Nursing Bras

Alright ladies, we're huffing pregnant women for months, and then have that lovely bowl of jelly as a belly for a few months after, and I don't know about you, but I feel ready for some sexy. Enter nursing bra. And it is SO not it. I actually tried on nursing bras while I was still pregnant at my favorite place, the Dain Shope. It is a specialty shop that caters to us Lusty Busties as well as everyone else.

And yet, sadly, even here the nursing bras were mostly matronly and boring. Not like I had ANY luck at all in any other place. They did have a huge selection though, so I left with two Elle Macpherson Maternelles. These models were obviously not pregnant.

Since I was pregnant, I bought these in a larger band size, and it was comfortable since it had six sets of hooks. Yes, SIX! It is wireless, which is great for a pregnant belly, and it doesn't show under shirts. Many people thought it was pretty sexy for a nursing bra, which I wouldn't go so far as to say sexy, but it was a lot nicer than many out there. I wore it after giving birth the first time too, and its stretchy wireless cups gave a lot of room for size changes. It was lower cut when I was engorged, but it still fit well. Maybe it was a little sexy then. ;) Unfortunately, the band size is far bigger than I am normally, and once I started losing weight again, it grew larger and larger on me. Now I have to say, it is far too big. Many of my complaints are based on this alone, and not the actual bra, so I want to be sure to make a note of that. I don't like that it seemed so high up that it showed over the top of some tanks. But this could be because of the bra being the wrong size. The cups now also overtake my whole breast, leaving extra material, again because of it being too large.

Well, I decided I wanted a new, sexier (if I could find it) nursing bra. I found it. Again, Elle Macpherson knows her shit. I found the La Mere Bra in Tea.
I don't want to take this bra off. I actually feel sexy and normal again, and it fits well. It has six sets of hooks as well, (though I'm on the smallest one and have no where to go...) and even though it is lacy, it is so comfortable. I have a few issues with it that I think could be worked on. Firstly, the adjusters in the back are the short kind, so if you need more lift, you have a limit. It usually is ok for me, but I worry about it stretching and not being able to tighten it past that limit. Secondly, like all nursing bra's I've tried, the clips are sort of high up, so sometimes you really have to dig up your shirt to get it off. But it does come off and go on with one hand, which is great. It is lower cut, which is a plus, but the lace does show through some shirts. More so when you are engorged and it gives you a sort of quadruple boob syndrome. It also is wireless, something I NEVER thought I'd like in a bra, but I feel lifted and supported. Even with these issues, I think its a great, sexy bra, and so is the Materelle as long as they fit right! I highly recommend going to get fitted for bras, as these women know what they are doing. Don't assume your size or buy bras that don't fit! It can cause saggy boobs or a painful back. Or just plain look wrong. And if you live near Morristown NJ, check out the Dain Shope, they have all kinds of things to make you feel like a lady again!

Carlos & Gabby's!

I have to start by saying, yesterday was amazing. Chaim was a sweetheart and bought me a day at the spa, which was so wonderful. He is the best! After that I was supposed to meet a friend in Brooklyn, so we decided to try out Carlos and Gabby's afterward. We had tried their nachos before because they have a location by our friend Jack's house, but wanted to try more.

I'm not writing a review, but I thought the food was great. They gave a lot for the price, which for kosher food was pennies. (O yea! Its kosher!) What I did want to write about is the experience with the other random diners that night.

