New Year

The past 3 months have been the busiest of my life! Many many work dinners and events, social calls for me and the family, conducting a NYC high school search for our 13-yr old like it was college, rush to work, rush to daycare, rush home, rush rush rush!...all the while feeling overwhelmed and underperforming. Not a great place to be for an overachiever.

So - 2010 finds me and a bazillion other people on websites like facebook and 43Things starting off with resolutions and promises anew for a more peaceful and productive year!

Happiness for me starts with getting healthy, getting organized and getting happy!

Get Healthy

Sleep

Our little guy just turned one year this month and has started waking at night again, so we are on Day 4 of sleep re-training for baby so we can all sleep.

• Complete sleep re-training - December
  
• Buy supplies for bedroom partition - January
  
• Set date for assistance with installation - January
  
• Get to bed by 10:30pm at least three times per week

Nutrition

Healthy eating is the fuel needed to live a BusyLife, so it is no surprise that a malaise has settled over me at the same time as a decline in the healthy habits our family once enjoyed.
To kick the year into gear:

• Appointment with family nutritionist - January
  
• Resolve to cook 5-6 days per week – schedule created
  
• Bring leftovers from said cooking nights for lunch (also saves $$!)
  
• Expose the kids (and adults) to more varied and healthy foods
  
• Take vitamins regularly

Exercise

Need more exercise in all our lives!

• Appointment with trainer for new routine
  
• Qualified for NYC marathon in November 2010
  
• Schedule gym nights for both husband and me
• Get teenager to attend martial arts classes twice a week
  
• More playtime for baby outside of the apartment (Saturday classes, museums, playground)
  

Get Organized

I’m always happier when I feel like I’ve accomplished my goals. Whether those goals are big (career change, marathon, baby) or small (vacuum the rug, organize my purse, put away that pile of clothes in the corner), happiness for me begins with organization.

• Chore list – no more guesswork or complaining, we all have a job to do and know when to do it
  
• Event list – all our outside activities are in one place so conflicts are to a minimum
  
• Goals list – posting a list of goals for the family in a prominent place (new apartment, healthy eating, more sleep)

Get Happy

Finally, a BusyLife is all about balance. Need a few little “me” moments to recharge and refresh so I am up for any challenge!

• Yoga – make time for morning and evening practice everyday again
  
• Bath – amazing what a quiet soak with a book can do for the psyche
  
• Walk – make time to walk to work more
  
• Read – at least one non-work related book per month
  
• Visit – at least one get together with friends and family per month
  
• ReConnect – at least one date night per month
  

My goodness…that’s a lot of lists! Well…that’s the plan for the coming year. Ambitious, but I think doable and ultimately will lead us to a very happy and relaxed place once complete.
‘Til next time,
It’s a BusyLife,
Danielle

Healthcare should be like car insurance

Ok, I know I am way oversimplifying the matter, but I think healthcare reform has gotten so complex and so hotly debated, that some simplification might be in order.

Everyone who owns a car in this country, needs some form of insurance. It is regulated and varies from state to state, but is still a legal requirement to owning a car. People with more money pay up for better insurance with greater coverage. People with less money generally choose the bare minimum and if you are caught driving without insurance, you pay fines.

Why can't this model work for healthcare? It's not perfect, by any means, but it's comprehensive. It's not an entitlement, but it's comprehensive. Those with more money can afford better, those with less buy what they are able, and those without are fined because if they get into an accident without it they will be a burden on the system and that is discouraged.

Why couldn't this work for healthcare? Why is one side of the aisle trying to institutionalize healthcare while the other side wants the wild West? Let's just get this done people, because my premiums from my employer sponsored plan are up nearly 500% in the past decade and if I recall correctly, we haven't seen that kind of inflation in the general economy.

Til next time,
It's a BusyLife,
Danielle

Some days...update

After my much needed rant session yesterday, the day improved moment by moment, and many of you helped remind me that perspective is important, and, as my sister reminded me, "life ebbs and flows."
The progression from bad day, to ok day, to great evening:
- 11:15am baby up, at doctor's moved appointment, and no ear infection (yeah!)
- 12:30pm still upset in general, argued with husband, realized mid-argument not to argue with person trying to help you
- 12:50pm at Apple store genius appointment wonderful husband made and found running chip fix (buy new one...love/hate Apple!)
- 2pm great stroll home on bright sunny fall day through park with happy baby
- 3pm naptime for everyone
- 4pm finally get out for that 5-mile run, best time in three years!
- 6pm daughter returns home from weekend away, dinner, family time
- 9pm Yankees game on, quality time with husband
- midnight Yankees win game and in world series!
- 12:05am off to bed with smile, great end to the day

'til next time,
It's a BusyLife.
- Danielle

Some days just don't go your way

Ah, the beauty of a blog - someplace to vent! It's been one of those days, and it's only 10:26am, sigh. I'd like to think of myself as a positive individual, but I'm going to lay it all out there, if for no other reason, to feel like it took alot to get to me today!

