kapachino

Category: domestication

  • obsessed with refrigerator oatmeal.

    I feel kind of like an impostor posting something about food because everyone should know by now that I am not a foodie or a cook by any means. BUT maybe that gives me cred in a weird sort of way? Like, if this works for ME then it could easily work for you? Regardless, here goes.

    I used to be obsessed with cereal. I’d eat it for breakfast, dinner, snack, anytime I could get it. Then something happened when I got pregnant and I don’t like the feeling of that much milk on my stomach anymore. And I realized that cereal is basically just sugar; even the healthy kinds are not that healthy.

    In the hospital when I gave birth to Meredith I ordered the oatmeal. It was thick and chewy and delicious. Ever since then, almost every single day, I have had oatmeal for breakfast. Not the instant kind, either. I couldn’t get enough!

    Then I saw a link to this post. Refrigerator oatmeal! I tried it once and it was kind of watery; I made adjustments, tried it again, and my life was changed. So I wanted to share with y’all my version of this because I live for it. I actually look forward to it every night before I go to bed. Every Sunday I make a batch for the week ahead and then on my way out the door I grab one.

    refrigerator oatmeal ingredients

    The ingredients I use are:

    >1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick or steel cut)
    >almost 1/2 cup of milk (I use skim, you can use whatever)
    >1 teaspoon chia seeds (you can buy them in a bag, as above, or get them from the bulk bin, which is what I normally do)
    >2 teaspoons maple syrup (I’ve only tried it with the real stuff)
    >2 big spoonfuls/globs of Greek yogurt (full fat or 0%, it tastes good both ways)
    >blueberries

    You don’t have to be super precise with the measurements, as you can see. You can also substitute or adjust for your choice of sweetener or yogurt. I have also made this without the chia seeds and it is still really good, but I like having them in there because they turn into this gel-like texture that I enjoy and they add extra nutrition.

    making refrigerator oatmeal

    So basically I just add all the ingredients together (except the blueberries, in the order that I listed them) into a half-pint mason jar and mix them together with a spoon.

    making refrigerator oatmeal

    Once they’re mixed I add in enough blueberries at the top to fill the jar, then gently mix them in. I screw the top on (these are so much easier than the ones that come with the jar) and put it all in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning I have to hold myself back from eating several jars at once. :)

    blueberry maple refrigerator oatmeal

  • Messy House Tour

    This morning I let Meredith run wild in the house because I just could not deal. Usually I clean up as she goes but today I just left it all and decided to shoot a video of the mess she made. It actually wasn’t as bad as expected.

    http://youtu.be/pIgY7TITY2o

  • Some Goals, Sort Of

    Recently, in my coffee-less state (this is important because everything seems worse without coffee), I have started to feel a growing discontent with some areas of my life. Not major things, but little things. I’ve kind of hit a plateau in a lot of areas and it’s bringing me down.

    I don’t have a lot of extra time or money, and I’m really good about cutting myself some slack because of it, but I’m at the point where I think some productivity and changes could really benefit me mentally. Here’s what I’m thinking about:

    Home

    Here is our home. We’ve lived here about three years, and I love it. But we never finished furnishing it, and there are a couple rooms that aren’t being used at all because of it, and more that are just plain boring or ugly. I love being at home, and I want it to be a place that inspires me and makes me happy.

    There are some bigger projects that need to be done: new carpet, new tile, redo or update the bathrooms, and (lower on the priority list) updating the kitchen. But right now I just want to get the whole place furnished and somewhat decorated.

    Thinking about it as a whole is overwhelming, so instead I think I’ll just take it a room at a time. First up is the living room. It gets used a lot, and it’s one of the rooms we’ve done the most with already.

    (Sorry about the bad lighting in these pictures.)

    Here are some things I want to do in this space:

    • Get a large jute rug
    • Style the coffee table
    • Style the mantel
    • Style the buffet area
    • Purchase bar stools
    • Switch out the sheer curtains for something with fresh color
    • Add some plants

    I’m not going to let myself think or stress about the other rooms until I finish with this one.

    Personal Style

    So, I’m not a stylistic nightmare, but I do have a long way to go before I really feel comfortable and confident in this area. I wear scrubs every day so it’s hard to get excited about clothes and accessories when I hardly get to wear them. But I went to a wedding the other weekend and I had a hard time really feeling polished, and I’d like to change that.

    >Hair: I have fine, straight hair that just hangs and won’t hold a curl. I’ve never been very adventurous with it, and I’m not willing to spend much time on it unless it’s for a special event. This weekend I’m going to get it cut, and I’m thinking a bob along these lines:

    Images found here, here, and here.

    At the moment I already have sideswept bangs and they really bother me at work, so I either clip it aside or wear a headband wrap. Once I get it cut I’ll work on how to style it for every day wear and for nice events.

    >Makeup: I have deliberately cut back on the amount of makeup I wear because I like the way I look naturally and I don’t enjoy the process of putting it on. Most of the time I only wear mascara and mineral powder foundation. Sometimes I apply eyeliner and blush. I’m fine with this. However, I want to learn how to look fancy. I want to have the products at my disposal and be able to look a little more glamorous if the mood strikes. If you have recommendations, or have written about your recommendations before, please share!

