Cuddle Quilt: Step 1
Is this not the most ADORABLE fabric ever? Found it on my pilgrimage to the fabric store with my dear friend — and partner in crafting — L.
Normally with crafts and sewing projects, I am terrible for rushing and trying to finish it in one sitting — as we witnessed with the itsy bitsy yellow sundress.
But thank God for girlfriends. I made L force me to be slow and careful as I measured out quilt squares and cut them out. And — shocker — they actually turned out very tidy!
Step #2 (sewing the squares together) will have to wait for another night. Stay tuned, crafty girls!
*UPDATE* Here are the rest of the steps:
Round two with the sewing machine
The itsy-bitsy sundress was sort of a success — I might have forgotten to mention the wonky seam at the waist — so I am moving on to Project #2!
I really want to try making a flannel patchwork quilt pour bebe. Flannel because it’s so cuddly, and also because I have noticed very cute printed flannels in the fabric store, and have never had the guts to buy them … until today!
Going to the fab store after work, and am totally inspired by the design over at Make-Your-Own-Baby-Stuff.com. Will keep you posted on how it turns out!
P.S. I had totally forgotten my prenatal vitamin, but writing this post reminded me to take it. Thanks, Blogosphere!
The afternoon that spawned three snacks
After singing the praises of The Daily Dozen Pregnancy Diet, I decided to try it out in real life.
I may be a bit of a Junk Food Queen at home, but at work I always pack pretty healthy lunches, with lots of raw veggies, fruit, etc. So I didn’t think this would be much of a stretch.
But this diet requires you to eat a lot more veggies than I normally would, plus a ton of calcium and vitamin C.
How easy was it? Well, here’s how it went down …
8:10 a.m.
- 1 piece organic whole-grain bread
- 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- 1 small probiotic strawberry yogurt
- Water mixed with cranberry juice
Meal total: 1 serving of grains, 1 serving of fats, 1/2 serving of calcium, fluids
10:27 a.m.
- 1 green apple
- More water/cranberry juice
Snack total: 1 serving of “other” fruits & veggies, fluids
12:31 p.m.
- Homemade beef stew with carrots and turnips
- Sugar-free lemonade
Meal total: 1 serving of protein, 2 serving of Green Leafies/Yellows (*not sure if turnip is part of that group, but it’s yellow, so I’m guessing)
2:01 p.m.
- Raw broccoli
- Raw green beans
- Caesar dip
- More sugar-free lemonade
Snack total: 1 serving of Green Leafies/Yellows/1 serving of Vitamin C, 1 serving of Fat, 1 serving of “other” fruits and veggies, fluids
3:42 p.m.
- 2 small chunks marble cheese
- 4 whole-grain crackers
- Yet more sugar-free lemonade
Snack total: 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of calcium, 1 serving of grains, fluids
5:49 p.m.
- Green grapes
Snack total: Couldn’t find grapes on the master list, but I think they probably count as “other” fruits & veggies.
7:38 p.m.
- Whole wheat pita pizza (mozza cheese, pepperoni, green onion)
- Diet Coke
Meal total: 2 servings of grains, 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of calcium, 1 serving of “other” fruits & veggies
…
Daily scorecard:
- Protein (3 out of 3)!!!
- Calcium (2.5 out of 4)
- Vitamin C (1 out of 3)
- Green leafies/Yellows (3 out of 3-4)!!!
- Other fruits/veggies (4 out of 1-2). Hmmm.
- Whole grains (4 out of 6+)
- Fats (2 out of 4)
- Iron (Hmm, none?)
- Salt (Possibly some in the pita?)
- Healthy fat (None)
- Fluids (Few bottles of sugar-free lemonade, cranberry water, one Diet Coke)
- Prenatal vitamin (Check!)
That was definitely harder than I thought! And WTF, I had three afternoon snacks??? Please don’t judge!
I can’t believe I got a perfect score on protein, but the Calcium and Vitamin C divisions were hard losses. My skim milk expired yesterday, so that cost me the crown.
Highchairs of the rich and famous
I mean, who hasn’t sat in their $18 million loft and thought, “A highchair from where … Sears? What is this Sears of which you speak?”
… and then turned to the butler and said, “No, I must find an ultra-modern and chrome highchair. I would not dream of letting a white plastic monstrosity enter my 3,000 square foot kitchen!”
… and then eaten a watercress salad, put on their “casual” jewels, and said, “Eureka! The hairchair must match the fridge and the barstools!” And then ordered up this black-and-chrome Fresco Loft chair from Bloom.
Who hasn’t done that? … Anyone? … Anyone?
The Daily Dozen
By far, the biggest thing weighing on my mind lately has been what I should — and should not — be eating.
I’m about 1/4 of the way through What To Expect When You’re Expecting, and it keeps stressing the importance of what you eat during first few months of pregnancy. I’m (almost) glad I’m not already pregnant — I’d feel like I was studying after the exam had started!
Since Darling Husband and I are planning to start “trying” this summer, I’m in countdown mode. I want to try and get my body in the best possible condition before I get pregnant, but besides taking my daily Materna, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do.
So I’ve decided to loosely start following the Pregnancy Daily Dozen — 12 rules that are designed to fill you up with healthy, nourishing foods (and less junk).
Here’s how it breaks down (using just a few examples):
1. Protein (3 servings)
- 2 cups yogurt
- 4 large whole eggs
- 7 large egg whites
- 3 glasses of milk
- 3/4 cup grated cheese
- 4 ounces fresh fish
- 4 ounces skinless chicken
- 4 ounces lean beef
2. Calcium (4 servings)
- 1 glass of milk
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups frozen yogurt
- 1 glass of calcium-fortified OJ
- 1/4 cup grated cheese
3. Vitamin C (3 servings)
- 1/2 cup OJ (or half an orange)
- 1/3 cup strawberries
- 2/3 cup raspberries
- 1/2 a green pepper
- 1/4 a red, yellow or orange pepper
- 1 tomato
- 1/2 cup cauliflower
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1 baked potato in skin
4. Green leafies & yellows (3-4 servings)
- 1/2 carrot
- 1 cup romaine lettuce
- 1 cup raw spinach (or 1/2 cup of cooked)
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 cup broccoli
5. Other fruits & veggies (1-2 servings)
- 1 apple
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup applejuice (or applesauce)
- 2 plums
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup green beans
6. Whole grains & legumes (6+ servings)
- 1 slice whole-grain bread
- 1/2 whole-wheat pita or wrap
- 1 cup oatmeal, cooked cereal, or cold whole-grain ceral
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/4 cup whole wheat pasta
7. Fats (4 servings)
- 1 tbsp vegetable, olive, or canola oil
- 1 tbsp butter or margarine
- 1 tbsp mayonaise
- 2 tbsp salad dressing
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
8. Iron-rich foods (“some”)
- Beef
- Turkey
- Baked potato in skin
- Spinach
- Oat bran
- Beans
- Peas
9. Salt (in moderation, about 2,400 mg)
10. Healthy fats (like Omega-3) (in moderation)
11. Fluids (at least 8 glasses)
12. Prenatal vitamin
…
As you can see, some of the foods do double-duty — like how broccoli appears in the Vitamin C category and the Green Leafies category. That’s a good thing, because it means you can eat one cup of yogurt and hit two “targets.”
I’m a little bewildered by the counting — it seems like a lot to keep track of! Maybe I will do a trial run today to see how it goes.
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