Fussy Baby Solution

I don't know about other babies but my baby has her scheduled "grumpy moments". 

"Scheduled?" you say? Yes, scheduled. 

Sjöfn usually gets fussy around 5 in the afternoon until around 6:30pm and no amount of milk or carrying around would change her mood. So, basically, I learned to live with it. As long as she's not wailing for an hour and a half straight, I believe I'm okay. Besides, her grumpy whimpers and unexplainable frowns are often times still irresistibly cute!

So, like clock work, Sjöfn started getting fussy at around 5pm yesterday. The thing is, we were stuck in the mall because I was so absentminded that I forgot that my car was number coded! I only realized it when my mom pointed out that it's 3pm and the window for driving around coded cars has ended. My mom was with me so she, like any proud grandma, lovingly carried my fussy daughter amidst her occasional kicking and frowning (she's not the screaming type, thank goodness!). If my mom wasn't there, I would have probably just left my car at the mall and taken a cab home because my baby was obviously getting over-stimulated from the crowded and busy mall environment.

To burn time, we went to the department store to check on new baby gear. Baby gear like strollers, swings, rockers, and bouncers are like Apple products (e.g. iPod, iPhone, iPad), there are always newer or better versions that fool us into thinking that we need them or, at least, want them enough to cause us to obsessively google them (only to find out that they're sold at a lower price in the United States - boohoo for Philippine residents like me).

We saw this new Fisher-Price baby gear called the Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper. It seemed like a basic contraption - no lights, no mechanism, no annoying mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb songs playing on repeat. We decided to do the grumpy-Sjöfn-test on it and, believe it or not, it passed with flying colors! As soon as we started rocking her on that thing, she was all smiles and cooing at everyone! I looked at my watch and couldn't believe that it was 6pm, still her grumpy time! Finally! A solution to her fussiness!

But like most things overly commercialized, there was a draw back: the price tag. It was priced at a ridiculous amount of 6,000 pesos! One hundred ten dollars for something so simple??? Are you kidding me?? As my darling hubby would say: "Here in the Philippines, it's cheaper to just hire man power than to buy imported contraptions like dishwashers", in this case the imported contraption would be a baby rocker. Mag ya-yaya nalang ako (I'll just hire a nanny).

But, of course, I had to google it! The online Philippine stores didn't have it so I ventured to Amazon.com and, lo and behold, they have it at almost 1/4 the price! How I wish I lived in the States so I could take advantage of the 2-day free shipment of thousands and thousands of comparably cheaper baby products from Amazon.com. My hubby wouldn't be as enthusiastic about it though (haha).

I decided to do the next best thing: an Amazon.com baby registry. Sjöfn is celebrating her baptism soon and I asked a favor from my sweet Aunt Jenny from Seattle if I could forward all my baby registry gifts to her address and have them shipped door-to-door a la balikbayan box (thank you so much Tita Jenny! I owe you one!).

I included that Fisher-Price rocker in my registry. I hope someone gets it for little Sjöfn! 

For now, I'll be on the look out for a wooden version of the same thing. I'm sure they have it somewhere here in the Philippines! If not, I'll probably consider going to the department store every time the clock strikes 5 in the afternoon (haha).

Macaron Obsession!

I LOVE MACARONS.

I simply adore those little bites of heaven. More so, when they come in a variety of colors that tease your imaginations into "tasting" the flavors that match them. That's why it was so easy to decide on what theme I wanted my baby's baptism reception to be: a tea party! Oh I can see it now! Flowers, lace, tea leaves, truffles, scones, and yes (oh yes) MACARONS. A tower of these decadent edible-bliss!

It saddens me though that my favorite Laduree Macarons are not available in the Philippines. I searched far and wide for macarons that would come close to these famous recently gossiped about lovies and after torturing my taste buds with one "macaron" after another (which were either flat, hard, fake tasting, trying hard, or just downright awful) I have finally found the one: Empire Macarons!

They're classical, they're interesting (Lindt chocolate-filled macarons!), they're edgy (purple yam macaron anyone?), they're to die for. 

To. 

Die. 

For.

Can you just imagine my excitement when I found out that they make macaron towers?? I told myself then (I was still pregnant when I discovered these) that I will find an occasion that will revolve around macarons, macarons, and more macarons! This is it! My baby's baptism, my macaron party! 

So while visiting Empire Macaron's website, I chanced upon an online promo hosted by www.rainydaysandmomdays.com that will award its winner with a dozen of Empire Macaron's scrumptious goodies! I died (then got revived again haha) and read the promo mechanics. Guess what? They're looking for a go-to recipe! Here's an excerpt from the promo:

Do you have a go-to recipe that you pull out whenever you’re short on time (or energy) that always comes out yummy? A recipe that makes people think that you spent hours slaving away over the stove when in fact it only took a few minutes? A shortcut recipe that produces an amazing meal? Or a recipe that’s just so darn easy to make you can do it with your eyes closed? 