    >Clothes: This is going to take some work. Although I lost almost all of my weight from pregnancy, the sad truth is that my body will never be the same again. All of my nice things were bought pre-pregnancy, and most of them just aren’t right anymore. I’ve been doing some thinking about what I want my wardrobe to look like, and I’ve determined that I want to stay mostly with a classic, conservative style with elements of sporty and hippie thrown in. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but it sounds good to me.

    Steps to achievement:

    • Go through my closet with a critical eye. Get rid of lots of things. I do this a lot so it shouldn’t be too hard; I’m not overly sentimental about clothes.
    • Consult a wardrobe essentials list and determine the items that I lack (including jewelry, handbags, and shoes – I need it all).
    • Um, save up some money.
    • Shop – preferably sales and thrift stores!

    Lifestyle

    Some other things I want to make an effort towards:

    >Exercise: I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I find myself in a place where I haven’t exercised in a year. I have a really nice bike that is sitting in the garage unused. This is not okay. I really think it’s feasible for me to go running with Meredith in the jogging stroller three times a week right after work, and then take one bike ride on the weekends. I wanted to start this week, but the weather was terrible the first half and then Meredith got sick. Blah.

    >Cooking: I don’t cook. My husband doesn’t cook. What do we eat? Breakfast is oatmeal, lunch is provided for me most of the time (drug companies, woohoo) and if not I have a Lean Cuisine (David eats out), and dinner is something like cereal, sandwiches, eating out, or at a family member’s house. I’m not happy about it, I’m worried about providing food for Meredith, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried to start cooking before and it never lasts. I don’t even want to think about it, but I’ll have to pretty soon.

    >Church: We’re semi-committed to a new church now, and I think I’m ready to start getting involved and making friends. There’s a small group that is for young families that my friend (and doula!) attends, so I’d like to visit. We also need to start tithing again.

    I guess these are kind of like my goals right now, even though I didn’t set any sort of deadline because that would just stress me out. I’m totally open to any kind of advice or recommendation on anything. I hope to keep updating as I make progress, because progress WILL be made!

  • Notes From A Working Mother

    Well guys, I did it. I made it through a whole week of work! I have so many things to say I don’t even know where to start. I guess with the fact that I am not, as feared, now incompetent at my job. I’m pleased to report that I remember how to do everything, and not only that but I am more awesome at it than before. This is obviously due to the fact that I was grossly pregnant for about a million years and I am no longer thus, meaning I have TONS of energy that I’m not used to having, and also my hands are no longer numb, well, two fingertips are and probably always will be, but that doesn’t even count, and anyway I can start IV’s again!

    So work went really well, except for one day where I left forty minutes late (not acceptable), but I suspect (but don’t want to believe) that I was given an easier-than-normal assignment and that this will not last. Well, whatever, I won’t think about that.

    Yesterday at work everyone was supposed to wear pink for breast cancer awareness month, which is October. My manager even texted us all at 5:30 a.m. to remind us. And that’s fine and good and all, but my pink scrubs don’t currently fit. I tried them on and they were looking more like leggings. It’s pretty embarrassing when you outgrow scrubs, even fitted ones, I mean they have a DRAWSTRING. So I wore a pair of blue scrubs that do fit, and of course EVERYONE was wearing pink including the GUYS. That means that everyone was asking me, “Why didn’t you wear pink?” And I could have just said that I don’t own pink scrubs, except for the fact that I used to wear them all the time. So I had to spend the whole morning telling people about the baby weight I put on and haven’t lost yet. THAT was fun.

    ***

    Enough about work. Let’s talk baby! She spends Monday through Thursday in daycare, and Fridays my mom is off work and keeps her. She did awesome. My dad drives around for work and was able to stop by and visit her every day, sending me a picture each time. Witness:

    Monday: Dad feeds her a bottle (hence the drool)

    Tuesday: The fuzziest hair of all time

    Wednesday: Just chillin’ with Pops

    Thursday: All the single ladies, put your hands up

    And then there was Friday, when I made my mom text more than she ever has in her life to keep me updated. She sent me lots of pictures, but I couldn’t stop looking at this one:

    The cuteness is overwhelming. First of all, her smile. Anytime she smiles I melt, but this is a serious grin. The squinty eyes, the dimple, the double chin, ahhhh. Secondly, the huge Astros onesie. It’s a size 18 months which is all my mom had at her house, because apparently what I sent her in got dirty and Mom didn’t want to try to put her in the backup clothes I sent since they said “up to 11 pounds” and Meredith is over 12 (even though, for the record, they totally fit). Finally, she’s sitting in a Bumbo! We don’t have one, so this was the first time she got to try it out and I’m so proud of her for sitting in it so well.

