I’ve got happy news to end the week: Our very own SlowMama contributor Ann had her baby boy yesterday! Mama and baby are doing well, and I’m sure Ann will share details on how things went when she gets home and rested. Of course, this calls for a particularly celebratory drink today; I’m thinking something bubbly!
But before I get to that, inquiring minds wanted to know: How do I like our new VitaMix? I love it — and all I’ve done is make smoothies in it so far. This thing makes soups, ice cream, sauces, dips, dressings, and purees; it even grinds nuts, herbs, grains, and coconuts (although you need a separate blade and container for a couple of those items).
While the machine is nothing fancy, it’s the incredible motor you’re paying for: This thing can cut grass, shave a Sasquatch, and chop firewood all at the same time. It’s loud, too, which four-year-olds trying to watch Dora the Explorer in another room really enjoy. Heh.
I’m now scouring the web for the best smoothie recipes, and I’m doing some of my own experimenting. My goal is one shake a day for me and the girls. I was hoping to make the same one for all of us, but while it seems like a no-brainer that kids will always slurp up yummy smoothies, it’s sadly not the case here. One of my girls takes a few sips and then loses interest. Every time. Even when I put chocolate in there (which she loves), and only fruits she likes. Sigh. Maybe if I turn it into ice cream?
Anyway, I will not give up; I am woman, hear my VitaMix roar. I suppose the good news is that S, my pickier eater, enjoys the smoothies far more than her sister; I’m grateful it’s not the other way around. I’ll keep trying and will hold back the tears that I can’t give them any of my favorite green superfood concoctions — yet.
But back to that drink: In honor of Ann’s hard work and a brand spankin’ new baby boy in the world, I’m offering a Moonwalk, which I spotted at Saveur. Made with grapefruit juice, Grand Marnier, and rosewater, then topped with champagne, it’s definitely fit for a toast. It’s also enough to make even me forget about green smoothies.
So with glass raised high, here’s my high and low of the week:
Low: No one thing jumping out at me this week, but maybe the fact that I felt defeated at various times…from one girl deciding she doesn’t like smoothies (my last, best idea for getting fruits and veggies into them) to trying some new activities at home and observing that certain random things trigger what I call “adoption behaviors.” I think I get used to everything seeming pretty normal, and then something happens and I’m reminded that these little ones still have a lot churning inside.
High: A visit from one of my closest friends and her little boy, whom my girls love and constantly want to treat like one of their dolls. Lisa and I both married later in life and became moms in our 40s, and though our visits now mostly comprise changing diapers, feeding little mouths, running to the potty, and attending to every “mommy, mommy!” it’s still great to have a little bit of girlfriend time.
Bonus question: Where do you fall in the pecking order of your family of origin: oldest? youngest? middle? Or maybe an only child, like my husband? Do you fit the typical traits of your birth order? As you may know, I’m the oldest of ten, and in many ways I’m a typical oldest: I tend to take charge, feel responsible, try to make sure everyone is taken care of. I’m independent, a worrier, and give a lot of advice (even when it’s not always asked for — oops). I like to think I’m a good big sister, though, and I learn a lot from my siblings, who are all amazing people.
Your turn! Please help yourself to a drink, join me in a toast to Ann, and spill away about your week. Then have yourself a slow weekend, and I’ll catch you back here on Monday!
Image: Meghan
Hello, I'm Zoe Saint-Paul. I'm a writer, life coach, and new mama to twins who's trying to live "slower" in a speed-obsessed world. Here we chat about life and love, food and design, and everything in between -- all at the right pace. So grab some tea, pull up a chair, and join the conversation. Feel free to 
Yay Ann!! So excited for her and the whole Waterman clan. I will definitely have one of those drinks in her honor (not that I’d need much encouragement, but anyway…). Can’t wait to hear all about her new little bundle!
My low of the week: The cold. I know, it’s boring and uninspired to complain about the weather, but I’m going to anyway.
