Savannah Food Co-op

At some point last fall Kyle and I discovered the Savannah Food Co-op.  The co-op is a group dedicated to helping Savannah families get healthy and sustainably-produced food and dry goods at affordable prices <---That was taken right off their website. They also strive to purchase from local and regional suppliers as much as possible.  Basically, you pay a small due ($24 a year) and then every two weeks you are able to order food items from a long list online.  Once we figured out what the co-op was all about, we both were excited to give it a try!  We wanted to try it out way back when we found out about it but figured it would be easier when we were in our own house.  

They have everything from different sized boxes filled with fruits and veggies to meat, seafood, milk, free-range eggs, coffee, and much more.  We placed our order on Sunday and everything was ready to be picked up on Thursday.  I wasn't able to go with Kyle when he picked up our order but he said it was in this really tiny, random building hidden between two other buildings.  He said he felt a bit awkward only because everyone seemed to know one another and knew what they were doing.  I think after a while we'll get to know the people involved with the co-op and we'll feel as though we fit right in! 

Our produce box. This is a "small" box.

Our entire order.

Everything we ordered came out to 90 dollars and some change.  I think this a reasonable price considering we got lots of organic produce, organic milk, free-range eggs, two pounds of coffee, bagels, tofu, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, cheese, and two bags of rice-pilaf type mixes.  Buying quality and healthy food is worth the price to us.  

I already love this system of buying food.  We have fruit (which is consumed quickly in this household) and random veggies that must be eaten so we've had to find lots of different recipes to use them up.  Just in the last few days I've made four new recipes. It's such a great system because it is forcing us to change up our normal menu and try new meals and recipes.  The food was all so fresh and organic! I love the fact that the hens that lay the eggs live just 20 minutes away on a small family-owned farm!  

I'm really excited about the Food Co-op and can't wait until we make our next order.  If you live in Savannah you really should give it a try, or if not find a food co-op near you!   

siblings

Getting their diapies changed.

Shortly before I had Ezra I came across a blog in which the mother of two children was giving advice to parents who were going to have 2 under 2.  PERFECT post for me at the time!

(can't find the blog or that post for the life of me, sorry)

She gave lots of great ideas and advice.  I've thought about many of the things she mentioned several times since reading her post. 

One thing she said really stood out in my mind more than anything else though: 

"Don't feel sorry for your first child when everything changes, a sibling is the greatest gift you will ever give them."

 

 I remember feeling this overwhelming reassurance when I read that sentence.

At the time, I was feeling sad and a bit stressed thinking about how having another baby would change Cambria's life.

It was never going to be just the three of us again. 

How was I going to make her feel special? How would I love her and another baby in the same way and as much?

After reading that post it all clicked. 

I wasn't hurting Cambria or taking anything away from her by having another baby, I was giving her something (or someone!) so awesome and special. 

I LOVE all three of my sisters and LOVE being from a "larger" family, by today's standards of course. 

I've always felt sad for people who were the only child in their family because for me, almost all of my childhood memories involve my sisters. 

My sisters are my best friends and I can't imagine not having them in my life.

Of course your parents will always love you unconditionally, but if you have siblings who share this same unconditional love, you are fortunate.

I hope Cambria and Ezra always love and support each other unconditionally. 

There will be times when they will fight and hit each other and make the other one cry, but I hope that through it all, they remain close throughout life and never take each other for granted.

Having Ezra barge into her life was definitely an adjustment for Cambria, but she's adjusted well and seems to have nothing but love for her brother. 

After all, she's really not ever going to remember life without him :)

I wish I could thank the woman who wrote that post for helping me realize all this. 

Ezra 6 weeks, Cambria 20 months.

Since having two children I've also come to the realization that two just isn't enough...

A weekend visit

Life has been happening around here so I haven't been able to blog as much as I have wanted, but I'm going to try and start finding more time for it.  One of the main reasons I have this blog is to remember the things in our life that I know we'll all forget in 10 years.  I'm not going to remember anything if I don't post more often though so I'm gonna try and get on that this week...