- it's dreary

- woke up with a headache

- baby refused to nurse, started pulling at ear (maybe ear infection?)

- went back to sleep after some tylenol (thank you wonderful husband!), still woke with headache

- missed 8:30am race, but planned on 'virtual race' with nike+ ipod chip

- chip not working, blogs contradict each other and still not working!

- spent 1/2 hour searching for ipod armband to no avail (still no breakfast)

- baby would not go down for nap for 1/2 hour (I hope he's sleeping in there)

- now headache, hungry, grumpy, and no run to count toward marathon entry requirements

- baby sleeping through doctor's appt to see if he has ear infection (10:30)

- found out friends who came to visit got parking tix (sorry guys!)

Ugh, just one of those days and it's not even noon. Did get an email from a friend that is helping snap me out of it (thx Lynn!). It had this picture:

Uh...sorry, I know this was supposed to be cute, but just disturbing, no?

Anywhooo time to scrap it and find time for that book about how to find time :)....serenity now - ommmmmmmmm.

'til next time,

It's a BusyLife.

Danielle

H1N1 Update teleconferences Oct 8 and 9

In an effort to give you the most up to date information about the H1N1virus, the White House Office of Public Engagement, in coordination withthe Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Controland Prevention, will hold informational conference calls on this subject.Below is a list of conference call information pertaining to differentcommunities. Please feel free to join any number of these calls. Topicswill include prevention, the importance of vaccination, vaccine safety andavailability.


THURSDAY, October 8
11:00a EDT H1N1, Pregnant Women and Maternal Health
Participant: (800) 553-0327
Title: Maternal Health H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


1:00p EDT General H1N1 Outreach Call with Organizations of AnyBackground
Participant: (800) 230-1085
Title: H1N1 Briefing *Provide in lieu of passcode*


1:45p EDT H1N1 and Children Under 5 and Children with High-RiskConditions
Participant: (800) 288-8961
Title: Children H1N1 *Provide in lieu of passcode*


2:00p EDT H1N1 and Persons with Cancer and non-HIVImmunosuppressive Conditions
Participant: (800) 230-1096
Title: Cancer H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


2:00p EDT H1N1 and African Americans
Participant: (800) 288-8960
Title: African American H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


7:00p EDT H1N1 and Pacific Islanders
Participant: (800) 230-1059
Title: Pacific Islanders H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


FRIDAY, October 9
11:00a EDT H1N1 and Persons with HIV/AIDS
Participant: (800) 288-8961
Title: HIV\AIDS H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


12:00p EDT H1N1 and Persons with Cardiovascular Disease
Participant: (800) 230-1951
Title: Cardiovascular H1N1 Call*Provide in lieu of passcode*


1:00p EDT H1N1 and Persons with Diabetes
Participant: (800) 230-1085
Title: Diabetes H1N1 *Provide in lieu of passcode*


1:00p EDT H1N1 and Persons with Asthma
Participant: (800) 230-1074
Title: Asthma H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


2:00p EDT H1N1 and Persons with Disabilities
Participant: (800) 230-1951
Title: Disabilities H1N1 Call *Provide in lieu of passcode*


2:00p EDT H1N1, Immigrants and non-English speakers (andincluding Latino and Asian organizations)
Participant: (800) 230-1096
Title: Immigrants\Non English Speaking H1N1 *Provide in lieu of passcode*

Fast and easy dinner - Crabmeat Rolls

For a fancy looking sandwich night, we created a budget-friendly version of our favorite lobster roll from The Mermaid Inn which has quickly become a family favorite. Admittedly, I'm a terrible cooking instructor, as I am constantly experimenting and changing recipes with my "add a little curry to the marinara" here (which is FABU) and "I'm out of this ingredient, how would this be" there attitude. My flexible attitude in the kitchen makes for some great meals, but becomes very hard to nail down on paper or pass along a recipe...but here goes!