My high: My parents’ visit this week! It was great just being able to be together without the craziness of the holidays or a full-family reunion.
BQ: I’m the third of four in my family, but my sisters and I were also born more or less in pairs (two years separating the members of each pair, with almost six years between the pairs) — so I feel like both a middle child and an oldest child, in a way. I definitely have the middle-kid tendency to want to make harmony in the family, but I’m also a prime worrier and an “if you want something done right you have to do it yourself” type. My oldest sister and I also love to swap stories about how trying our younger “pairs” were when we were growing up. Heh.
I wonder if worrying knows no birth order. Though, come to think of it, many of the youngest children I know don’t seem to be worriers… I’m sure there are exceptions based on temperament, etc.
Congratulations to Ann!
I also love our Vitamix. I was mad when my husband bought it – too expensive a purchase without some pre-agreement! Now I admit that I never would have agreed and would have been wrong. Works so well with smoothies, which work well to get veggies into everyone. Also, freezing the smoothies into popsicles is a treat no matter the weather and somehow when frozen the suspicion of vegetables lurking within is forgotten by the kids.
High: Both kids did great presentations this week for our monthly “Country Day” celebration with other families. Despite adequate practice, which was totally my fault.
Low: We host seven five-six year olds in a series of classes at our house one day a week and this week they got into “defy and lie” mode. We were at the park at lunch time, they intentionally separated, I started to panic…. In the same vein, my oldest had a possibly weird encounter with an unknown neighbor who offered a very inappropriate (horror) PG-13 movie and a “come back for more” invitation. Red flags! Parents freaking out! Definite low.
As for birth order, I am the oldest of five and fit the stereotype. Very “J” on the Meyers-Briggs, list maker, independent, worrier… yep, that’s me. Doesn’t help with this week’s low. I may need to buy the ingredients for that drink you mentioned, now! :-}
Ugh, that encounter with the unknown neighbor made me wince. And I can only imagine the panic at looking around a park for missing kids who are purposely trying to avoid you!
In terms of lows for this week, well, I’ve either got asthma or some other significant medical condition that leaves me coughing endlessly and generally getting no sleep. Going into month 7, while I’ve reached the state of such sleep-deprivation that everything’s kind of amusing now, my poor husband’s nearly dead due to lack of sleep! Oh well, another round of medical appointments this week and maybe this new doctor will be able to figure out what it is that’s running me into the ground. (I figure it will be something I’ve picked up at one of the weekly medical sessions my little one attends and it’s just much worse due to how cold and dry everything is here in the frozen north.)
High of the week is a split between my son’s becoming so very affectionate – he’s always been very much his own little person, but, over the past couple of months, he’s finally realized that we’re showing how to do things and that we’re modeling how to form words with our mouths and “speaking” to him in ASL with our hands and faces and it’s clicked for him. He “gets it” and he’s just so excited to realize that we’ve been talking to him and communicating with him all this time and he’s not by himself. It’s such an amazing moment when he snuggles into your lap and puts his hand up to your throat to “feel” the words as we speak and he rests his other hand on yours as you sign to him. (And, I pulled a total home run with this year’s tax returns and managed to find that magic number for RRSP max returns!)
I’m the 3rd of 7, so I have an odd blend of middle child and oldest child traits. I tend to be very much into list making and making sure that everyone is taken care of and I’m very good at worrying, but I am also very focused on ensuring that the family unit runs smoothly and I worry about arguments and such.
Some kind of a severe allergy, perhaps, Elizabeth? Hope you get to the bottom of it soon!
And loved that high — so sweet and amazing.
Just popping in to say that my kids aren’t big smoothie fans either (at least the way I make them) and… Actually, neither am I. I like the concept, but something about it always disappoints me. I think perhaps I just don’t like drinking my food.
Glad to know my kids aren’t the only ones on the planet. If only there were a way to hide lots in greens in chocolate…