Author Archives: thissideoftherainbow

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About thissideoftherainbow

First and foremost, I'm a mom & I love it more than anything else on this planet. I'm a talker. I'd like to think that keeping this blog will help me to reduce my chatter, but who am I kidding?

Bathroom Etiquette

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Do you recognize and follow bathroom etiquette when you are in a public facility, or is this something made up entirely by me?

We are all aware of dinner etiquette. Ok, so we may not be ready for dinner with the Queen of England, but we know not to put our elbows on the table!

I imagine there is a proper etiquette for nearly everything – business etiquette, phone etiquette, driving etiquette… You understand what I’m saying. So why do I consistently encounter violators of bathroom etiquette?!

Now, I realize that we are all different in what should or should not be proper for a public restroom. No offense, men, but I hope to never learn what is proper in your case. For women, there are is one primary rule (to me).

If at all possible, do not… I repeat, do NOT sit in the stall next to another person.

Why would you want to?!

I was a victim of poor etiquette today. I was all alone in a bathroom of TEN stalls when the offender entered. There were seven empty stalls waiting patiently for her with their doors wide open. She bypassed every last one of them to sit in the stall directly to my right. Seven missed opportunities to demonstrate proper bathroom etiquette.

As the tips of her black, faux leather heels with cream colored stitching came into my view, I could hear her breathing… Suddenly, I had to go. I had to get the heck out of that stall and quickly!

As I washed my hands and bolted to my desk, I couldn’t help but wonder, did I make up bathroom etiquette?

Please tell me it’s a real thing!

She Will Be Infinite

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This is one of those images of Charli that makes my heart stop. If only time would stop, too.

I know that one day I’ll dig through thousands of digital photos to find this exact photo. I’ll compare it to her first day of kindergarten and her last day of high school. I’ll show it off to anyone who can stand to see the picture … Again.

I will relive all of my favorite moments, like the first time she tip-toed down a large, empty hallway with an owl backpack slung across her back. She looked so very small and so very curious.

This Charlotte, this beautiful daughter of mine will be infinite. Maybe only in my world, but that’s all I need.

Healthy Meals – Why Bother?

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I, like my fellow mamas and daddies, spend tireless hours finding new recipes, planning, shopping, prepping and cooking healthy meals for my toddler. On a good day, half of the food is actually consumed. On a typical day, half of the food “falls” onto the floor.

Parents’ goal is to protect our children, even if that means converting to brown rice, quinoa and ground turkey. Parents want to give children what they need.

Why do we bother?

Charli would rather eat a whole can of fruit cocktail (no sugar added) than touch my clean pot roast. She snubs my efforts to create a tasty, varied menu. If Charlotte had her way, she would eat sweet potatoes, corn, cooked carrots, saltine crackers and cookies. … LOTS of cookies.

These are the things she wants!

The most success I have experienced with feeding my daughter is when I set aside my aspirations of clean eating. For example, I baked pigs in a blanket tonight, and she loved it!

I doubt a hot dog wrapped in a crescent roll is filled with vitamins and nutrients, but what’s a mama to do?

Pigs in a blanket is better than no dinner at all! … Right?

So, my big question: Do I continue my efforts to introduce healthier meals that end up on my floor, or do I cave and make a menu out of corn-dogs, ravioli, chicken nuggets and PB&J?

How do you get your toddler to eat “better?”

There is Something About a Letter

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There is something beautiful about a hand-written letter.

Someone sat at a table or desk and drew the letters that swirled, looped, dipped and slanted into words across a blue-lined paper. Hand writing is a dying art replaced by emails and text messages that can now be created by talking at a machine.

Effortless.
Thoughtless.
Passionless.

A hand-written letter gives a deeper message than any electronic device. Letters become wrinkled with tears and tattered with anger. Letters convey personality and conviction or fear and sadness. The written word, literally written, is as close as it gets to sitting next to a person while she speaks.

I suppose an electronic device could input closed captions like [weeping], [yelling] or [frightened tone]. … But doesn’t that sound awful?

I received a letter from my child-hood piano teacher today because I wrote her a couple months ago. Her letter, as brief as it was, touched my heart. It reminded me of my mom sitting at the kitchen table writing letters every Sunday. It made me feel happy, sad, grateful and proud. I heard her voice in the words and imagined her face.

There is something so beautiful, so magical, in a letter.

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Unintentionally Sad Blog Post

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One of my clients recently told me her children are 18 and 16 years old. I asked if her oldest was still home or off at college. This was her response…

My daughter is 18 and a senior. She is headed to college in the fall. I go back and forth between wanting to change the locks while she’s at school to following her around the house like a puppy saying, “Why do you want to leave me?” Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was cutting her grapes in half and sleeping on her floor when she had a fever? Sigh . .

You know in movies how something small, like a phrase or song, will cause the lead characters eyes to glaze over as the movie transitions to a black and white memory scene?

This is nothing like that.

But the email did bring tears to my eyes as I remembered my senior year of high school. My last year with my mom.

