Mint Mango Smoothie

A new blender means new food options, especially for breakfast. I'm not good at breakfast. The only time I ever make breakfast is when we have swimming lessons and I have to load up on carbs. Otherwise, I have a cup of coffee and may be a banana. If I'm lucky, there's a granola bar involved. This morning I made myself a mango smoothie in an attempt at a healthy, carb free breakfast. I've had a bag of frozen mangoes and a container of coconut water sitting around for a while and I was excited to finally put them to use before they expired. The smoothie is surprisingly filling and very satisfying.

Mint Mango Smoothie

2 cups of frozen mangoes 

1 cup of coconut water 

4 mint leaves

juice of one lime

dash of cayenne pepper

Blend, pour, and enjoy!

The Daily Birch: Ten Minute Meal

Getting a Vitamix was a great decision. It practically cleans itself and I managed to make a delicious soup in less than 10 minutes, clean up included. Pretty excited about trying out new recipes and breaking out of a cooking rut.

We are now in the final stretch of swimming classes. The baby is definitely more comfortable with the water and has picked up a few extra skills. Unfortunately, she's not yet swimming on her own and we'll have to sign her up for more classes once she's a little bit older. 

Eating toast with vanilla almond butter and a sliced banana, tortilla chicken soup, and pasta with spicy chicken sausage in tomato sauce.

Searching for Vitamix recipes for us and the baby. Stay tuned for updates on our adventures in the kitchen.

Watching behind the scenes of Meet the Goldbergs. The show is witty, set in the 80's, and I'm kind of obsessed with all things behind-the-scenes. 

Craving sushi. It's been way too long. Who wants to grab dinner at Pisces? 

Analyzing survey data and adjusting plans. 

Editing videos from baby's swim class. What else?

Shopping at Target and Harris Teeter, where else?

Snapping the baby refusing to drink a birthday cake frap from Starbucks. Girlfriend is missing out.

Taking tons of photos with my DSRL. 

Theo working on his tan.

Baby or puppy?

The Daily Birch: a New Kitchen Tool

Yesterday I tried to avoid a trip across town to Costco by going to Sam's Club near the house. We're out of formula for the baby and I'm pretty sure the pricing is similar at both stores. Great idea except I lost my Sam's Club card and was not able to find it last night. So this afternoon we trekked to South Charlotte. We went in for formula and walked out with a Vitamix. Oops.

In our defense, we have been in the market for one for over a year but have not been able to find a great deal. Until today.

It's exciting to have a new kitchen tool to not only break me out of a cooking rut but to also start making food for Charlotte. I've definitely been slacking on making baby food and now I have no excuses.

Researching baby food recipes, including ones specific to the Vitamix. 

Eating Bagel Bites, Whole Foods hot bar, spicy chicken with rhubarb and cucumber salsa. 

Drinking a vanilla sugar latte from Not Just Coffee, a giant water from Whole Foods, and rose. 

Dreaming about going to bed early. 

Checking out a house in Harrisburg and crunching numbers before making an offer. It a great house in a great neighborhood that meets most of our needs and majority of our wants. The catch? It's a distress sale (similar to a short sale) and has not been occupied for four years, aesthetically it is stuck in 1994, and we fear there may be a possibility of mold. 

Killing mosquitoes with my bare hands. 

Taking allergy meds. Is allergy season over yet?

Blogging twice in one day.

Snapping the baby refusing to eat and using her car seat as a jungle gym.

Glazed chicken breast topped with rhubarb salsa, served with rice.

E is for Exhaustion

A few Fridays ago I met friends at an event early in the evening, joined another group of friends for dinner at Sea Level uptown (we killed a few bottles of bubbly and several dozens of oysters between us), and then found myself at Workman's Friend in Plaza Midwood shamelessly ordering coffee at 10pm. The beans were Pure Intentions and oh so delicious. 

I struck up a conversation with a friend who I have not seen in a while and asked her how she was was doing. She said she was tired. No, exhausted. She quickly back tracked and said that there's no way she could be more tired than me, a new mom. 

There was a time in my corporate job when I was over worked and under paid. There were times when I would work 70-80 hours a week and did not remember how I got home. They say driving exhausted is just as bad as driving drunk. I believe it because I experienced it. One evening, I projected my frustration on Facebook with a fairly innocent post saying that I would love to hire an assistant. I received one response telling me I have no reason to ask for help and to have a kid to understand real exhaustion. Wow. I got shamed.

