When Emus Attack

Have you ever googled when emus attack? No? What, you may ask, would prompt such a search?

Welcome to my day.

We were not, per se, attacked by an emu, but rather challenged by one in a really scary way. Yes, we were at the zoo, although it would be perfectly acceptable narrative to have this happen to me somewhere else (at least in the scope of events in my life, since really strange things tend to happen to me). BUT, at the zoo, it happened. Emus are huge birds with really big sharp beaks. The enclosures at our zoo are not enclosed, but rather habitats that you walk through on paths with no fences. The animals are usually indifferent and off the path, but not today. Today, the emu would not let us pass and was charging us. Quick thinking on our part, allowed us to get out BUT STILL......zoo staff snickered and mocked me a little. They said it must be mating season but I looked it up and that doesn't start until April. Hmph.

Then dearest husband mocked me A LOT. Not funny. Ok, maybe a little funny NOW, but not at the time. And, dearest emu, I plan on tracking down an emu burger and gleefully eating it so ha ha.

Actually my day started out pretty good, bacon and eggs and a lovely breakfast. It was when we headed out that I slipped on the stairs and into an icy puddle (ow) and then underestimated the time it takes to drive to the mall with the carousel (which was beautiful, Lil'Bug rode a dragon, a gazelle like goat, and a horse). We arrived late, but enjoyed immensely the company and the playing. We lunched and had fun walking and then snacked on a pomegranate smoothie, yum. The Lil'Bug wanted to go to the zoo so we invited our friends along. 39 degrees outside, 2 feet of melting snow, and a sugared up tot? Yeah, let's all go to the zoo!

Emu "encounter" aside (need I say that Lil'Bug thought the whole thing was so very awesome and joyfully expounded on the experience from her point of view when Daddy got home from work?), she splashed in every ice slush puddle she could find until, "bugs are stinging my feet, help help!"

????? I removed her shoes, icy and wet. No bugs. No bug bites. She was just articulating the stinging cold of wet, slushy puddle feet. Yeah, kid frostbite starts as stinging. Duh. Oh, and I get the mom of the year award for letting my kid splash in ice slush puddles while shod in canvas sneakers. I know, brilliant.

So home we went. What a day. Despite all the zoo drama I had a wonderful time with Laura (LifeDreamed) and her K.- thank you lady! I wish I had brought my camera.

Negative Feelings

I have been harboring some negative thoughts and feelings and it's time to cut anchor.

Mostly, I have found myself judging and resentful toward people I know I admire, but have somehow let me down. Other moms, making their way in the world, just like me. Today, I found myself verbalizing some of these feelings to a friend (and spouse) and it was awful. It felt bad to me and the kind ears listening. I am so sorry.

Upon reflection, perhaps this is but a step in my journey. I realized quickly what these feelings were doing to me and once I was home and in the quiet, I understood them better. It is easier to feel put out and judgmental than to work at friendships with people who are living different lives than what we choose. It is not about homeschooling or not, believing or not, mindful about food or not- the root of it all is my creating walls to protect myself from the vunerability of friendship. In reality, I am still hurting.

So, while I am cutting anchor to the feelings and letting them go to sea, I am swimming back to shore to the picnic.

Baby Update- Bye Bye Belly Button

26 weeks and my belly button is getting tiny (that's what Lil'Bug says). I can't see it. I realized that all of the mirrors in our home show only chest and head. Ha. Anyway, it's gone! Whoo hoo a milestone!

Also, I am working hard at training for birth. Yoga, stretching, kegels, squatting. I only do about 20-60 minutes a day but boy am I sore. That means to me that I need the exercises.

This week I am craving Oreos. Yuck. I am not giving in. Ok, I did a little and had an Oreo ice cream sandwich and it made me feel really sick. What I learned from Lil'Bug's pregnancy was to figure out what about the food I was craving and find a healthier medium. So fried pies became egg rolls because I wanted the fried crispy part. What about Oreos can be translated into healthy? Yeah, beats me.

Tomorrow I am making egg rolls from the cabbage I grew last summer and froze. Yum. I'll post the recipe. I make them with ground pork and curry. Delicious. (But not Oreos......) I am thinking about adding spinach. Has anyone ever made eggrolls with the spinach AND cabbage?

Dinner A La Complication

Things that went wrong today with getting dinner ready.......

Lil'Bug was upset that we ran out of yellow apples. She cried. What does that have to do with dinner? She left the fridge door open and I didn't notice for an hour or so. Dinner must be made with food that would otherwise spoil. Hmmmm.

Made Lazy French Bread from scratch. Simple enough recipe but......drumroll please.....after a perfect rise and punch down and rise I went to preheat the oven and it wouldn't. (sigh) Dearest walks in and tries to save the day. It took all three of us to figure it out and fix it. That was neat. Someone had knocked into the dial and a wire thing came unplugged. Plugged back in and everything is awesome. Except.....the bread is starting to fall? Yikes. Hopefully it will be ok.

Lil'Bug decided to mop the kitchen floor with dish soap. Super slippery. Good thing my balance is awesome with giant kitchen knife. No fatalities or injuries, but close. Too close. Sitting down now. There is still a wee bit of numbness in me limbs from the panic. (Say that like an Irish marm for the full affect....)

So recipe for tonight's soup?
Leftover ham roast boiled until it fell apart and made a good stock.
1 bag of frozen Italian Blend veggies
Leftover potatoes
1 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup of cream

Served with bread. Bread that was too dough-y and was missing something in the instructions, I think. Surely it can't be my mad kitchen skillz.