When we got there, Zalah was already pretty grumpy and over tired. I immediately stole bells and maracas off the counter and then asked if I could give it to her to play with. I was dressed a tab bit old school for me, including knee high combat boots with skulls on the toe. I had to do a quick transformation earlier, but what a difference a skirt makes! I wondered if people would think I was just a rebellious kid, but I didn't focus on it too much. Besides, I'm not trying to be rebellious, I am rebellious! And the clothing just happened to be situational, I don't do it everyday anymore. Zalah got anxious and wanted to walk around a few times, and being herself, she just went right up to random people at their tables and would babble and wave. So many people were nice to her, talking back and saying how cute she was. She climbed the stairs and got angry when I took her back down to go home, and had a screaming fit including throwing her maraca across the room. I looked at the table next to me and apologized because I thought she might have hit them with it. The woman said "Its ok, I came out here to escape this kind of thing!" I laughed and said I feel bad that she didn't avoid it in the end, but she was cool about it. I strapped Zalah in and said "If you don't behave, we'll marry you off to gypsies when your 13!" I noticed the woman with a blonde shaitel and a Bugaboo stroller a few tables up started to laugh. As we were passing her table, I tried to maneuver our double stroller through her stroller and the nearest tables. She tried to move it for us, but there wasn't room so just moved the tables. Since I try to be nice, and we were already so well acquainted with the whole dining room, I asked if she had a girl or a boy and the age. She said it was a boy who was three months old. He was adorable, laying down sleeping in the stroller. (Now I see why they are so desirable! No need to pack a crib! Though you could probably buy a much cheaper knock off.) I told her the girls ages, and then she gushed "You guys are like, angels! You're so chilled out, you don't get mad." I was totally taken aback! I didn't even think about how people were watching our reaction to the kids behavior, let alone how she could think that with Miss Goth Queen of the Universe as their mother! I felt like that was very nonjudgmental of her to see past the image to what was really happening. But of course I had to snap back to reality, so I replied "Oooo no.... we get mad!" "I know! Sometimes you just want to scream!" She said. "Yea, there are days when I just have to put them down somewhere and go outside to really scream or something." I reassured her. I wish I had some snazzy blog cards like Sarah to hand out at that moment! But I didn't, and maybe my blog would have scared her, so we said good luck and good bye. And you know, I really felt good after we left. That's such a great compliment for us. Even though we know its not always true, it feels good to know that maybe sometimes, we can handle it. We weren't trying to impress anyone there, we just wanted to keep the kids happy for themselves and everyone, and we do that a lot with jokes and being silly. So many people criticize your parenting style or don't understand your sense of humor with them, so its such a great relief to find people who do. It was so sweet of her to admire us and say something about it. And kids are great for causing conversation among cool strangers!


Then I had a nightmare about hipsters who didn't give me any ice cream! >:(

A Few More Amazing Recipes (that all happen to have Zucchini!)

I always have a ton of zucchini and am looking for things to do with it. Well here are three more of my new favorites, which are all pretty easy to make and very delicious!

Marinated Zucchini
This first one is so simple, I want everyone to try it! All you have to do is wash and cut the zucchini in chunks, and then those in quarters or 6, depending on the size. You can cut the very thin ones in coins. Then put them in a Rubbermaid that's large enough, drizzle some olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh crushed garlic. The amounts are not an exact science, its however you like it! I usually use 2 or 3 cloves of garlic for a medium to large zucchini. Now toss it in the fridge overnight. That's the secret. I've cooked it before right away until I discovered what a difference marinating it makes! (You can even wait two!) Then just bake it in the oven on about 350 for 10 minutes or so. Again, it depends on how you like it. We like it a bit firm still, but juicy.

Shelli's "Grilled Veggie Wrap"
Ok, this was not grilled. But it was good! I went to Shelli's Too Restaurant the other day and ordered this. It looked so easy to make I tried it at home. It was zucchini, carrots and onions softened in a red marinara sauce and then assembled on a wrap with slices of mozzarella. I tried it in a whole wheat pita with less cheese, but of course it was amazing with a lot!

Zucchini Corn and Black bean Quesadillas


O . M. G!

http://www.cooking.com/Recipes-and-More/recipes/Zucchini-Corn-Black-Bean-and-Jack-Cheese-Quesadillas-recipe-2088.aspx

I made some changes anyway, like I always do, but they were small. The only thing I strongly recommend is to use less cheese. I used maybe one 8oz bag of shredded cheese, and probably more veggies, and it was still enough. I also used s'chug instead of jalapenos because I had it.

And then a strange thing happened...

We know my little quirky, weird Zalah is a handful. She explores what she wants, and gets mad if you take her away. Even if she put herself in a dangerous situation and doesn't understand why we don't let her do what she wants to.


She's funny, she makes us laugh, and she's full of personality. Like most babies, her favorite word is "no!" even if no one said anything to her first! When it is in response, I often find myself saying "That's not a yes or no question." She runs off and dances around to any music, anytime. And I really did have to tell her not to eat the lube.


