Feeding the Boy. And Us Too.

The first year of feeding the Boy was easy (minus the first week when I didn't have any milk yet). He nursed like a champion, and it was heaven-sent for me since having to nurse Nicholas was the only way I was okay with leaving the hospital when Mark was there. Funnily, there was one physician who never had a conversation with me that I wasn't nursing N. The doc must have thought N nursed 24 hours a day.

Even the second and third years were pretty easy, the Boy wasn't very picky and loved fruits and veggies. I didn't worry too much that he was getting all the good calories he needed.

Fast forward to now, to my sweet Boy who is going to be 4 soon. He still likes broccoli, and will usually eat a couple of bites of veggies without too much fight. But, the kid would live on pizza, doughnuts, and hot dogs if it were allowed. I'm not completely freaked out, and I know he's getting a fairly balanced menu since I know what he has for breakfast and dinner and what we pack for lunch.

Dinner is a different story. I am not a big cook. I am trying to cut out stopping for fast food for everyone. I really am, but it's been harder than I thought it would be. So I'm looking for quick, nutritious ways to feed my Boy and my Fella. Oh, and me.

I heard a great interview on NPR yesterday from the author of Hungry Monkey and I just bought the book. I can't wait to get it, if nothing else, I think it will be fun read. It has more than 50 recipes from the author that he and his 5 year old both like. I'll let you know how it is!

The Type-A Mom site also has a ton of great advice, and I just read a helpful article about to the caloric intake a toddler should be getting.

I have the tools, and the knowledge, and a beautiful family who needs the nutritious food. My husband and I now have to get off our duffs and get all those things working together to make it happen!

How do you get nutritious, good-tasting food into your family? I need a plan people!

*yummy doughnut photo by me...because someone brought them to the office last week and I was playing with the "food" setting on my new camera.

Memorial Day 2009

We're a military family. My Grandpa retired as a Chief Petty Officer from the Navy, where he earned a Silver Star during WWII for saving fellow sailors after their ship was torpedoed. My Grandma is a Navy wife (I think that spouses are just as much in the service of the military as their husbands or wives are). My father and two uncles were also sailors. My aunt and her youngest son are ex-Marines and her oldest son is a Marine. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are both Captains in the Marine Corp, and my other brother-in-law is in the Coast Guard. My younger sister is in the Army National Guard. We are most definitely a military family.

I am the most liberal of my cousins in all things political, but the one place none of us differ is supporting the women and men who defend our nation. It is an amazing thing for me when I see someone volunteer to join a branch of the armed forces, especially now in an active time of war. While it wasn't a choice I made, one that wasn't right for me, I am always grateful for those people who make that choice.

And I pray every day that we get to continue to celebrate them on Veterans Day without having to celebrate them on Memorial Day. For those who have fought and died, and their families, you are all in my prayers today. Thank you.

Well, hello there! Have you been waiting long?

I am fairly sure I don't have any actual followers, er subscribers, on this blog. Regardless, I should have been updating. I'm starting now. I can feel the excitement that was generated by that statement! Electric!

A few updates:

• William and I got married in April! It was perfect and exactly what we wanted. Except for the distinct chilliness during the ceremondy from the bizarre cold front that came in and for missing a few key people who couldn't make it; it was really a perfect day for us. You can check out the incredible photos from Rebel With A Camera. Just look for our names in the Wedding Gallery, you won't be disappointed!
• Nicholas is still amazing and wonderful and smart and handsome. He turns 4 in a couple of weeks and I'm amazed he's my son.
• Work is great, I still love the work itself and the incredible women I work with in my department. Represent!
• I'm still writing for Type-A Mom weekly, for This Mommy Gig monthly (allegedly), and for PRSA San Antonio (a lot more often than I actually do). Check the sites out, they are wonderfully helpful!
• I've also committed myself to getting my APR sometime before December 2009. This is a big deal for me, and I'm scared. I'm not joking.

So, that's what we're up to right now. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sherry

Engagement Photos Rock!

We went up to Austin a couple of weeks ago and had our engagement pictures taken by Travis and Megan with Rebel With A Camera. If you'd like to take a look, visit the gallery. Just look under Engagements for Sherry & William, and check them out.

We had such a great time with Travis and his trusty sidekick! I absolutely can't wait for them to capture our wedding day too.

Sherry

Happy New Year!

I'm sitting here, in the study/office, amid a huge pile of stuff. We're in the middle of moving, and even though a majority of our belongings are in storage, it still seems that the piles multiply when we're not looking.

There is an old-wives' tale that says that what you are doing the moment Midnight comes on a new year is what you'll be doing the rest of the year. I like to be asleep at that moment so that my year is a peaceful one. And because I'm just a tad superstitious, I'm going to go into our room now and clean the hell out of it. I want to be sleeping in a clean, ordered, good-smelling room when Midnight comes so that I can have a clean, ordered, good-smelling life for 2009.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2009!

Sherry

Zany: Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

My good friend, and Wedding Fairy, Lauren Vargas tagged me for this Zany list. I'm honored to be tagged and will do my best to make it interesting.

Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

1. When I drive past the cemetery on the road to my Grandmother's house, I have to hold my breath from the beginning of the fence to the end, or the dead people will get me. I have no idea why holding my breath will protect me or why I thought (at around age 6 when I started this) that the dead people even *wanted* to get me.

2. I blush, easily and often. It doesn't take much to make me blush and saying, "Oh my goodness, look at how much you're blushing" only makes it worse.

3. My Mom sort of named me for her mother but also let my big sister pick out my name. Grandma's name was Mary Jeanette and my name is Sherry Susette. Sis thought it would be cool if our names rhymed.

4. I hate pine nuts. They make me gag. I used to like them (especially in pesto), but then I popped one in my mouth and it was rancid...and it was all downhill from there.

5. I worked at TCBY the entire time I was in college, and I can still make a kick-ass banana split.

6. When I'm stressed, I dream of a tidal wave sweeping me off a beach as I walk. This dream got more vivid after I almost drowned at the beach when an undertow dragged me beneath the water. Because my imagination wasn't good enough without the experience to back it up?

7. I love photography, fashion, decorating and crafts and often get frustrated when a concept I can see perfectly in my head doesn't translate to real life. I'm working on giving myself a break!

Here are people I'd like to hear from:

Christie L. Goodman, APR; Jennifer Milikien; Kelby Carr; @orangesprocket; Holly Hoffman; Diane Cordell; Kristen Keller; and Kami Watson Huyse, APR

Welcome to my thoughts!

Hey. How's it going?

I'm Sherry, and I contribute to a few group-written blogs, so I thought I'd create a central gathering place for those thoughts. Come by when you get a chance, I've got lots of questions...

Some of the fantastic folks I write for and with are PRSA San Antonio, This Mommy Gig, and Type A Mom. You should come by and visit, there are some great people in those three groups.