Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Oh Hey…

February 6, 2019

Ready for Costco, and high school.

Uggghhhhh you guys… It’s been, what, a hundred million years since I last posted? Yeah. Holy moly.

Here’s a recap of what’s been happening the last 6ish months: Prim started preschool, Lark became a full-fledged teen (basically, I mean the attitude is REAL, guys), the girls dressed up as birds for Halloween (an owl and a flamingo, it was so cute I could die), we hosted Thanksgiving, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary/14th dating anniversary (and also figured out that moving countries + kids + jobs + massive stress is all awesome for a relationship — shoutout to our couples therapist for keeping us from murdering each other), Christmas came and went, as did New Year’s, I sent our Christmas cards out on January 7th like the super-together mom that I am, and now we’re rapidly hurtling towards Valentine’s Day and I was finally like, “UGH F@#$ JUST WRITE A F#$%ING BLOG POST ALREADY.”

So in case you can’t tell from the insanity of the paragraph above, it’s been a rough few months. The stress of adulting has been real and I wasn’t actually kidding about the therapy (or the murdering). I wholeheartedly recommend therapy for everyone and every couple — I honestly think it’s one of the best investments you can make for both yourself and your spouse.

But onto what this post is actually going to be about — 2019! That’s right, now that we’re solidly into the month of February, I figured I should share my goals for the new year. (I mean, who’s on top of that sh@# in January anyway? Certainly not me.) So here’s what I’m working on in 2019:

  • Using the gym more. (Please note that I did not say “working out.”) We joined a fancy gym last year that provides childcare, and while I would like to get back on the workout-train, I also want to focus on using the gym more for everything it has to offer — visiting the spa, having a drink at the bar with a friend, or simply just taking a breather (or an uninterrupted shower). The possibilities are endless!
  • Working on our house while working on enjoying our house as-is. We have been putting a lot of time and energy into getting our house together over these last few months — changing light fixtures, rearranging rooms, buying furniture, you name it. While I love seeing it all come together and brainstorming the “last few things” that would finish off the space, I also want to focus on just enjoying the house wherever it may be in the process of getting it to where we eventually want it to be.
  • Letting go of the guilt and thinking more like a “dad.” Now that I’ve been a mom for 3.5+ years, I’m really seeing the difference in the way KC and I approach our parenting duties. We both love being parents and spending time with the girls, but I am much more likely to get wrapped up in and subsequently burned-out by the all-the-time grind of parenting. This is partially because I spend more time with the kids (and don’t even start with me on mental/emotional labor), but it’s also because I haven’t made myself a real priority for quite awhile. This year, rather than give in to the mom-guilt, I’ve decided to take a different approach — when a situation arises that would normally cause me to feel guilty, I think, “What would a dad do?” For whatever reason, (societal expectations, the patriarchy, Trump) dads don’t seem to be plagued by the same dilemmas that cause endless guilt to moms (“Should I go to happy hour on Thursday or be home with the kids? Should I be taking time for myself when I could be spending time with them?”) So now, rather than give in to that voice that tells me I’m a bad mom if I opt out of parenting for a bit, I think about what KC would do (and what I really want to do), and do that — sans-guilt. Taking time for myself here and there isn’t selfish — it’s necessary. I’m a person outside of being a mom, so I’m working on remembering and tending to that in addition to being the best parent I can be.

What are you working on this year? More spa days and less negative self-talk? More broccoli and less chocolate? I mean, gross, but hey, you do you.

Holidays / Motherhood / Uncategorized

Happy Mother’s Day

May 8, 2016

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas, mamas-to-be, surrogate mamas, and mamas at heart, but especially to the special mamas in my life: the mama friends who are always there when I need a break, an ear, or a laugh; my mother in law, who has supported me in so many ways this past year; my sister, who is the conscientious mama I aspire to be like; and my own mom, who taught me everything I know about loving, teaching, and being the very best mama I know how to be. 

Mamas, I hope your day is full of all the love you give to others on a daily basis. 

Uncategorized

Words

September 2, 2014

Seuss hates everything

Words I Hate:

  • Tablescape (Is it just me or does this word instantly transport you back to like, 2001?)
  • Toothsome (A cooking blog pet-peeve of mine.)
  • Mouthfeel (Yet another cooking blog pet-peeve.)
  • Glean (This might be because of law school, because, for some inexplicable reason, people used it ALL THE TIME there.)
  • Flaccid (I mean, come on.)
  • Precious (Where people use it as, “I thought it would look too precious.”)
  • LOL (Pretty much all the time, but especially when it’s used at the end of every sentence.  LOL. ← Um, nope, what you just said was not funny.)
  • Loose/Looser (When people use it instead of lose/loser.)
  • Vegetarian (When people say things like, “I’m a vegetarian, but I eat fish.”  — It’s called being “pescatarian.”  Or, even worse, “I’m a vegetarian, but I occasionally eat meat.”  Well, then you’re not a vegetarian.  Or we’re all vegetarians.  Either way, it’s asinine.)
  • Sumptuous (it sounds weirdly intimate and makes me feel uncomfortable)
  • Champers (It’s called Champagne.  Show some respect.)