I remember summer 2004 when we would eat junk food and watch terrible TV. I remember awkward conversations. I remember laying my head on her shoulder for comfort. I remember questioning decisions in her life, only to have her catch me off guard or blow me away with her answer.

And I remember so much more, but those things would only embarrass me to share!

My senior year of high school, my mom and I began a transition from parent-child to parent-adult child, aka friendship. We never quite finished that transition, but I’m so glad we had the opportunity to begin that bond.

After forcing away the urge to cry, I smiled. I couldn’t bring myself to mention losing my mom. I don’t want to scare the woman! But I did write her this…

I remember my senior year with my mom. I learned so much about who she was.. How strong she was.. I say you have every right to follow your daughter around like a puppy. Give her extra hugs and kisses. Share some private mom/daughter time. She may not ever tell you, but it’s the best gift she’ll ever receive.

That goes for you, too, reader. I don’t care where you are at in your life, but you have every right to follow your children around and remind them of how much you love them. You never know when you won’t be there to remind them again.

End unintentionally sad blog post.

Absence-Induced Heart Fracture

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As I type this, HOS and I are driving farther and farther away from Charlotte. And tomorrow morning, we will get on a plane that will take us thousands of miles away. Each mile puts a little more pressure on my heart, and a little more worry in my mind.

I am blessed to work for an awesome company. We give thousands of dollars to the community, and the job has greatly improved our financial situation. Another great perk? My employers are taking everyone in the company (plus their respective significant others) to Cancun.

Awesome! Right?

I feel like I’m supposed to say yes. And when everyone in the office has been tanning, shopping and talking excitedly about the trip, I keep my head down…

Don’t get me wrong! I’m very appreciative. HOS and I have never taken a trip together. It will be great for us. I, however, am lacking the enthusiasm and excitement that is abundant at the office.

Honestly? The idea of both HOS and me being in a completely different country from our baby terrifies me. I experience a lot of anxiety, and my mind works through the worst possible scenarios.

Not to mention, we gave Charli hugs and kisses and laid her down for a nap at my aunt’s house. We left shortly after, so my precious baby woke up and we were no where to be found.

I feel like a terrible parent who abandoned her child.

Charlotte will hardly notice our absence during the next four days as she is spoiled by her great aunt and doted on by cousins. She will be at the house when we get home, happy and healthy.

I will fake it until I make it in Cancun, praying that the excitement will catch. I know I’ll enjoy three full days free from cooking and cleaning!

But tonight? Tonight, my heart will suffer a slight fracture from all these miles separating me Charli.

Early-Year Indifference

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At the end of the day, I spend 2.5 hours with Charlotte each night. And that breaks my heart.

Lately, this 2.5 hours have been filled with distractions. I may be physically with Charli, but I’m not there mentally and emotionally. Work is getting busier and busier. Charlotte isn’t sleeping well. Volunteer hours. Friends. Family. Events….

Somewhere in the last few months, I lost site of my real priority.

Last weekend, I hit a point that I will refer to as “Early-Year Indifference.” I no longer care about the board I sit on. I don’t care that my inbox is constantly overflowing with emails. I would rather stay at home than attend anyone’s anything. No offense. It’s not you; it’s me.

I want nothing more than to pass the time with my daughter. I want to enjoy every precious second I spend with her without being filled with guilt that I’m not doing something else. I want to be surprised and proud when she says a new word, and I want to revel in it. I want to feel the excitement radiating from her. I want to dance around the kitchen, sing while giver her baths and watch her sleeping in her crib.

I want to be moved to tears when Charlotte reaches her arms up to me and says, “Pwease!” because she wants me to hold her.

And I’m tired of missing out on these things because my mind is elsewhere.

I am indifferent to almost anything unrelated to my daughter.

I am not sorry for that.

Maybe this “Early-Year Indifference” will give way to “Mid-Year Motivation.” Who knows? For now, I’m going to be grateful and take advantage of every possible moment.

 

My Little Sous-Chef

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I love to cook.

I’m not a talented chef who knows how to pare different flavors or anything like that. I simply enjoy the act of cooking. Of course, I have a toddler running around so setting aside time to cook – I mean, really cook – is rare. Cooking actually takes away from mommy time with Charlotte.

(Lots of household activities encroach on time with Charli, but I use it to my advantage in most cases!)

Instead of completely giving up on one of my few hobbies, I’ve started engaging Charlotte in the cooking process. I ask her to choose between two different recipes or two vegetables or two fruits. I realize that her choices are probably based on what is most visually appealing at this age, but I’m hoping that this practice encourages her to make decisions for herself. Being an extremely indecisive person, I really want to teach her to importance of making decisions!

In addition to making choices for mealtime, I’m starting to include her in the cooking. She will drag a chair across the kitchen and slap the seat yelling “UH! UH!” (translation: UP! UP!) until I pick her up and place her on the seat. I scoot the chair up to the counter so she can watch as I measure and mix. I talk to her the whole time, explaining what I’m doing and what I’m making.

Yesterday, she helped me make turkey chili. She poured the different ingredients into the crockpot for me. After watching me stir for a few seconds, Charli decided it was the coolest thing ever! She stirred and stirred, and was not happy when I told her it was time to cook the chili.

