There seems to be some controversy over the word dammit and it’s hurting our new friend Maggie who just wants to earn a little ad revenue. We’d like to start a let-Maggie-run-blogher-ads write-in campaign, but don’t really know how to go about it, or have the oomph to follow through. If you have an idea, please let us know. (By the way, the “we/us” is just me. I am having one of those plurality fits again.)
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I had an idea on Sunday. We (being Scott and Jonah and I) were in Babies R Us, returning various changed-my-mind-about items for the umpteenth time. (I’m holding steady at about $98 in credit.)
A woman about my age, and a woman who was clearly her mother were standing in the infant carseat aisle as we were perusing the convertible and front-facing models (looking ahead, so to speak). The two women seemed utterly perplexed. I overheard them discussing whether to get a bucket or go straight to a convertible seat.
I couldn’t resist. I was DYING to help them out. I turned around and explained how the bucket is so convenient — with the carry handle and all, for keeping a sleeping baby asleep. I admitted I hadn’t researched too deeply but I was pretty sure that Graco was the best choice for safety and minimal chemical off-gassing.
The “younger” woman thanked me profusely. Told me it is her girlfriend who is pregnant. I said congratulations (I love this town!) and gave her my blog card in case she wanted more advice. “I’m kind of a professional pregnant person,” I explained.
So, you know, like how people hire wedding planners? I could be a baby planner. Help people buy gear? I think it’s a brilliant idea right now. Not sure how long I’d want to be up on the latest models of infant care and maintenance items. We’ll see…
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An update on Jonah’s food preferences:
We’ve lost him on liver. I suspect my preparation skills were to blame because the last two batches didn’t taste all that good to me either. Maybe now that he’s had fruit, he won’t go back. Am going to try one more time.
Today he ate 3/4 of an avocado and more than half of a banana for lunch!!! Scott and I were very proud.
He also now eats and loves: peaches, nectarines, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, yogurt, and oatmeal.
He’s tried but is not a fan of: egg yolks (hard cooked).
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Recipes revisited:
I turned to my archives recently to battle the spring ant invasion and rediscovered the incredible steak marinade I’d written about that same day. Although now having tried it a few times, I’d vote for using a fattier meat than the sirloin tips, since the fat is basically what takes on the flavor of the remarkably delicious and easy marinade.
I’ve also been making the spice-rubbed pork chops with warmed-spiced-store-bought applesauce over and over.
And the meatloaf, although now I’m adding tamarind paste, maple syrup, and using raw rice cereal (hot-style, not puffed) to bind it together. And shaping it into a loaf in a Pyrex dish and slathering the outside thickly with ketchup.
And here’s a new one. Saw some tomatillos at the farmers’ market and decided to go for a true chile verde (many recipes use tomatoes instead, and I’ve been experimenting with those for a while, using our freezer stash of New Mexico green chiles).
Unfortunately, the meat guy was out of pork butt, so I did it with a beef chuck roast instead. I followed this Chile Verde recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes. My other alterations included substituting hunks of frozen green chile for the jalapenos and Anaheims (natch), and only using a smidge of oregano, because that was all I had left in the cabinet.
It tasted ahhh-maaaaa-zing! I’ve never roasted (heck, never even touched) tomatillos before. Super easy. So fricking worth it.
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And, in doing such an all-over-the-place post, in fact, in posting about food on a pregnancy and motherhood blog, I am breaking one of Elise’s suggested rules from her BlogHer talk. Focus focus focus.
That’s nice, and I think it makes for a good blog, but it’s not my habit. My old biking blog included my knitting photos.
Diffract diffract diffract. You know, like light through a prism. Preeetttty.
If you want Elise’s blog then you do what Elise does. Otherwise, you do what you do. I am puzzled by the concept that there’s a rule book or style guide for blogs. The form changes and has many many iterations.
Anyway, with all this fuss and buzz over blogging and how to do it right etc., I predict that within a year it will be totally “over” and “nobody” will have a blog anymore. We’ll all be on Twitter or something.
And the cool kids have already left Twitter and are doing something else. I am not cool enough to know what that is.
Leila Abu-Saba’s last blog post..Bike Against the Odds
A baby planner! This is a FANTASTIC idea. You’re clearly a great gear researcher, after all. If such a person had existed when I was pregnant (and had I had the money to hire one), I would’ve signed on.
Plenty of (rich busy) people hire personal shoppers, vacation planners, etc. I think there would be a vibrant market for baby-planning help, too, in the Bay Area. Market yourself with an attached gear-review blog?
Laura’s last blog post..First and hopefully not only
You. are. so. sweet.
maggie, dammit’s last blog post..Fear and self-loathing in the Midwest
Leila: I wouldn’t say that Elise was promoting a rule book. She was the speaker for a panel on building traffic and community. She shared her opinion. I think she is successful because her blog is focused.
And as she writes is who she is, and I write how I am. You know.
I’d hate to think that blogging is *so over,* even though I too have had that feeling that this internet-wide questioning is a harbinger.
Twitter, or “microblogging,” seems like the new of-the-moment thing, and like it could already be so yesterday. Even the twitter-er whom I admired for his comedic brilliance (fireland) is already wearing on me a bit.
I was late to blogging, not sure I’ll ever really bother with facebook other than to approve the friend requests of people who find me there. I like the 140 character limit of Twitter because of the way it controls language / affects how we communicate, but not sure I’ll ever focus my attention on it in any meaningful way. Maybe. Dunno.
Laura: YES! Help me? Let’s discuss my business plan over fish-and-chips?
Maggie: Hearts!
A baby planner is a brilliant idea!
Jennifer’s last blog post..You can never add too many vignettes