Hallo sweet May
By the time you read this my friends, May will be underway. I always love a new month for the opportunity to reset and reflect on what has been and cast an eye forward to what is coming up. Usually I use it as a time to figure out what worked and didn't in my daily life and to refine my routines. It’s a forever process I think, there is no end goal really or prize for really succeeding at my daily personal To Do list but it feels like I ever so slowly chip away at the large lump of flawed rock I am made from to uncover a little more of the sculpture of me.
Pardon the random allegory, in this long-ass book I am reading the main character is the son of a granite business owner and so I am knee deep in some shite about quarries and whatnot.
In the Irish language, May is Bealtaine. For us it marks the beginning of Summer. My sister informed me today it was pissing rain and cold as balls at home. Sounds about right for the start of a grand ole Irish summer.
Reads
I am writing this on the first of May. A celebration of Spring it is referred to as May Day in a lot of Europe, here in Hawaii it is called Lei Day. It’s a day honouring the beautiful spirit of ‘aloha’ by giving and receiving Lei and acknowledging the rich, cultural history of the Hawaiian people on the islands. Here is a link to the history of Lei Day, which feels like a beautiful ushering in of a new season of life, a celebration of the natural world and the sharing of gratitude and warmth from person to person. I also read this really interesting article from National Geographic, Hawaii’s Lei Day is about so much more than flowers, which addresses a more nuanced and honest look at the origin of Lei Day and it’s roots in non-native influence on the islands.
Our little human has well been on the foods-other-than-breastmilk train for quite a few months. We started gently when she was four months old and since then have experimented and failed and learned and enjoyed figuring out how to feed a human other than ourselves. When Babies Rule the Dinner Table by Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker was a funny read. I liked her summation of the baby-led weaning approach which encourages you to be led by your imagination and stop getting so caught up in rules, restrictions and propriety. In all honesty we took a more open approach to eating with our baby not for any moralistic reasons or to stake a flag in the ever ongoing parenting battleground of ‘whose way is best’. Mainly we did it because we both work full time and we can’t be arsed buying her food we don’t eat ourselves. Best to just get her in on the family meal bandwagon as early as possible. Plus it’s funny watching her barely eat anything, get absolutely filthy at each meal and not so sneakily feed our giant dogs her food from the side of her high chair while she giggles. It’s all a laugh really. My baby is a chonky potato so I am not concerned with regards to her intake. It doesn’t really matter what method you might choose for your family, just as long as you choose what’s right for you. I am all about aligning with what serves us and our loved ones best.
“Navigating the judgment of others has always been a part of parenting, but the Internet has taken that annoyance and made it a scourge. There is always someone in the comments of a post bragging or berating, telling you that because you’re doing it differently, you’re doing it wrong. ”
Bants
I recently discovered a new podcast and WHAT A HOOT IT IS. My husband did not connect with it in the same way I did, I blame it on cultural humour differences. There is like ten zillion episodes so I am just starting at the beginning but being a comedy podcast I don’t think it matters where you dive in. ‘Tis but a simple conversation between a daft and hilarious couple, Chris and Rosie Ramsey, who both have backgrounds in comedy and radio just inanely chatting about life, marital beef, child-rearing etc. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, I use apple podcasts so I will link to the show there.
Sh**ged Married Annoyed Chris & Rosie Ramsey
Eats
At work the other night I was talking about how much I would enjoy cooking if only I didn't have to work nights and she inquired as to whether I had a specialty or ‘go to’. I must admit I was struck by the fact that my brain completely emptied at the question. Do I have a go to? I suddenly began to spiral, doubting even my own assertion that I liked to cook. I am so unused to people asking me direct questions about myself, in the US I learned a long time ago that most people only want to talk about themselves so you can curry favour by turning any question they ask you around back to them. After all that’s really what they wanted in the first place. So when she asked me such a personal question I could not even comprehend how to begin answering. My main takeaway from this entire interaction was a.) I actually do not know how to cook and I am an imposter and b.) I am an anxious over thinker who really needs to just calm the fuck down. If any of you readers feel so inclined I would love to hear your fav, easy enough to make meals. I am not going to steal credit for coming up with nearly anything I make. I am an avid collector of cookbooks and peruser of Pinterest recipes and this is one of my all time, affordable, favourite easy summer dishes. Can be eaten alone or add a protein if you wish for a fuller meal.
Corn, Avocado, and Quinoa Salad with Marinated Tomatoes
For your informationals readers, I NEVER use fresh corn! God that’s way to much work no I am 100% a canned corn all the way freak. It tastes exactly the same lads.
Also I highly recommend subscribing to Pinch of Yum’s website, I get almost all of my recipes there. She shares so many meals with flexibility for every diet and for the most part her recipes use commonplace ingredients you likely already have banging about in your fridge or pantry and are all very accessible cost wise.
See you all next week!