Words I Love:

  • Little
  • Parsnip (isn’t it just nice to say?)
  • Chocolate (yes please.)
  • Cheers (when accompanied by an actual cheers-ing with a drink, not when said as a weird goodbye by a non-European)
  • Humblebrag (so descriptive)
  • Animal (because, hello, they’re so cute)
  • Feast (I think it’s just a hilarious word)
  • Hippopotamus or Hippopotami (how can you be unhappy when saying either of those two words?)

Breakfast / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free / Savory / Uncategorized / Vegetarian

Breakfast Burritos! (And Tacos, too.)

August 26, 2014

Those spicy roasted veggies ended up lasting us through two full dinners (breakfast burritos one night, tacos the next) and a couple random lunches as well.

And man were they delicious.

I don’t think I really need to tell you how to assemble a taco or a breakfast burrito, but I’ll tell you what I made for ours (in case you’re curious).

First, along with the veggies, I made some pico de gallo.  With only three ingredients — chopped tomatoes + onion + cilantro — pretty much nothing could be easier.

pico de galloFor the breakfast burritos, I grilled some chicken sausages KC had picked up at TJ’s (I think they were the Jalapeno Chicken Sausages), heated up some refried beans, whipped up some scrambled eggs with cheese, and layered all that business together with the veggies, pico de gallo, some greek yogurt, and a healthy dose of hot sauce.

breakfast burrito spread

For the tacos we used all the same fixins (aside from the eggs and sausage), and added some grilled carne asada (pre-marinated from TJ’s).  We layered that business onto corn tortillas instead of flour.

I was too hungry on taco night and so didn’t snap any photos, sorry!

Breakfast BurritoThese tacos and burritos are super customizable, so mix and match things as you like.  The veggies are nice and hearty on their own, so feel free to leave out the meat altogether (or sub in crumbled bacon instead of sausage on the breakfast burritos…omg yum.)  The below is just what we had in our burritos/tacos, so don’t take this to be an exhaustive list by any means.

Breakfast Burritos

  • Spicy roasted veggies
  • Grilled jalapeno chicken sausage
  • Pico de gallo
  • Refried beans
  • Scrambled eggs with cheese
  • Greek yogurt
  • Hot sauce
  • Flour tortilla

Tacos

  • Spicy roasted veggies
  • Grilled carne asada
  • Pico de gallo
  • Refried beans
  • Greek yogurt
  • Hot sauce
  • Corn tortilla

Uncategorized

4 Years

March 4, 2014

4 years ago, I started Go for 30 to document the trials and tribulations of going “no ‘poo” (using baking soda and apple cider vinegar in lieu of shampoo and conditioner).  Since then, this little space has become mostly a spot to capture random thoughts and recipes, and, of course, the occasional Penny pic.  (Let’s use that “occasional” term lightly, shall we?)

A lot has changed in the last 4 years since this all started:

  • I stopped being unemployed (hooray!) and have worked at 3 different jobs
  • KC and I made things official by getting engaged, then married
  • We moved twice (and now live outside of the “transitioning” areas of Oakland)
  • We bought a car together
  • I become a certified Bar Method instructor (and now teach at 2 locations)
  • We adopted Penny

But, some things have stayed the same, too:

  • I still use baking soda and apple cider vinegar to wash my hair (4 years! going strong!)
  • I still struggle to keep houseplants alive (it’s a work in progress)
  • I still have this habit where I stop blogging for months at a time (life gets busy, y’know?)
  • I still have a lot of moments where I’m like, Am I a grownup?” (usually after doing something like having popcorn for dinner.  Y’know, which happened last week…)
  • I still lose my mind over the Christmas holiday season (every year!)
  • And even after more than 9 years together now, I can’t imagine life without KC (so mushy!)

So anyway, life changes and it stays the same (how about that for a cliche?).  And apologies for the sporadic posting lately — this is the time of year when I like to hibernate a little and wish for April to arrive quickly,

Happy 4th birthday, Go for 30.  You’re still not “cool,” but that’s just fine with me.

Homemade veggie burgers + oven fries up on the blog tomorrow!  Promise 🙂