    But back to daycare. I’m going to be honest and say that it feels very wrong to be dropping her off there all day. The first few times I didn’t know if I’d be able to continue to do it. BUT it has gotten easier. And the more I get to know the people there the more I like them. There are only three other babies there, and the director and assistant director are both very involved so I know she gets a lot of attention. One awesome thing is that they LOVE her cloth diapers! I thought I’d be lucky to find a place that accepted them, but it’s so much better that they are actually happy about it. And Meredith is happy there so far; my dad says that every time he comes by she’s smiling and content. So I know everything will be okay, despite my inability to not cry about it.

    ***

    One day this week I thought, “I should probably check the mail.” When I opened our box all that was inside was a key to the package compartment, and when I opened that it was full of our mail. I was so happy, because this answered a longstanding question I had about what they would do if the mailbox became too full. I was also happy because in the mail had arrived three issues of Martha Stewart Living, one of Elle Decor, and a Rearz fitted diaper that I won in a giveaway. This particular diaper requires a cover, which I do not have. So now of course I must buy one. I’m thinking of getting the Thirsties Duo Wrap, but anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

    ***

    I need to buy a dress for my brother’s wedding which is in TWO WEEKS. This is crazy because I never thought my brother would get married. But anyway, he is, and in two weeks, and I am the only bridesmaid other than the maid of honor, her sister. The bride has graciously allowed us to choose our own black dresses. I am looking for something with an empire waist (see: baby weight), in a silky material, and preferably with sleeves of some sort because her sister’s dress has sleeves and I want to kind of sort of match her.

    Maybe something like this faux wrap dress with cap sleeves:

     Or this, which I really like better, but it’s strapless:

     I don’t know. And now I’m realizing that I’ll need to buy shoes also. Well if I MUST.

    ***

    Oh! I forgot to mention another exciting thing. Up until this week my husband has been driving a truck and therefore we’ve only had one car with a car seat which makes things kind of difficult at times. We didn’t want to get a new car because we want to pay off our debt, but we were able to work out a deal with his dad and we ended up trading him our truck for his car. Now all we have to do is buy a car seat and then I’ll be able to drop Meredith off at daycare, take the bus to work, and then David can pick her up much earlier than I’d be able to. We want to get another convertible car seat, but since we have to buy this one ourselves, probably not another Britax like we have already. What are some good, economical choices?

    ***

    Cooking during the week now? Not going to happen for awhile, until I really get into a groove. I’ll be able to stock up on some weekends, but not this one. I’m too tired, have too many other things to do, and we have other things going on for dinner. I feel a little bit bad about that since it means I’ll have to take frozen meals to work for lunch next week, but I need a break from something. And that’s okay.

    ***

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I have about a million loads of laundry to do.

  • Cloth Diapers, Nursery Progress, & Other Domestic Updates

    Contrary to the way my I have portrayed myself, I don’t actually sit around watching TV day in and day out. The arrival of a baby to this house has actually awoken my hibernating nesting instinct! So here are some domestic updates for you, aka boring things that I’m now excited about.

    Meredith is wearing cloth diapers now!

    At a little over ten pounds, she finally fits into her small Fuzzibunz. She’s been wearing them for about a week now and I love it SO much. I was worried about the transition, but it has been extremely easy! Honestly, I would choose cloth diapers just because of how much fun it is for me, to say nothing about the money-and-planet-saving aspect of it, and how good it is for the baby’s skin. I’ll do a post about this once we get a little more experience. But seriously, LOVE. So much so that I’m now addicted to entering all the giveaways I can find for cloth diapers. Did y’all know that there’s, like, an entire black hole of blogs dedicated solely to cloth diapers and giveaways? It’s amazing and dangerous.

    I made a recipe binder!

    I completed the binder I linked to in my cooking post, and I’m pretty happy with it. First, I’m happy about completing a project, and second, I think this will help me a lot! I always thought that I would compile my recipes online somehow, but I think I do better with having something printed out for me to look through. I think I will eventually look for new recipes online, and then once I have tried them and know we love them, I’ll print it out and add it to the binder. My next goal in this area (other than continuing to cook several dinners a week, which, so far so good) is to figure out a good system for meal planning and grocery shopping, and I also want to reorganize my pantry and kitchen cabinets to make everything easier on myself.

    The nursery is almost finished!

    I’m especially excited about this one because this will be the first room that I can say I’m completely happy with in our house since we moved in almost three years ago. All I need to do is frame and hang a piece I just received from Etsy, and when that’s finished I can do a complete nursery tour. I just love spending time there, it makes me so happy.

    In other news:

    >I’m still plugging through Infinite Jest and will for sure be finished by the time I go back to work, but if I can finish this week that would be ideal. I appreciate the mastery of the writing and really enjoy some parts, especially as it gets near the end, but I have to say that I almost lost it with the animal abuse (if you’ve read it you KNOW what part I’m talking about). Anyway, I am looking forward to having it behind me and moving on to other books, like The Help which is our next book club book, but I think I’ll actually miss it once I’m finished.

    >Our small church recently disbanded (long, sad story) so now we have begun the process of visiting new churches every week. It’s kind of fun and exciting, but overwhelming too, especially with a new baby! We went to one over the weekend that I really loved, so things look promising.

    >My brother is getting married next month! Check out the cool wedding website he designed.