But amazingly, she's starting to listen. She doesn't always do what I say or want, but I've noticed that when I ask her nicely and slowly, she's starting to comply. For example, she got her ears pierced a few weeks ago, and hated when I had to clean them. About a week after it was done, I cleaned her ears with a q-tip, something she always let me do, and then asked her nicely if I could clean her earrings. She squirmed a little, but was much better than before. Then we started asking her to bring a toy she was holding to someone else, or "Go show daddy!", and she's doing it! We are really happy that the wild child takes some direction, and for a 16 month old, she's a pretty good listener! There are times I've wanted to sit on her to cut her nails, or force her to do something. But I know from her personality and mine, that it doesn't always work to force a child into something. It can be traumatizing, and doesn't give them way to learn to deal with it on their own as they grow. They get used to fighting back and don't realize that something, like cleaning a cut, might not be so bad. This is why we are so happy that she now listens (sometimes) and doesn't have to have a bad experience with some things. I can't get her to listen always, like that the doctors office won't hurt her (maybe because it's bullsh*t...) but it sure is a nice relief that she's starting!

Sometimes...

Almay

My husband and I have been writing to companies for some time now, to tell them what we like and don't like. Often, we get coupons, either way we feel about the products. Some of our friends also do this, and our friend Sarah posts her correspondences on her blog. She suggested I do the same. And you know, she's right.

I don't have my exact words I left on Almay's site. They only allowed about 255 characters, so it was basically this:

Product: Almay Daily Moisturizer for Dry skin with SPF 15
Comment: I put this moisturizer into a travel container and it became solidified on the edges. The screw top was heavily gunked on and I can't get it out. What causes this!? It's a little scary that this goes on my face!

They wrote me:

Dear Mrs. M.:

We are indeed sorry to learn of the experience you attribute to Almay Daily Moisturizer - Dry, but appreciate you taking the time to give us your comments.

Please click on the link provided below to accept a coupon to be used toward your purchase of Almay products.

Enclosure:
1 $5.00 E-coupon Almay

Thank you for your loyalty to our products. Please be assured of our desire to be of service whenever possible.

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Replies sent to this email address cannot be answered. If you have additional comments about this issue, please click here:

http://www.econsumeraffairs.com/almay/contactUsFollowUp.htm?F1=002141969A&F2=EM&

If you have comments on a separate issue, please return to our corporate website: http://www.almay.com

Sincerely,
Allison Mitchel

Senior Claims Representative

Alright. That's cool that I got a coupon. But you know what? They didn't answer my question. I thought maybe it could be the SPF, but I have plenty of sunblock and that doesn't happen. I don't really care too much that the container was ruined, because I had enough to use for vacation, but I do want to know what that is. Almay seemed to be such a good brand. Maybe not totally organic, but hypoallergenic and clean. But they sort of avoided the question. Maybe they don't know, but if that's the case, they should. I started to wonder if companies give coupons not just because a bad situation happened to the consumer, but to take their minds off of it and keep them happy. That seems shady. Most companies I've written to in the past were very helpful, even if I didn't like their product. But this answer is one I'm not entirely satisfied with.

I have a container of Dove Night Essentials Cream and I love it. It feels clean and really moisturizes well. I don't know if they still sell it, but I did see the day one in the store. This also has SPF.I would like to try it, since I like Dove products already. As for the Almay, I don't want to get rid of it, but I'm not so sure I want to use it anymore either.

FreeRice.com

If you haven't heard of this site yet, now is the time! This site is a vocabulary game that donates 10 grains of rice to hungry people in the world every time you get an answer right! I was at my mom's house the other day, and she was studying for the GRE. I noticed that many of the words were the kind I would see on free rice, so I suggested we play. I kept mangling the pronunciations of the words on the GRE cards, saying "I can't read good," D: "but I know my grammar, so I know that 'I can't read goodly.'" :D
Well, free rice even has a button to hear the words pronounced, which actually helps a lot. We had a lot of fun, and I found out that they now have new subjects! There is now grammar, basic math, chemistry symbols, world countries and capitols, famous paintings, and more. All of these donate to hunger. The site goes with your pace, and each subject has a variety of levels (except the periodic symbols). Usually, every three correct answers takes you to the next level in difficulty, and one wrong answer brings you back down one. I think its such a great idea, and as I exclaimed the other night, "This site is great for smartening!" :D

(Click above)

Check it out! It helps the player as well as the people it donates to.