Anyway, two weekends ago we had a lovely visit from one of my friends and her two children.  Alex lived in Germany the same time my family did and was actually my older sister Ashley's friend.  Over the last year and a half or so we have reconnected through Facebook.  We have similar parenting styles and interests and I've talked with her several times about different baby related stuff.  Her husband was at OCS in Columbus, GA and when she was planning her trip down this way for his graduation she brought up the idea of a visit.  Of course we were so excited to have them!!  I'm always looking for opportunities for the kids to socialize and I knew it would be fun seeing Alex again.  Her daughter and son are 2 and 1, they're a year and one week apart...and I thought 18 months was close. :)  So there were four kids 2 and under in our house! It was as crazy as that sounds, but I think both families are used to craziness so it was all good.

Jovi loves books just like Cambria.  There was lots of reading going on the whole weekend :)

The girls sharing a snack together.

 Jovi is 6 months older than Cambria and Bodie is 6 months younger.  They all got along so well and it was adorable watching them play and interact.  Soon after they arrived I realized Jovi is a little 2 year old genius!! Truly, she is a gifted child.  She knows how to count, the alphabet, letter sounds, colors, shapes, and so much more.  I even listened to her trying to sound out words in a book she was reading.  If you aren't familiar with the early childhood education field, that's pretty amazing.  Both her and Bodie were so cute and we all loved having them at our house! 

The boys.  We realized that these two are almost the same age difference as Jovi and Bodie.  I can't imagine!!!

Feeding the ducks in our backyard.

Playing in Cambria's room.

This picture pretty much depicts what was happening the entire weekend.
Ezra 4 weeks, Bodie 12 months, Cambria 19 months, Jovi 24 months. 

I hope we will be able to meet up one day again in the future.  Who knows where the military will take their family?!?  Maybe Kyle and I will have an excuse to visit them in some awesome location someday.  Hopefully ;)

Things I'm liking right now

I'm sick with the same sort of thing I was sick with a few weeks ago involving mastitis.  Except this time I don't have mastitis.  Symptoms: weak, fatigued, light-headed, headache, chills, running back and forth to the toilet (if you know what I mean).  Not sure what's wrong but hopefully I will start to feel better soon and won't experience this again.  It sucks.  

Cambria has had a stuffy nose and cough for the last two days, but is showing lots of improvement.    Cambria is a pretty healthy kid and has never had antibiotics or an ear infection (both of which seem like commonplace for toddlers)  so when that girl doesn't feel good, I know it and I DO NOT like it.  Ezra even had the sniffles too...it was the saddest thing.

Anyway, I am getting off track here.  I wanted to use this post to share a few things I am currently obsessing over.  

Kyle and I are going to look back on these beginning weeks of Ezra's life and I know we will think of Mumford and Sons. And particularly this video of theirs.  

We both love it and have played it about 100 times. 

A family friend of ours made us a DELICIOUS meal when we first moved in and had Ezra.  In addition to a beautiful salad and dessert, she made us this amazing pasta dish. 

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch 

I think the name says it all.  The pine nut crunch is to die for, seriously.  We've made it two times since and can't seem to get enough of it.  Please, please, please if you like pasta dishes give this recipe a try.  I promise you will not be dissapointed! 

Last week, when we took Ezra in for his 1 month check-up Kyle noticed a flyer for The Great Cloth Diaper Change.  On April 23rd, people around the world are going to change their baby's cloth diaper all at the same time.  It's going to be in the Guinness World Records and they are doing it to raise awareness for cloth diapering and to celebrate Earth Day!  We signed both the kiddos up to participate at the Savannah spot which is taking place at this adorable baby store called Just for Baby.   We stopped by the store after the appointment and discovered so many adorable things.  I was most excited about the fact that they actually sell cloth diapers and supplies.  I didn't know such a place existed in Savannah!!

We got this adorable rubber whale to go on the spout so Cambria doesn't hit her head. 