If you know me, you'll know that I simply love cooking! The hubby and I are from-scratch-menu lovers and we try to avoid (more like run away from ) canned goods and microwave dinners. When motherhood came knocking on this semi-reluctant first time mom's door, I wracked my brains to push my cooking creativity further than ever before. I had to "cook" minus the effort of actually "cooking". So, to cut the story short, this promo felt second nature to me so I decided to share one of my recipes as an entry for this online contest!

The other entries look yummy but I hope mine comes out the yummiest! I would LOVE to win a dozen macarons! I already see myself eating one (or two.... dozen?), specifically pistachio mmmmmm...

Do you have a go-to recipe that's worth a dozen of delectable macarons (and obviously better than mine)? I suggest that you also join the contest and, if you win, share the macarons with me!

I promise not to get more than 2!

Recipe Mombles: Fusilli with Vegetables and Tuna

Preparation Time: 3 to 5 minutes (or longer: if you're the type to obsess on how your carrots look like)
Cooking Time: 5 minutes for the sauce (or longer: if you're using one pot for the whole process)

For a lovely meal enough for two people, you'll need:

125 grams of Fusilli Pasta (or simply put, 1/4 of a 500 gram pack)
1 medium carrot
1 fist sized serving of broccoli
2 teaspoons of capers
2 to 3 tablespoons of olives
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Century tuna in vegetable oil (can be substituted for the hot and spicy / Spanish style version)
1/2 lemon

How to prepare:

• Boil water in a pot while preparing the carrots and broccoli (veggies should be bite-size)
• If the water's already boiling and you're still laboring over the carrots, put the pasta in the pot first. Otherwise, it's better to boil the carrots and broccoli first and then use the same water to cook the pasta right after.
• Set aside cooked pasta and veggies and, if you want to use only one pot for the whole process (this applies if you're trying to be environmental friendly or if you, simply, don't have a maid who'll do a whole bunch of dishes for you), remove the water from the pot to prepare it for the sauce.
• For the sauce (this could be prepared in a separate pot/pan while you're boiling the veggies and pasta):
• Combine tuna (with the oil) and diced tomatoes. Squeeze in some lemon juice then bring to a rigorous boil so the sauce thickens a bit. (No need to salt because the canned tuna has already done that for you.)
• When the base of the sauce reaches the consistency that you want it, take it off the fire and add your cooked pasta. Mix to coat every fusilli. 
• You can then add your boiled carrots and broccoli, capers, and olives. Lightly mix it (not too much or you'll end up with mashed capers).

There you go! Wasn't that easy? Your husband will be so astonished with your dish and your ability to fit 'cooking' into your already jam-packed first-time mommy schedule that he'll actually think that you either hired a cook or gave the baby away (haha).

*note: keep the 'leftover ingredients' (i.e. half can of diced tomatoes, half of the lemon, etc.) for future recipes that I'll be posting soon.

Photo Momble: A short conversation between mommy and Snowpie

Here's a picture I took of my Snowpie this morning:

Isn't she TOO white to be my kid??!!

I have this possible short conversation between me and my baby that's been stuck in my head since day 1 and it goes something like this....

Me to Sjöfn: "Hey white girl!"
Sjöfn to Me: "Hey brown mom!"

O_o

Oh well. Since research says that she's bound to get 90% of my IQ, she can then go ahead and look like her dad (hihihi)

Snowpie with the Daddy Lion

Post Partum Foodie Depression

I'm a self-declared foodie.

• I don't diet. I'd rather gain weight than be deprived of good food.
• When not doing our weekly (sometimes daily) new restaurant food trip, I always make sure that my hubby and I are dining on something I made with love & passion, and from scratch (I try to channel "gourmet" in my home cooked meals).
• I love love LOVE cooking and baking for friends and family. They're usually the most willing to taste my culinary experiments.
• I don't mind spending a whole morning/afternoon in a well-stocked supermarket/deli.
• Weekends are usually spent with co-foodie friends, trying out restaurants recommended by other food-fanatics (like Anton Diaz).
• I try not to flinch when I see my inflated credit card bill that mostly contain bills from numerous restaurants - after all, it's a small price to pay to educate my palate and gastronomically please myself.
• My Foursqare check-ins and Facebook mobile photo uploads will tell you that I spend 75% of my day eating in numerous restaurants, buying grocery/deli items, and cooking at home.

---------
Enter: MOTHERHOOD ('first-time motherhood' to be exact).
Exit: Foodie lifestyle.
---------

With the lack of time (to take a bath and eat, let alone cook, buy groceries, and dine out!), I have succumbed to having food delivered and/or the occasional light-speed version of my former from-scratch cooking. Our once always full 10 cubic feet fridge became an electricity-sucking cabinet that does nothing but cool a pitcher of water and delivery left-overs. For a foodie like me, this is somewhat unacceptable. Especially when I catch myself desperately eating a Sausage McMuffin and realize that I'm NOT drunk. Sad. Really sad.