Millennial women are burning out by the time they turn 30.

I burned out at 27.

I told my friend that it's nonsense that she could be less tired than me! I've been in her shoes and was definitely more tired then than I am now with an 11 month old baby. She has a lot on her plate and wants to be successful. We all do. We all have different journeys and goals and there should be no reason why we should shame someone for feeling the way they do because their path is different from ours.

Pure Intentions Coffee @ Workman's Friend, Plaza Midwood, Charlotte NC

The Daily Birch: Pass the Gefilte Fish

It's been nine years since I've been to a Passover dinner so when a friend mentioned that her parents host a dinner every year, I asked if we could join. Thankfully, the answer was yes so we packed up the baby and all her things, purchased a rainbow of wine, and headed to dinner. 

The dinner was delicious and the company was warm, the baby broke a plant, and I took photos of the food in a ninja-like fashion. It was lovely.

Passover starter: gefilte fish.

Watching videos of Charlotte in swim class. So proud of my little fish!

Eating toast with vanilla almond butter and a sliced banana, a bowl of popcorn, and a delicious Passover dinner.

Sitting in my parking spot a little longer because someone honked at me to hurry up.

Snapping grocery store adventures and Passover dinner.

Shaking my head because the baby broke a plant at Passover dinner. So embarrassing. 

The Daily Birch: Thoughts on Mom Brain

There comes a time when one has to come to terms that they will never get everything done on their to do list. I have a hard time doing so but then I remind myself that there was a time, back in my corporate ladder climbing days, when my to-do list was five to ten pages long. What I learned then, and apply to my life now, is that the most important things always get done and everything else is just extra and mostly unnecessary. It's all about focus.

Today I felt less overwhelmed and more accomplished. It also helped that the baby was in good spirits, stuck to her feeding and napping schedules, and was okay with playing by herself for stretches of time.

Walking 7250 steps without leaving the house. 

Decluttering the dinning room so that I can set up a temporary office downstairs, near the play room, and missing my office upstairs. However, this new set up will allow me to increase my output while spending time with Charlotte so it's win-win-meh (meh referring to the uncomfortable dinning room chairs).

Wrapping a gift for my brother and sister in-law's baby girl. 

Listening to Kasey Musgraves. I went to her concert last Friday and I really enjoyed the show, her music, and the company I was with.

patio life at Common Market: bottle of sparkling rose, pimento grilled cheese sandwich, and great friends.

sparkling rose at Common Market in SouthEnd

Kasey Musgraves @ Amos SouthEnd in Charlotte, NC (April 15, 2016)

Eating leftover Indian food...from Tuesday. Take out pho from Pho Real. Popcorn seasoned with cayenne pepper and truffle salt.

Watching season two of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Comedy gold. Joshua Jackson's Pacey rant was top notch. 

Working on a survey for my client. 

Excited about my new bright yellow pajamas that I bought at Gap earlier this week. I have been purging my closet this year and have removed a ton of old t-shirts that I have been sleeping in for decades. Some shirts dating back to middle school. Wearing coordinated pajamas makes me feel more like an adult. 

Writing a list and checking it twice because sometimes I get the case of "mom brain" and need to write out a timeline for the day. We have to be in Taylorsville by 11:30 tomorrow for a baby shower with a pit stop at Target. The goal is to be on time, with a stretch goal of being ten minutes early. Coordinating my morning routine with the baby's napping and eating schedules can some times be a challenge but I think I've got a great plan! 

Speaking of mom brain, I believe that it is a real thing but hate using the term. I feel like it allows society to discount women's abilities to contribute in the work place, or anything for that matter, and leads to more discrimination. And we all know we deal with enough as it is.

Face swapping with myself from nine years ago. Dear youth, I'm sorry for not appreciating you more.

this is what it sounds like when doves cry

This.

Rest in peace. 

(h/t Katy Hill)

The Daily Birch: Crossroads

Part of the problem is I'm afraid to be who I am truly meant to be. A slight identity crisis, if you will. I blame society for this one.