Very Easy Recipes

I hate the struggle to find new and interesting foods every night. But with a baby who eats solids and my husband who is the picky princess, it must be done!

Often, I just make something up or modify a recipe. It doesn't always have to be exact or have all the little ingredients. It depends on what it is. It's different every time, but the idea is the same. Fresh ingredients and spices are key, so stock up! Some of my favorites are:

Italian: Cook a box of pasta, but instead of the standard sauce, throw on different veggies. Maybe with some sauteed onion and herbs for flavor. One combo I really like is fresh tomatoes, garlic, black olives and capers with some cooking wine and spices. Also a never-fail combo that many dishes are based off of is canned peeled tomato, black olives and spinach. Make it with pasta or with tortellini as a soup. Definitely experiment and have fun with it.

Pseudo-Indian: I usually start with chickpeas and go from there. I often add onion and tomato, among many others, but the spices are completely different. Fenegreek, curry, cumin, coriander seed, cilantro, ginger, etc. And I usually serve it with rice.

Mexican: Black beans and rice! Cumin is a must. My fave additions are oregano, cilantro, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Another great thing is bean salads. Black bean salad is good with tomato and corn with cilantro, hot pepper, lemon/lime and spices, etc, and black bean soup is almost the same with a few modifications. Another great south of the border bean salad is with chickpeas. I used to make it with onion, tomato and cilantro, but one day I had a massive craving for it with garlic instead of onion. I was afraid it would be disgusting, but it is one of our favorites now! Though it is a far cry from authenticity.

Summer Snack: I love this one. Cucumber slices with cheese on top (preferably Havarti, but I'm sure Munster, Mozzarella or Monterrey will do.) with tuna salad on top of that. Its so easy and Zalah loves it. I just add some spices to the tuna and its done in 5 minutes. You can also make up more things like this with other veggies. Think lettuce wraps with shredded carrot and hummus, etc.

I also want to share some favorite recipes that I actually follow. Since I don't eat meat, these are mostly Vegetarian, some Vegan, but a few are fish.

Ethiopian Stew - http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=143

Men's Health Magazine's Spicy Lime Talapia - http://www.menshealth.com/shortordercook/recipes/spicy_lime_tilapia.html

Basil Tofu - http://www.tofu-recipe.com/

Quinoa salad (of course I alter it based on what I have) - http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupssalads/r/quinoasalad.htm

Lentil Curry (for crock pot) - http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotvegetables/r/bl92c1.htm

Fish with butter and lemon - http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1817,148189-232201,00.html

For dessert, but a large container of Stonyfield Farms fat free plain yogurt and follow the recipe for low fat yogurt muffins under the lid. They are amazing!

I couldn't find links for these but they are so amazing I wanted to share!

Lemon Moroccan Stew

I LOVE this, but I half it because its so much! I also love it with cous cous.

2 Meyer Lemons, seeds removed and thinly sliced
3 (15 oz) cans of garbanzo beans
2 cinnamon sticks (I just used a tiny bit of ground cinnamon instead)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
2 (32 oz) cans diced tomatoes w/ juice
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 lb baby spinach
salt & pepper

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sliced lemons. Heat until rind begins to soften, about 5 mins. Set aside. In large stock pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and saute onions for 4 minutes. Add cinnamon and cumin seed and continue to cook until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, garbanzo beans, raisins, sauteed lemons, ground cumin and coriander. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes until liquid thickens. Stir in spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy served over couscous or with pita bread.


Zucchini Lentil Soup
Makes 6 servings
Soup Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, cut into ¼ inch pieces
4 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 large or 3 medium zucchini, with skin, cut into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup fresh dill, stems trimmed, loosely packed
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dried red lentils

Soup Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, sage and thyme. Coon until the onion is translucent; do not allow it to brown.
Add the zucchini and dill. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until zucchini is a little shiny.
Add the stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft.
Add the lentils. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. (If you use regular lentils instead of Red ones, you will have to cook them longer.)


Enjoy! And feel free to share!