Month: January 2010

The tadpoles are interesting. The one that seemed to be in poor health is almost a frog. He’s just got a little bit of his tail left. His name is Chance. The one we named Killer looks… well, they say they all develop at different rates. His legs are still puny compared to what Chance’s legs looked like after he sprouted arms. His arms are getting bigger, but not much. His head still looks like a catfish head. We’re watching and waiting to see what happens.

The presents were pretty cool. The green Christmas mugs don’t have to be confined to Christmas, do they? They make great lingering around the home with a warm cup of tea mugs. I eventually plan to play dress up with Tati and take pictures. Santa left her another trunk of clothes, so I’m planning to make a day of it when I can.

Thanks a bunch. Not entirely sure what’s going on up there, but I see that you’ve been reading. That’s alright by me. I don’t know if I’m ready for “peace talks” so to speak, but I think we might be on the path to them.

This will be the last three day weekend I have until Memorial Day weekend in May, unless I take any days off. Since I currently do not have a TEAMS status position, I wouldn’t get paid for the day off and would likely not choose to take a day off unless it was absolutely necessary. No, I only have half-days to look forward to when I have to take one of the kids to the doctor’s office. (I could send Brian with three kids in tow, but that would be absolutely cruel and heartless on my part, wouldn’t it? 😉 I’m not that mean even when I’m angry with him.) So all that being said, I’m so very grateful for my day off. I know there are plenty of people who still have to work today, including my apartment complex’s staff. I’m grateful for the reason I have the day off. While I’m not a minority, I am a woman. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s civil rights movement paved the way for other movements to achieve equal rights. His work was very admirable in that he chose the peaceful path to fight for equal rights. Many activists can learn a thing or two from MLK’s work. Thank you, MLK, for your work — and for the day off.

[January 17th] Day of Mindfulness

In my endeavors to be mindful today, I thought about ingredients I was putting into food products as I created them. I sat and enjoyed the windy weather blowing in through the windows while listening to the sounds of usually nocturnal bugs chirping in the damp woods. I realized how truly blessed I am to have all the things I do. So many people — some I know, some I’ll never meet — have lost loved ones. Today someone I know lost an infant niece, and I have been very mindful of how fragile our babies can be. I’ve very consciously enjoyed my youngest in all his seemingly healthy glory.

I experimented in the kitchen again. After enjoying a slice of pumpkin loaf from Starbucks, I really wanted to have more pumpkin goodness at hand. The thought of four eggs in a recipe kind of repulsed me in the sense that — even if it made two loaves (or a loaf plus 12 muffins) — it seems too excessively fatty. So, a few substitutions to bring down the fat content and increase the fiber content, and I had fresh pumpkin muffins and a lovely loaf. The slices of my pumpkin loaf even seemed to keep shape better than usual — I  have a very bad habit of cutting my breads too soon, even when I give them time to cool. I also made a batch of peanut butter banana oatmeal muffins. That’s a mouthful and a half, but the point was to create a high fiber, low-fat, high protein treat. I used yogurt in place of milk and added walnuts. They came out fabulous. I’m very pleased with the results of today’s kitchen experiments, and I know I’ve got some healthy options for when hunger strikes between meals. I love getting a load of nutrients in a nice hand-held package.

[January 16th] Yawn: “Yawn. It’s one of the best things you can do for your brain.” – Andrew Newburg for Penn Gazette (read the full article)

(I have again sent you first to The Mindfulist.) I yawned several times while reading the article, which does in fact state that reading about yawning will make you yawn. It brings up the issue in our society in which we consider yawning to be a rude action. Looking at yawning through this article really made me think more about the function as the yawns occurred. The idea that the yawn is to the brain what the fan is to the computer seems very intriguing to me. I’ve always been a little curious about neurological functions, though. I’m a thinker who enjoys thinking about thinking.

Sometimes I simply amaze myself when I set foot into the kitchen. I walk in there with ideas and goals, and I walk out with food in my face and my belly. (It’s no wonder I’ve played yo-yo with my weight over the years.) I’m so grateful to have a very workable knowledge of cooking and baking in order to feed my body, mind, and soul. I’ve definitely developed into a foodie.

I’m grateful for this glorious three day weekend during which I can either be productive or lazy. I suspect I’ll try a combination of the two, seeing as how life is pretty unpredictable with a baby.