We've become fans of one of my childhood favorites for budget cooking - imitation crabmeat. While it's definitely not up to par with Alaskan King crabmeat, it's an affordable, family-friendly alternative that still gets seafood on the table and breaks up the "what chicken dish is for dinner" monotony. Besides, it's ready-to-eat, so you don't have to cook it or deal with raw meat juice to clean up after. We've sauteed in olive oil with pasta, made a budget version of paella, and our new favorite - sandwiches!

This recipe is super fast (talking 5 mins!) unless you have to thaw the crabmeat, but even then, I only spent 15 mins in the kitchen last night, and just finished the leftovers for lunch...mmmm! I thought thawing the imitation crabmeat would be alot of brain damage, but it's either an overnight in the refrigerator (had NO time for that), or under warm/cool running water. Solution: I put the package in the sink under running water, and finished the dishes from lunch (yes, they'd been sitting in the sink most of the day. I'm happy for you if this never happens if your house) and by the time I was done the meat was thawed!


Imitation Crabmeat Salad Sandwiches
Serves: 4
ingredients:

4 brioche rolls
1 lb package imitation crabmeat, thawed
1/2 cup mayonaise (we use light mayo)
salt, pepper, basil flakes, paprika, or whatever else you like to taste!


Toast brioche rolls, I put them in my oven straight on the rack for 5 mins on 350 degrees, but only because I don't have a toaster oven handy. While toasting rolls, throw some frozen corn in the microwave or whatever side you are having with dinner. In a large bowl, break up the crabmeat by hand to smaller pieces, but not too small, large chunks are good. Add mayo and seasonings and mix. Add heaping scoops to rolls and serve.


'til next time,
It's a BusyLife
-Danielle

I did a half marathon!!

Entry fee...$17.50
Number of foot massage breaks...3
Miles walked...2.5
Miles completed this morning...13.2
Finishing a half marathon before my son's first birthday...priceless!!


I'm going to go collapse now
'til next time,
It's a BusyLife
- Danielle

Heard on the street

One of the interesting things about living in NYC (sometimes a guilty pleasure) is people watching/eavesdropping on the streets of the city. Sometimes it's the new parents strolling with their newborn that brings a smile to your face. Or the foreign tourists enjoying a sight you take for granted every day, reminding you why you love your neighborhood. Or the crazy person shouting to no one in particular about nothing specific or discernable.

Tonight I took a quick stroll to the market for some milk (oh, and bananas, and maybe yogurt...and why can I never walk out of the market with only what I came for??) when I was reminded how alive with activity the streets can be, even in our quiet family neighborhood on the Upper West Side. My neighborhood is a friendly one, where people will just strike up a conversation out of the blue as you share the sidewalk. Like the guy bemusing about a strikingly bright yellow sports car as we crossed the street together. Or the conversation I stumbled past, as a woman explained to her companion:

"...so we were friendly, and he said to me 'let's catch some breakfast or lunch sometime' {hands flourishing in the air}"

"then I responded nicely enough, but it was not nice, there were words or phrases hanging in the nastiness of the air, just lingering above telling me this was not"

Well, it sounded more interesting walking by :)

Apparently, I'm not the only one who enjoys listening in on street talk because there's a blog dedicated to what can be

Overheard In New York.

Til next time,

It's a BusyLife

- Danielle

Concept of space

A few weekends ago we re-organized our home (with help, thanks to a deal on personal assistance at Lambent Services), and the concept of space is quite interesting. Living in Manhattan I think my concept of space is skewed to appreciate smaller quarters to begin with. My father once marvelled how I could tolerate shared walls with neighbors and how he much preferred a private home with yard. But as our little guy comes closer to mastering walking, we realized the layout of our tiny apartment just felt tinier and with cold weather approaching, we needed some space for him to spread out on the floor with toys, toddle across the room, and otherwise not worry about bumping his head on every obstacle.

Our living room was arrange so that upon entry, the dining area was directly on on the right, TV and bookcases on the far left wall, sofa facing the entry, and behind it the far wall covered with alternative bookcases and his and hers desks. This layout worked great for 4 years with two adults and a budding teen, but was very cramped once we added a new baby and all his stuff (and they do have lots of stuff!).





















So...we ditched a few shelves, shifted the sofa back to the wall, moved the dining room to the left and voila!! The room opened right up!

I would highly recommend to anyone to occasionally take a hard look at your space with fresh perspective.


'til next time,
It's a BusyLife
- Danielle

Facebook down...now what?

