Sweet Kale Salad Kit

This is just a good old fashioned recommendation of a product that I am excited about.  I can't remember where I first had it, it was at a dinner party of some sort, so thank you to whoever introduced me to it originally.  I just rediscovered it on my bi-annual pilgrimage to Costco with my mom and got so excited to try it again. 

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a member, but I'm the daughter of a member.  That counts for some prestige, right?

 

 

 

The salad is packed full of healthy super greens like kale, cabbage, brussell sprouts, broccoli, and chicory (wtf is that?!).  You could serve it at a big party to lots of people, or do what I did and serve it to yourself and your husband for lunches.  I had it with a side of kielbasa and mustard.  Random?  Yes.  But that's what happens when you are part of a shopping group that also purchased 4+ pounds of the flavor meat links. 

 

The salad has a somewhat raw flavor due to the raw greens in it, but once you get some of that yummy poppy seed dressing, chewy dried cranberries, and crunchy little sunflower seeds, you won't even know that what you are eating is healthy.

 

 

 

Literally...I asked Grant if he liked the salad and he said, "If it is bad for me, then I didn't like it.  But if it was good for me, then I loved it."   Oh Grant, you make me giggle.  He was also in love with the kielbasa and asked me, "What is this meat?!  This is amazing!"  Easy to please, appreciative, and highly confused - what more could you want in a lunch recipient?

Still Pregnant

Sorry for keeping you in such suspense...I'm still pregnant.  I think I'm going to change Jack's full name to Jack NotInA Rush.  He obviously doesn't know what kind of anal host he's dealing with.  I like to say that the last time I was late to something was on my own birthdate.  The same better be true for this little fashionably late tot once he finally enters the world.

Although I take it as a high compliment to my womb that Jack still wants to be there, I take it as a major offense to all other parts of my body.  Like my new stomach horn, AKA "The artist formerly known as belly button".

But I don't want to complain per say.  I know I'm lucky to be pregnant at all.  Or, Pregnant Plus in this case.  So let me just leave you with this visual.  A snapshot of the daily email I get from other moms due in March, discussing their feelings and experiences to date.  Each of these subjects is a message board.

 

 

My feelings can be best expressed by the boards titled "I'm dead", "So Upset!", "Crying".

And they say women are dramatic!

Keep Calm I'm Supergirl

I still can't decide if outfits like this make me relieved or absolutely devastated that I'm not having a girl.  Not that Grant would allow them anyway if we were having a girl.  Until he went on vacation and she got to wear the world's most ridiculous graphic t's and full sentence apparel. 

 

Please also notice the galactic pants hanging net to this most wonderful shirt.  I'm assuming they are a pair.

Pregnancy in Review

Today is my official due date.  I'm either still pregnant.  Or I'm a mom.  I'm writing this in advance so please, please let it be the latter. 

 

Source

 

Once I finished my job and my real estate class I officially had nothing to do but wait for this baby to arrive.  That's a weird and scary feeling.  There's just no getting around that.

 

Maybe that's how this whole pregnancy thing works.  When the enormity of what about to happen finally hits you, you are so physically miserable that it becomes the lesser of two daunting situations so you have no choice but to embrace it.  I'm officially at the point where I'd rather be a scared, clueless, exhausted new mom than a barely mobile, un fun, whale of a human being. 

 

So let's hope that when this post comes out I'm either in the hospital with a baby that was right on time, or napping with him like two peaceful angels in the nursery because he decided to come on the weekend when it was just super convenient for everyone.  Hey, a girl can dream.

 

I thought that in honor of my due date I'd jot down a few things I learned during pregnancy so that I wouldn't forget next time (of which there will only be one next time).

 

1) Michelle Duggar is certifiably insane.  As are all other people who say they like being pregnant.  That's not a real thing.  I like knowing that I'm about to have a cute baby in my life forever that my husband and I made.  But I am not going to front and tell you I like having people stare at me, the constant urge to pee, the 30 extra pounds I'm carrying around, and hips and back that can only be described as "rotty".

 

Source

 

2) I never want to be overweight.  The people on the Biggest Loser talk about how emotionally devastated they are from being overweight and it's causes and effects, but they need to talk more about how hard it is to get up from a chair and pick up a dropped pencil.  That is the real shit of being large and in charge.  Every day activities are borderline impossible.

 

Source

 

3) I blamed too many things on alcohol.  As it turns out, I always look like shit on Saturday mornings and 5 out of 10 times I can barely remember what I watched on TV the night before.  Sorry white wine, I blamed it all on you when really I'm just kind of gross.  In related news, it seems that my face started eating my makeup during pregnancy.  So if you saw me looking ghostly and unkempt, it wasn't because I didn't try.  My effort just kept vanishing in the midst of my new found jowls. 

 

Source

 

4) Not being hungover ever is literally the best thing ever.  I am definitely going to incorporate more of that in my life post-pregnancy.  I did allow myself a glass of wine every now and then and I learned that a small glass really is enough to satisfy the desire for alcohol sometimes.  Who knew?!  A whole bottle is not always necessary.  I know, I'm shocked too!

 

5) Enough about alcohol.  Let's talk about the real drug in my life now.  SUGAR.  My name is Marilyn and I am addicted to sugar.  I used to not give a real rat's ass about dessert.  During the last few months of pregnancy if I didn't have dessert after every single meal, I got a little panicky", to put it mildly.  I'm kind of scared that the Fresh Market is going to go out of business now that I no longer work across the street and get bulk candy every single day.  This needs to stop ASAP.  Please, whatever you do, don't bring my desserts if you come to visit.  They stand no chance against my extreme addiction. 

 

Source

 

 

6) Not being able to sleep in whatever position you want is a special kind of hell that I never knew existed.  Once I have this baby I am going to get really creative with my sleeping positions just because I can.  I don't really know what that means, but I know that it won't involve a semi-permanent imprint of my underwear in my hips from being forced to sleep on one of two sides every night for nearly a year.  Side sleeping is SO last trimester.

 

Source

 

I think that's all for now.  I'm sure when I am up at 4 AM in the morning with dookie on my face and a screaming baby in my ear that I'll look back at these trivial lessons and laugh, even wish I was able to be that fat sleepless idiot trying to catch a REM cycle on her right side while clutching a body pillow for dear life.  But for now, assuming that when this publishes I am with child (on the outside of my body), I'm going to be a blissfully happy camper.

Well, that's intimidating

And likely not true:

 

 

 

Alternately titled:

 

Dude, Where's My Mucus Plug?!

Ice Cream Sundays - Salted Caramel Core

 

 

I finally have a new flavor to report!  Thanks to the support and reconnaissance of a friend and supporter of the arts (the arts being my need to eat all ice cream ever), I got my hands on one of the new core flavors.

 

And it was a good old fashioned fun experience.  Thanks in particular to this:

 

 

 

Looks like someone took a dookie in the ice cream.  But it's actually a big log of caramel.  Sweet, sweet, heavenly caramel.

 

Here's the full description of the ice cream:

Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Blonde Brownies & a Salted Caramel Core.

 

I would have preferred bigger chunks for the Blonde Brownies.  They were a bit small for my taste.  But when it came to the Salted Caramel Core, I could not have asked for more.  I kept getting scared it was going to disappear as I got down to the bottom, but it was the core that kept on giving.

 

I still don't like this whole "core" thing as much as the original flavors, but it was so fun and fitting to have a new flavor as I became the most pregnant ever.

 

Thanks Stuart for the new flavors!

 

Summary:

Flavors Tried - 46

Favorite Flavors  - Rockin' Blondies