Last night I was in the mood to bake something healthy. I finally decided to just wing it with my can of almond paste — I couldn’t figure out what to do with the egg yolk I wouldn’t use to make amaretti, so I had nixed those plans. I had decided that if the recipe worked out, I’d write it down. If it didn’t work out, I would pretend the whole experiment never even happened. Lo and behold, they were great — even my anti-whole-wheat husband liked them, which is saying a lot. Here’s what I concocted:

1 can of almond paste (in retrospect, the food processor should have been my friend, but the kids were asleep and that thing sounds like a tornado ripping Dorothy away to Munchkin Land –put it through your food processor first)
1 large egg
1/2 cup oil (or you could use butter or applesauce)
1 cup of milk (I used 1/3 cup powdered milk with a cup of water because we were low on milk, and it was after 9pm)
1/3 brown sugar (you can experiment and decrease the sugar content — I probably will in the future)
1 1/2 tsps almond extract (I love almonds, people!)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
2 cups whole wheat flour
6oz bag of slivered almonds
Hershey’s kisses (optional way to make them into a chocolaty delight)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients. Dump the almonds into the batter/ dough. Drop balls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper if you’ve got some on hand). (Optional Hershey’s kiss love: stick a Hershey’s kiss upside down into the dough ball and reform the dough into a ball.) Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden and delicious. Cool on a wire rack, and don’t eat them all at once.

So, I’m not the best recipe writer. I’ll clean this up at a later date when I add it to my recipe section. They tasted good with or without the chocolate addition, though.

[January 15th] “Reflect upon your present blessings”: “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens

I reflected on the mornings events, a very recent blessing indeed that made up for the very recent misfortune. I had actually been caught up in past misfortunes at the time I read today’s prompt. Between this quote and my daily gratitude post requirement, I was brought back to thinking of the positive things. I had to refocus my thoughts onto my blessings, rather than my misfortunes. In fact, at this moment I realize how truly blessed I am considering I’m living safely with all my family and friends safe and sound, whereas thousands of people in Haiti died and millions have been negatively impacted by the earthquake. I am so fortunate to be relatively healthy and wealthier, even if some days I feel lousier than others.

This morning I left home without a healthy snack to tide me over until lunch time. Not only that, but I had also realized I forgot to take my vitamin. How was I going to survive the first half of my day? Oh, woeful misfortune! As I unpacked my belongings at work, I recalled that I had procured a tangerine yesterday when I went to proctor seminar. The previous class had been handing out citrus fruits and cookies to their students, and we were invited to grab leftovers. Were it not for that tangerine hiding in my bag, I would have been sitting here feeling the side effects of low blood sugar right now. Considering it’s the Friday before a three-day weekend, I’m feeling much, much better about my outlook. Here’s to pleasant surprises — and I can’t wait to cuddle the one at home, growing much too fast for my own personal liking.

[January 4th] Power On: What was your first thought as you powered on/opened up your computer today?

I contemplated the slice of pumpkin loaf I had purchased from the Starbucks in the Reitz Union. I was hoping it was a healthy option considering I had no healthy snack options at home. I had meant to bake whole wheat oatmeal muffins last night, but I never did get around to it. In case you were wondering, I could probably waste about $5.50 every morning on a slice of pumpkin loaf and a cup of hazelnut cappuccino for breakfast if I wasn’t such a frugal person.

[January 5th] Downtime: How do you respond when your favorite site/commenting system/email provider experiences downtime?

When any of the above experiences downtime, I tend to get a bit irritated. My level of irritation depends on what I’d like to do. If it’s Twitter, I simply move on with my day. If it’s the local newspaper’s website, I wax neurotic.

[January 6th] Whodunnit?: Whodunnit? A 1 minute 55 second awareness test.

Follow the link back to The Mindfulist to click the video link (I realize this seems silly, but I’m aiming to send credit back their way). Pay close attention to the video — it’s like one of those picture puzzles in the newspaper almost. I loved it.

[January 7th] Workplace Awareness: Identify three bells of awareness/mindfulness at work. For example you might, minimize Facebook when your boss walks by. Or swivel in your chair when the phone rings. What are your three?

1. Yes, I did indeed minimize Facebook — or any other such websites — when people walk by. Shame on me.
2. When the phone rings, I turn my head to look at the phone so I can see which line it is and what phone number shows up on the caller ID.
3. When a vehicle drives past outside, I look up to identify it: is it a delivery driver needing to get into the package room, a physical plant worker coming to perform a maintenance task, or is it just a random vehicle driving by?

[January 8th] “Relaxation is who you are.”: “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” -Chinese proverb

Indeed.

[January 9th] Zone Out: During which activities do you zone out? Actively make note of them today (on paper/in a text doc).

• Web surfing
• Writing
• Reading
• Watching TV/Movies/Streams
• …just about any activity is an opportunity to zone out when you’re sleep deprived and deficient in attention

~Skipping January 10th as the prompt is specific to Sundays~

[January 11th] One Item: Can you remove one item from you work area to give yourself more space to think? Do so now.

I removed a sticky note with out-dated information and a sheet of paper to be recycled. I adjusted my two pet shop collectibles from my tea box.

~Skipping January 12th & 13th as the prompts are more like action prompts, rather than writing prompts. ~

[January 14th] Breath Quality: How are you breathing right now? If the quality of your life depends on the quality of your breath, how’s yours?

I am breathing both from my chest and from my stomach at the same time. My bronchi seem to be mildly constricted. I will allow you to extrapolate from this as to what the quality of my life is right now. Somehow, it seems fitting to me, although I can’t seem to quite explain it properly.