Cambria is really digging the Burt's Bees bubble bath in the background these days.

And we got this cute growth chart that I plan to use for both Cambria and Ezra.

Today I found these shoes on a blog I follow called Say Yes to Hoboken.

Image: Bensimon 

In college, I had a pair of sneakers similar to these that I wore so often, I literally put holes in them.  I found ones I like, but they are $55.  I'm really cheap and don't like buying things unless they're on sale so I'm not sure if I can justify spending that much.  I know I will wear the shoes almost everyday though. Hmm....

When Kyle and I were downtown a few weekends ago we stopped in this shop called nourish.  They sell all natural bath products and candles.  I love candles but feel conflicted when I use them because of all the nasties you breath into your lungs.  I was soooo excited to buy this natural soy wax candle.  I feel a lot less guilty using it in the house.  

I'm also liking these pretty sunflowers we got for cheap at Kroger.

The candle was $15 (kinda steep, I know), but it's something that is worth the money for me.  I love this scent and plan to buy a few more whenever we make it downtown again. 

And of course, I'm liking these two cuties.

 

Exhaustion

This is what Cambria looked like when she was taking her 4+ hour nap after coming home from the parade on St Patrick's Day. 

 This is what she looked like when she woke up. 

Don't you wish we all could take naps like this when we are exhausted?  I know I certainly do. 

Ezra is 1 month!

Happy 1 month birthday Ezra Amos! 

I can't believe Ezra has already experienced his first month of life.  It feels like I was just pregnant and wondering whether baby #2 was a little boy or a girl. But boy oh boy I could not be happier about having this little guy in my life.  I know I would have been excited about having either, but he really seems like the perfect sibling for Cambria. 

I can't imagine it any other way now. 

A lot has changed for our family over the last month but the one consistent thing has been having him by my side the entire time.  He has already seemed to develop a very strong attachment to me.  I like this for some reasons and not for others.  I want him to know me as his mother and food source, but I also want to be able to feel comfortable leaving him if I need to.  And I want Kyle to be able to soothe him when he cries.  

Ezra is still sleeping a lot, both day and night.  During the day he'll have an hour or two of wakeful time then nap for an hour or so.  He sleeps through the night from about 10 p.m.- 8 or 9 waking every 3-4 hours to eat.  He rarely cries during the night and has an easy time going right back to sleep. I pump after feeding him at night which keeps me up longer but I don't mind too much as long as I can take a nap every other day or so.

Right now, he doesn't mind getting a bath and sleeps whenever he is in his car seat. He has the cutest smile which will appear at random times when he is sleeping.  My favorite piece of clothing on him is his octopus shirt and I love his little cloth diapered tooshie, except when his sensitive skin gets irritated.  I try to give him lots of diaper-free time to help with that.  I love the little hairs on his head and the way he smells.  I love that he is Cambria's little brother.  I love that he's my son.  

Can't wait to see what the coming months will bring!

lots of pictures

We've been busy as ever here around the Finnegan household.  

The funny thing is, I haven't actually left the house in two days except for our little outings to the park and around the neighborhood.  

I stay busy during the day and can't believe how quickly the days fly by.  

Thursday is St. Patrick's day and since we live in Savannah (huge celebration) Kyle's last day of work for the week is tomorrow.  Yay! 

Not sure if Ezra and I will be going to the parade but we'll see.  

We went for a family run tonight and it felt amazing.  Even though I'm going nonstop during the day I still feel like I need and want to start running again.  It's good for my soul, really.  Plus it's nice knowing I don't have to feel too bad about pigging out on chocolate banana bread all day.  (that's gotta stop soon)

 Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last week or so. 

He loves his baths- only cries when we take him out.

2 week check-up with Dr. Ramos.  LOVE him.  Never realized how important your choice of pediatrician is until we met him.