I'm a stay at home mom. A sentence I never thought I'd write.
I'm a business owner. Another sentence I never thought I'd write.
I'm a little bit crunchy, but convenience is key.
I'm a feminist.
I prefer things middle of the road.
I don't fit into neatly into any "mother" stereotypes yet everyone still tries.

What happens when you're a hybrid? What happens when you don't fit the mold?
Where do you find people like you?
Where do you go to find judgement free zones where you can just be you?

 

Reading The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna. My pal Megan posted a photo of the book on Monday and the title was intriguing enough for me to buy it right away. I'm looking forward to seeing where it leads me.

Opening multiple packages from Amazon: a second baby play yard to extend the existing set up, more baby's birthday party supplies, and the book mentioned above.

Eating leftover pasta and roasted chicken for brunch, shrimp ceviche with mango for dinner, two cups of coffee, half of a Bloody Mary, and hot jasmine tea. 

Searching for blogs to read. I used to read blogs religiously and then life got really busy and I never got back into the swing of things. 

Feeling overwhelmed. 

Snapping the baby climbing into a plastic pool filled with toys, snacks, and decorations for her birthday party. 

Hugging my husband because he is the absolute best.

shrimp ceviche with mango

The Daily Birch: Leaping over the Hump

Wednesdays are kind of like Mondays except everyone is more tired and cranky and ready for the weekend. Swim lessons, tantrums, laundry, client work, errands, and failed dinners. This is how today's cookie crumbled.

Listening to Mumford and Sons. Because, duh. 

Buying more gifts for soon-to-be-born niece, birthday supplies for Charlotte's birthday party from the Dollar Tree (aka the secret party planner's supply mecca), and unnecessary things at Target and Marshalls.

Eating leftover Chicken Biryani from Passage to India, a non coffee drink and a stale cheese danish from Starbucks, and a bad attempt at using mayo on a roasted salmon dish.

Watching video of Charlotte floating in the pool using German swim disks. My GoPro died before I could get footage of her happily floating as far away from me as possible. Beginning to think she's secretly a 12 year old. 

Reading the Europe Issue of Travel + Leisure. 

Drinking: Sycamore Brewing's Countryside IPA. One of my new favorite local brews. 

Celebrating: Backstreet Boys' 23rd birthday. I cried watching their documentary last year. True story. 

Snapchatting my day, everyday. Follow me.

The Daily Birch: Committed to Making it Better*

This post is fueled by a cranky baby, a failed dinner, a pint of Talenti Roman Raspberry Sorbetto, and a 16oz can of Sycamore Brewing's Countryside IPA.

It's day three and I've already failed by not writing on day two. I was in so much pain and was so exhausted that I knew I would not be able to bring my C game, even if I tried. I also started to second guess the format for the Daily Birch but stopped myself short of trashing the idea completely. Just do it and commit to evolving and making it better, I told myself. My best today may not be the best tomorrow and that's okay. 

The first half of yesterday was spent knocking out as much work as possible while keeping a small child alive. I finally allowed myself to stop for a moment to eat breakfast at 11 am (plain spaghetti noodles topped with Parmesan cheese) when a friend texted me to see if we wanted to meet up for a mall date. Yes, please!

It was a lovely time and I managed to buy something for myself (a rare occurrence), the baby, the husband, and gifts for my soon to be born niece. We came home just in time for baby's next bottle, a little bit of play time, dinner, and a ton of chores. 

Ate: Sunrise Burrito with salsa, sausage patties, hashbrowns, and a sweet tea for lunch from the Famous Toastery. Vanilla Soy Latte from Starbucks. Dinner delivered from Passage to India: Vegetable Samosa, Gobi Manchurian, and Chicken Biryani. Large glass of rose.

Bought: cardigans (Janie & Jack), pajamas (Carters), leggings and a tunic (Oshkosh) for the baby. Two athletic bras (TJ Maxx) and pajamas (Gap) for me. Socks for the husband. Tons of gifts for my soon to be born niece.

Purged: a small pile of clothes that no longer fit me and/or no longer my style. My goal this month is to purge 10 things per day, for a total of 300 items. I donated 140 items at the beginning of the month and hope to do the same at the end of the month. 

For an unedited glimpse into my day, check out my Snap story over on YouTube. :) 

*But may be not today.

brunch and a curious hand