Amazing how some aspects of modern life, non-existent until recently, can become integral to our daily routines. Obviously the internet is one (the vehicle to which I am communicating with you), mobile phones (I cannot even image being off the grid for more than a day anymore...more about this in a future post), and, of late, I am re-evaluating my connection to facebook.


Facebook is a phenomenal social networking tool. As previously posted, I LOVE being connected to far-flung family and friends. I make plans with those near and far, share video and pics of the kids and enjoy quips with all the people who enrich my world. So...it's down today - uh, now what?

can't get back to Mike & Cathy to find out when they're in town for dinner

can't shut down Sorority Life while I still have the conviction

can't post this note to most of my people, because I haven't yet created an alternate distribution

In summary...it's become one of my favorite communication tools that's becoming increasingly less reliable.


I've started to blog more to lure myself away from the pretty and distracting aspects of facebook, get back to more meaningful exchanges that involve more than 140 characters, and hopefully instill more discipline into my thoughts that have been very scattered and lack the depth and clarity they previously had.


Certainly not to be mistaken with quitting Facebook or going off the grid...but definitely food for thought as facebook works through their technical difficulties on the Monday am.



Til next time,
It's a BusyLife
- Danielle

Microwave corn on the cob & how to NOT lose a TV

How did I not discover this sooner! Ok, so microwave corn on the cob sounds terrible, like it would be mushy and yucky, but it was surprisingly good and oh so quick! The key appears to be leaving them in the husks, silk and all.

This was the recipe I used from Cooks.com:

Place corn on turntable of microwave, with about 1" space between. Cook no more than 4 ears at a time on HIGH setting. Cook 1 ear for 6 minutes, 2 ears 10 minutes and 4 ears 15 to 17 minutes or until tender. When corn has finished cooking, let cool a few minutes, then using a towel to protect your hands, hold corn and peel back the husks, the silks will be easy to remove.

Hint: the paper towel did not save my hands from minor burns, so consider a dishrag.

This went incredibly well with the re-heated rotisserie chicken we fired up as well (I've become quite the microwave gourmet with little or no time to cook). Total prep/cook time: 25 mins except for chicken carving...that was a disaster :(

Weekends are usually when I take the time to cook a full meal and get more elaborate, but we had a busy day re-organizing the apartment to eek out what little extra room we could find and stave off needing a bigger place. I think we were successful. We lost the hers of the his & hers desk/bookshelf units along one wall, moved the sofa back and switched the dining area with the remaining desk/bookcase. The result was a wide open center of the room, a cozy corner with the couch, a shelf just for the baby's toys. Unforeseen bonus: ditching the 4 yr old giant TV for a new flat screen - yeah!

On that note...why is it SO hard to get rid of a TV? We looked into donating - very hard. Had no time to call all kinds of organizations who might put it to good use - hard. Thought of selling on craigslist - how can a perfectly good 30" Sony Wega HDTV sell for $30???? Finally trying to freecycle it (posted for someone to take for free)...and WOW...people are so flaky. Hopefully the last guy we spoke to (4th on the list) actually comes through or that thing's hitting the curb at noon!

Til next time,

It's a BusyLife

- Danielle

Make-Ahead Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Make-Ahead Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Posted using ShareThis

Facebook is wonderful...Facebook is evil

I've been conflicted of late about my relationship with/relationships via facebook.

Wonderful
On the one hand, facebook is wonderful! I have reconnected with long-lost friends, kept up with those wide and far, and am able to keep family up-to-date like no other tool has allowed. Family, especially grandparents, get almost daily photo and video of the kids. I've been part of some great debates with family and friends. On a good day I can share my happiness. On a bad day I have garnered great support.

Last month I posted a comment of how I had returned to a vegan diet (for the record: I'm flexi-vegan i.e. vegan until some good meat dish lures me out of retirement for a few meals), and this was met by a wonderfully thoughtful and interesting response from a woman I'd met via my husband (our husbands are long time friends). She sent me a message of her own thoughts on food philosophy and her successes with changing diets as well as providing hearty encouragement (thanks Cathy)! Also as a result of this one post, a very thoughtful co-worker lent me some fab cookbooks (Liza, I PROMISE they will come back to you so so soon! Making mushroom fajitas tonight!). So...facebook is a great social networking tool that can be a positive addition to some already great relationships in one's life. As a bonus, my Scrabble/Wordscraper skills have improved - I'll take my turn after work Mehala!