Mimi with her grandkids :)

Big stretchy

yawns and kisses

Our daily chore, taking care of the cloth diapers

My b-e-a-utiful sissy

Waffles with strawberries and homemade whipped cream

Picnic in the park

Kisses + nursing

My mom showed up and took a family picture for us.  Kyle can use our new Moby Wrap too!

Seriously, she had no idea these bubble were on her head.

NO IDEA!!

How I Cook Tofu

For dinner tonight we had tofu and veggie quinoa stir-fry.  I have wanted to share how I like to cook tofu for a while and figured this was a good opportunity.  I know lots of people are scared and grossed out by tofu, but I swear if you cook it this way it is quite tolerable and actually pretty delicious.  Even though I am a vegetarian I will admit I am not a huge fan of some of the meat alternatives out there.  Some are just plain nasty and have the weirdest textures, which can be unpleasant.  I'm really picky about the veggie burgers I eat and about how the tofu I eat is cooked.  I don't like jiggly tofu and this cooking technique prevents that. 

I always buy extra firm tofu and today bought this tofu +plus.  Extra goodness.  The first step is to cut the tofu into about eight rectangles (just slice it).  After doing that I cut the tofu into small triangles, I like that shape.  I didn't take pictures of this step, sorry.  Next, I layer the bottom of a cookie pan with several paper towels then place all the tofu on top.  I then put several more layers of paper towels on top of the tofu and place another cookie sheet on top of the paper towels.  To add weight I put cans and jars on the cookies sheets and put everything in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (you could really do it as long as you wanted though). You are doing this to get some of the liquid out of the tofu. 

This was actually after I had already pressed the liquid out but you get the idea.  Make sure it's all flat though unlike a few of my pieces.

You could use more cans we just don't have many yet. 

Chilling in the fridge.  

After it's been in the fridge for a while take the cans and cookie sheet off the tofu.  I then heat just a drizzle of olive oil in a pan to fry up the tofu.  I have to fry it in two different batches because it won't all fit in the pan at one time.  I cook it for about 10 minutes on medium high heat.  It should look golden and feel pretty firm when it's done.  You can really cook it as much as you want.  The more it cooks, the less jiggly and squishy it becomes. 

When it first goes in the pan.

Golden brown and firm when it's done. 

At this point you could really do anything you wanted with the tofu.  It is pretty bland on it's own so adding any sort of sauce or marinade would taste awesome.  Because I was making stir fry I marinated it in a mixture that contained the following three ingredients. 

Sweetness and saltiness.  

I put the tofu in the marinade about a minute after taking it out of the pan to let it cool down a little.

I let the tofu soak for about an hour but I'm sure the longer the better.  I sliced up the veggies and cooked the quinoa.  If you've never had quinoa you NEED to try it!!! We love how it tastes and love all it's wonderful nutritional benefits.  It's great for us vegetarians because it's a complete protein. 

Water chestnuts, baby corn, broccoil, onion, red pepper, snow peas and bean sprouts.

It's delicious!

I heated some olive oil in the pan and added some garlic.  I then cooked all the veggies and added the entire tofu and marinade mixture.   This was the final product.

 

Cambria wanted to be held when I was cooking so for the first time in a very long time I held her in my sling.  She didn't like it at first but quickly became comfortable and started helping me by eating the broccoli that was on the counter :) She enjoyed her dinner too. 

No more belly so it's comfortable for me again.  I have a strange, random piece of hair on my face, please excuse it.

Munching on some corn.

I also wanted to share Cambria's plate before and after her lunch today.  She had black beans and rice, spinach and tomatoes with tzatziki sauce and red pepper humus with whole wheat pitas.  Another excellent vegetarian meal.  I gave her seconds on almost everything.  She wasn't feeling the spinach today...man can that little girl eat!

And of course I have to include a picture of our rolling 3 week old Ezra.  I am anxious to discuss this crazy rolling with his pediatrician and to see if he is still gaining a pound week like he did during his second week of life.

This was taken by his Aunt Amber. 

So anyway, try the tofu, it's yummy!!! 

I first saw it cooked this way here.