just grab the hard drive and run out of the house, which you can't really do if you have a desktop computer.

Another recommendation about computers: I think it is wise when shopping for a computer to buy the absolute best one you can afford even if it is overkill for your current needs. That way as technology improves, you can grow into your computer instead of needing to upgrade. Had I bought a basic computer six years ago, I would have already had to replace it. I expect to get another year or two of life out of this one (I did install more memory last fall) which is much longer than most people keep their computers.

This is also a good strategy because it reduces cyber waste, which is a significant environmental problem. PBS aired a great Frontline special about this several months ago. If you're interested in the topic, you can find it online here.

Quick Tips for Bras

Since I've already told you all about my deodorant, I thought I'd just go ahead and make this TMI week here at Unintended Housewife.

When my in-laws were here last weekend, we did our Christmas gift exchange. As usual, I got a crisp $50 bill, among other things! Guess what I'm going to do with it. What I do with it every year: buy new bras.

For a long time I adjusted my bras incorrectly. Once I figured out what I was doing wrong, it changed everything. I'm voluptuous, so support is important.

When you buy a new bra, find one that feels a little tight on the loosest hook. Bras stretch over time, so you want to be able to use the tighter hooks as the bra loses elasticity.

Most of the bra's support should be coming from the back, not the straps. If you've got your straps cinched tightly or they're digging into your shoulders, it's probably an indication that you need a smaller back size. Loosen the straps, but tighten the back. It will feel better instantly.

Though the back size you're wearing is probably too big, your cup size is probably too small. The cup should hold all of your breast tissue, including the tissue on the sides and at the top. I can't tell you how many women I see with quad-boobs because their bra cup is cutting into their breast. (Yes, I can see it through their tight shirts.)

Even if you know your size, you should still try bras on before you buy because each manufacturer makes each bra differently. This drives me crazy because I prefer shopping online, but I always try bras on.

If you're going to wear a white or light colored top, choose a nude bra. I once had an ex-boyfriend who called these "granny-colored" bras. They may not be sexy, but they're very necessary. White shows through white. Similarly, if you're wearing a dark top, it's best to wear either a nude bra or a black bra because a light colored bra shows through black clothing if a flash photograph is taken.