Evil
On the other hand, facebook is an evil time-consuming vacuum to whom many hours have been wasted away playing supposedly social games (how "social" can sorority life be if most of your sisters are strangers and you can attack and slap people?), endless quizzes (do I really need to know that much about the 80s?) and all kinds of gift engines flying around (sorry...no more sweets for me please). I adore the people with whom I play these games, but I feel like I need to get off this crazy ride! It's difficult enough getting over "mommy brain" as my son just reached 9-months old, but with ever less time available to get things done, the high quality activities in life seem to get missed...reading, writing, sleeping.

Therefore, I am committing anew to wean off the less value-added aspects of facebook (I'll miss all my fellow farmers!) and keep active with the truly great things Facebook has to offer!

'til another time,
Danielle

sporadic blogger shares a recipe...finally!

I always intend to keep up with my blogging, but sadly life happens and my dedication waxes and wanes. So...here I am again, dedicating anew! Lots of thoughts floating around that don't necessarily warrant posting, but did want to share one of the recipes that keeps my life as a busy parent relatively sane some days:

Speed dinner prep for busy families

• Some boneless chicken breast
• a deep skillet
• can of cream of mushroom soup (low sodium or fat-free if you like)
• cup of water
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• paprika

These are the ingredients to my family's fave quick dinner, 20 mins max prep time (15 is you're fast). Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat, add chicken until lightly browned (3-5 mins). Meantime, open cream of mushroom soup and whisk together with water (more or less for soupy or gravy). Flip the chicken, add soup mix and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Heat until gravy bubbles and chicken is cooked through.

Serve with your fave side dishes (ours are rice and peas, but would go with noodles, salad, potatoes, veggies!)

Vegetarian alternative: We've substituted baby bella mushrooms, portabella caps and slices and all are just wonderful!

Not Julia Child, but definitely for the "servant-less American cook" ;-)

Here's a few other great resources for speedy dinners:
Real Simple's 10 Ways to Speed up Dinner-Prep Times
Speed up dinner preparation on LifeHacker
Working Mom Minute Meals

Until next time, bon appetit!
Danielle

Plane crash Clarence, NY

Our thoughts are with the victims, families and friends of last night's Continental plane crash in Clarence, NY just outside our hometown of Buffalo.

how will cnbc viewing affect baby development?

Even at 8 weeks, I see my son recognizing the television as he would another person in the room speaking (As I type, Go Diego Go! is buying me 15 minutes to the next feeding). The TV isn't on all day, but I have to wonder how my news-phile tendencies will affect my son's little brain.  Will my son trend toward finance? Will exposure repel him? Will it matter? Will he be irreparably scarred after a Jim Cramer segment?

There have been reports of passive TV watching being harmful to attention spans, but at what age? My older child, now 12 yrs old, started to show behavioral issues by age 2 from too much tv, to which we promptly cut tv time down to 1 hr a day from 2 hrs, but is there anything out on infants and benefits/detriments of tv? If so, doesn't that include the oh so hyped Baby Einstein series?  We tried to sit thru a Baby Einstein video and while my son was somewhat engaged, how do parents survive them? 

Why do i bother drinking coffee?

Caffeine seems to have the same effect as pushing the 'door close' button of an elevator. It's there for one to use, but doesn't seem to speed things up meaningfully more than if one had waited it out.

Why do i bother drinking coffee?

Caffeine seems to have the same effect as pushing the 'door close' button of an elevator. It's there for one to use, but doesn't seem to speed things up meaningfully more than if one had waited it out.

new parent...again

On December 14, 2008 we welcomed our happy little addition, Martin Moore Akeakamai Jarnot. As we celebrate him turning 2 months, appropriately on Valentine's Day, I've got enough sleep to reflect on the past 8 weeks and gather thoughts to look beyond the next naptime.


Being a new mom again is much different than I remember from 12 years ago. First, the gear is SO much better (a bazillion luxury strollers, more velcro diapers, and sleep sacks!). Second, the rules are different (no crib bumpers??). Finally, the baby's different...they really are who they are from the start, no?

new parent...again

On December 14, 2008 we welcomed our happy little addition, Martin Moore Akeakamai Jarnot. As we celebrate him turning 2 months, appropriately on Valentine's Day, I've got enough sleep to reflect on the past 8 weeks and gather thoughts to look beyond the next naptime.


Being a new mom again is much different than I remember from 12 years ago. First, the gear is SO much better (a bazillion luxury strollers, more velcro diapers, and sleep sacks!). Second, the rules are different (no crib bumpers??). Finally, the baby's different...they really are who they are from the start, no?