Charlotte won’t remember this experience with me because she is too young. She won’t remember what it was like to have me leaning over her, wrapping my hand around her hand as I taught her how to stir the ingredients. She won’t remember the pure, innocent joy in that moment.

And she won’t remember that she refused to eat even one bite of the chili when it was done.

But I will remember. At least I hope I will.

It was one of the most bittersweet moments I’ve had in a while. It was such an awesome, happy experience, and it made me long for my mom so very much.

So it seems I have a new cooking buddy, my little sous-chef. I won’t have to give up my hobby, and I won’t have to miss out on time with my daughter. It’s a win-win… If only she would eat what she cooks!

I Exercise Because I Love My Daughter

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I hate exercise.

I hate the sweat rolling off my nose and into my mouth while I attempt a walking plank.

I hate the tightness and soreness in my muscles.

I love seeing the number decreasing (instead of increasing) on the scale.

I love seeing and feeling the changes in my body.

Most importantly, I love my daughter, and I hate the thought of missing any part of her life.

If you’ve read my blog, you know that I attribute a lot of my goals for mommyhood to things I learned from my mom. One of the greatest lessons was taught the hardest way. My mom is my motivation for losing weight and being fit because she was too busy selflessly caring for her three kids to take care of herself. I believe that played a large role in the cancer that took her life.

I love my mom more than words can describe. I miss her very deeply. And it is because of that love and that aching that I want to do more than she was able to do in terms of health. I want to instill the importance of physical health, as well as spiritual, emotional and mental health. The only way for me to do that is by first instilling it in myself. That is no easy feat, my friends!

I enjoy playing volleyball and basketball, and I used to love running sprints. I do not enjoy 50 minute workout videos that leave me trembling and sweaty, curled up in a ball on the basement floor. Not that I have ever done that. …

I exercise because I love my daughter. I want to be at her college graduation. I want to show her friends embarrassing photos from her youth. I want to take her for drinks when she gets her first big job. I want to help her plan her wedding and watch as she walks down the aisle. I want to hold her babies in my arms and teach them all the things my mom wasn’t here to teach Charlotte. I want all of these moments and all the little, forgettable moments in-between. I want those things because I didn’t get to experience them with my mom.

I hate exercise, but I do it for me and for my daughter.

I hate sweating, but I will count every drop as an extra hour with her.

I hate feeling sore, but it is a mere pinch in comparison to the pain she will feel when I am gone.

This is what I remind myself on nights like this, when I want nothing more than to crawl into bed and forgo the workout. What’s 50 minutes of my time after Charlotte’s asleep?

Oh, just a couple more hours of life later on.

I love the sound of that.

Good Eats: Stuffed Pepper Casserole

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Growing up, I was not what you would call a “picky eater.” I loved to eat, and there were very few things I would turn down.

One of my favorite meals my mom would make was stuffed peppers. My brother and sister would eat the cheesy rice stuffing and forgo the pepper, but I loved it all! We didn’t eat them all that often, but I distinctly remember large peppers overflowing with rice, hamburger, tomato sauce and cheese.

So. Good!

As I’m making strides in eating healthier, I knew this would be a recipe I could easily adapt, simply swap out a few items. And it sounded delicious! Of course, HOS wouldn’t eat a stuffed pepper if I paid him, and Charli is a bit young for this dish. The best way to please my baby and fulfill my craving was to create a healthy, stuffed pepper casserole.

I can’t say whether or not Charlotte enjoyed the dish. It was one of her rebellious evenings when she chose to eat presumably large quantities of animal cookies at daycare just before I arrived. She didn’t eat dinner at all. But I loved it!

If you like stuff peppers, you’re sure to enjoy this rendition.

Clean Stuffed Pepper Casserole

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Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2-3 large green peppers
1 cup brown rice
(1) 12 oz can organic tomato sauce
Mrs. Dash onion and herb seasoning
1-2 cups mozzarella
2.5 cups water

Recipe
1. Boil 1 cup brown rice in 2.5 cups water until tender. Water will all be evaporated or absorbed by the rice. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. While the rice is boiling, brown the ground turkey on a low temp. I seasoned the meat as it was cooking, adding 1 tsp (ish) Mrs. Dash when it is first place in the skillet and again after the meat is turned the first time.

3. Chop the green peppers and add to the turkey as it is browning. This will result in softer peppers. For a crunchier pepper, wait to add them until after the brown rice is ready.

4. When the rice is finished boiling, stir into the skillet.

5. Pour the tomato sauce into the skillet and let cook on low for a few minutes, stirring.

6. Pour the contents of the skillet into a casserole dish. If using 2 cups of cheese, cut in 1 cup of mozzarella into the casserole. If only using 1 cup, cheese will be added later.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

8. Remove the casserole and top with the remaining mozzarella. Return to oven for 3 minutes.

9. Enjoy!

In the future, I would like to try this recipe with some stewed or diced tomatoes. I’ll probably reduce the sauce quantity if I add tomatoes.

What’s your favorite stuffed pepper recipe?