It's a bit depressing when I know that most of my momentary stress would've been easily relieved by a bowl of pomelo salad from People's Palace or a slice of tiramisu from Conti's ....and even more upsetting to accept that it'll be a few more months from now before I can actually go to a restaurant with my baby who's still in the process of building up her immune system.

I am thankful, though, for: my mom who's been bringing me lunch from different surprise places everyday since I came home from the hospital  (the latest was Adobo To' - yum!); my hubby who's been buying me almond Snickers before coming home from work; and for quickdelivery.ph for having good restaurants a mere phone call away (they don't have People's Palace on their list though - boo). I, at least, get to eat food that I liked and food that were nutritious enough for me and my breastfeeding baby (no fast food for us!).

Speaking about breastfeeding, my little one is already due for her midnight meal. I better post this before she starts crying! (Oh how I wish my foodie cravings were as simple as my baby's obsession over my breastmilk!)

Till my next momble!

My Snowpie in a FOOD COMA right after breastfeeding hahaha
(look at that satisfied smile!)

___________________

I'm trying to master the "light-speed version of my former from-scratch cooking" that I mentioned earlier in this post. I found out that I work really well under (time) pressure nowadays. I guess that's a sign that I'm slowly adapting to the so-many-things-to-do-so-little-time mommy lifestyle.


I decided to include in my future blogs some of the recipes to my 'light-speed from-scratch dishes'. I hope they help other moms (or dads, too-busy-to-be-bothered individuals, domestically-clueless boy/girlfriends who want to impress their partners, etc.) maintain their sanity as they attempt to put food on the table. I think that this is the least that I could do to keep the foodie in me alive and somehow satisfied.

My First MOMble

I'm a first time mom who just gave birth to my little snowpie, Sjöfn Léonie Loot Besler, last August 29, 2010.

I would like to think that I've been very diligent when it came to preparing myself on becoming a mommy. After all, I do have Heidi Murkoff's "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "What to Expect the First Year", which are both considered as some sort of parenting bible by many of my mommy/daddy friends. So, having read those books and many parenting blogs, I thought that I was at least half-prepared for what was about to come my way once my snowpie's here. Little did I know that motherhood (or parenting in general) was actually harder than how I envisioned it.

It was sort of how I always knew that it'll be hard to explain how my daughter's name is pronounced. I was aware that it'll be a challenge but I never expected that it was going to be an excruciating feat! I had this script practiced in my mind:

"It's from Norse Mythology. She's the goddess of love and romance. It's pronounced as s-you-feen."

I thought it was enough to say that and have people understand it, at least, the second time around. However, I was proven wrong. The common reactions to my script were:

"Ano ulit?"  

"Norse? Uhhhh..."

"Ah! Sho-peen / Choo-pin / Sofie / So-feen / etc. !"

"S------ um, ang ganda naman ng meaning. Pano naging (insert wrong pronunciation here) kung S-J-O---- pano ulit i-spell?"

"So it's not Sjaw-fin?"

"You'll give your daughter a hard time in school!"

Believe me, it was frustrating! And, given that we live in the Philippines where umlauts (that's how the 'ö' is called) don't exist (both in our alphabet and on our keyboards) and the letter J is never pronounced as a Y, I think the worse is just about to come. Now I sort of dread seeing the outcome of her Philippine-issued birth certificate....

So, back to being a first time mom. I admit it: I'm not prepared after all. I found myself crying everyday since we got back home from the hospital. The sleepless nights, the unexplainable crying, the meals and baths that are hurried and no longer enjoyed, the perpetual disarray of the apartment, the excruciatingly sore nipples (sorry TMI), the disabling C-section pain ---- I read all about it during my pregnancy and kind of already knew about the challenges that await me but I never expected that it was going to be this difficult, frustrating, and overwhelming.

But don't get me wrong, I don't hate my new role as a parent. I, in fact, love it. I can't really fully explain why I love being a mom but here's a facebook status I posted just recently:

And you know what? I felt so much better after posting that status message. All the negativity that was hindering me from experiencing all the positive things that my baby was supposed to make me feel was relieved off me once I answered that ever so familiar facebook question: "What's on your mind?". Right then and there I knew I was going to be fine. Besides, being a mom is wonderful! It's just that, with the many roles that I was adamant on doing well on (such as being a loving partner and a hardworking psychologist), I knew that I had to somehow find some form of catharsis for all the emotional and information overload that adding the 'mom' role was doing to me.

So welcome to my chosen medium of catharsis: blogging.

I might entertain you, bore you, inform you, anger you, inspire you --- the heck --- there might not even be any 'you' to begin with! I might just end up blogging to myself!

But I'm fine with that.
After all, this blog is a mere collection of cathartic mumbles.
Nothing monumental --- just mombles.