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What’s Always in Your Kitchen?

written by Parita Leave a Comment

My favorite blog, Cup of Jo, shared a post about the five items that are always stocked in the kitchen. And that got me thinking about my own kitchen and the things you’ll find in it 99.9% of the time.

Before I share, I will say that it’s super interesting to hear other people’s responses and find new ideas. I scrolled through the CoJ’s comment section on this post for a quite a bit and got some great ideas for new foodie items.

Please excuse our unorganized fridge. I actually hate how it’s designed. I need to clean it out and reorganize. One day soon!

Ok, here are the things that come to mind from my own kitchen right now But I’m not stopping at five items. Sharing a more comprehensive list…

  • Bananas (smoothies, baked good, nice cream, and Mila!)
  • Spinach (smoothies, baked goods, salads)
  • Arugula (salads)
  • Apples (snacking)
  • Berries of some kind (blueberries, raspberries, or more commonly, strawberries)
  • Almond milk
  • 2% milk
  • Eggs
  • Earth Balance vegan butter
  • Enjoy Life dairy-free mini chocolate chips
  • Lily’s sugar free dark chocolate chips
  • Crumbled Feta
  • Block of sharp cheddar
  • Sliced cheese, most likely sharp or medium cheddar
  • Bread of some sort (usually Dave’s)
  • Whole milk Greek yogurt (for Mila mainly)
  • Rao’s pasta sauce
  • Some sort of pasta
  • Rice (2-3 varieties)
  • Soy sauce
  • All kinds of vinegars, hot sauces, oils, etc.
  • Almond flour
  • Cocoa
  • Peanut butter and peanut powder
  • Quinoa
  • Bamba puffs (for Mila)
  • Coffee beans
  • Beans of all sorts
  • Canned tomatoes, canned tomato sauce, and tomato paste
  • Coconut milk
  • Oats

I’m probably forgetting a few things, but you get the gist!

Tell me, if I were to walk into your kitchen on two different days, what would I always find?

Written on August 4, 2022 Related:Food, Uncategorized

Currently – June 2022

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Taking it back to really old school blogging with this post! Sharing a few of my current favorite reads, listens, foods, etc.

Currently reading

I just finished Book Lovers and absolutely adored it! I’m currently reading Every Summer After and really enjoying how the story is unfolding. Two great summer reads!

Currently listening to

Podcasts! And lots of them! But my current favorites are Good Inside with Dr. Becky, We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, and Healthy in Real Life with the Fitnessista.

Currently eating…

Berries – blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Can’t get enough!

Yogurt bowls – Full-fat Greek yogurt, cinnamon, peanut butter, mix of berries, and Purely Elizabeth chocolate hazelnut granola. SO SO SO GOOD!

Egg toast – toasted bread, Greek yogurt cream cheese, fried egg, and Sriracha. Could eat this every day and not grow tired of it!

Currently watching

Believe it or not…nothing! This is Us just finished, and we also finished the Ozarks recently. I’m kind of enjoying our TV free nights (and getting to bed earlier!).

Currently looking forward to

Kaiden’s 5th birthday party and his actual birthday! He’s been talking about it for months, and I’m so excited to celebrate my sweet boy! Five really seems to be a turning point for us. He’s a much better listener, he’s able to communicate in a gentler way (most of the time), and he’s just so so affectionate and sweet (especially with me!). And not to mention some of the things he says…just hilarious.

I’m also looking forward to launching a PODCAST! My friend and fellow coach Amy and I are doing the dang thing and starting a new exciting project together. I can’t wait to share more! The trailer will be up in mid-July and the first episode will be ready for your ears at the end of July. AHHH!

Almost 5 years ago! Can’t believe it!

Currently thinking about

Intrusive thoughts! I have so many tools at my disposal to combat and work through unhelpful thoughts, and yet I find intrusive thoughts so hard to get rid of. These are hypothetical thoughts that take me down rabbit holes that are super dark and grim. Not fun at all.

My currently strategy is to remind myself that everything is ok right now and take as many deep breaths as I need. Any and all strategies take practice and repetition, so I’m working on it. It’s definitely better than it was a few months ago, but I’d like to not even go there if at all possible.

Currently trying

Daily stretching and a nightly sleep meditation. I use the Peloton app for both and absolutely love all the classes. I could definitely use a bit more zen (see above) and these two (almost) daily practices are helping.

Currently dreading

This heat wave we’re experiencing. It is BRUTAL! I used to go for daily walks with Mila round noon, and now we don’t leave the house. It’s super hot and uncomfortable, and I’d definitely need another shower if I attempted outdoor walks right now.

Currently wearing

Joggers and tees of course! But other than that, I found a few comfy summer dresses at Old Navy (dress 1, dress 2, and dress 3) that I’m loving. And I’m also loving the Lululemon stuff I picked up earlier this year and a few weeks ago. Vishnu got me a sizeable gift card for my 37th birthday, but then I got pregnant and decided to wait before buying anything. I’m not a Lulu shopper, so I stuck with basics like leggings, a sweatshirt (can’t find a link) and these really comfortable back in action tees that feel like butter!

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now! Hope you’re all currently doing well!

Written on June 21, 2022 Related:Life, Uncategorized, Updates

June 2022 – Happenings and Goals

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How are we almost half way through 2022? And how we been Georgia residents (again) for almost a year? Craziness!

The year is speeding by for many reasons, mostly because we have two kids I think. It’s like what they say. When you’re in the day to day grind, time slows down a little. Then when you step back and take a more macro view, you can’t believe how fast it’s all going!

June happenings

It’s also probably going quickly because we have so many big things happening (and a few that have already happened). For one, my BIL’s wedding was this past weekend! Ya’ll, this wedding was two years in the making (they pushed it forward because of Covid), so it felt extra special. Great fun was had by all! However, by the end of it, Vishnu and I were both ready to get the kids back to a routine! Exhausted doesn’t even begin to describe how we felt.

And next up, specifically this month, we have my sister’s baby shower, which will be so fun! I’m extra excited because my two aunts (mom’s younger sisters) will be in town for it, and it’s been over two years since we’ve seen them (maybe even longer!). I’m in charge of games for the shower, and I have a few good ones ready to go. I’ll share more after this weekend as to not ruin the surprise for my sister and BIL!

After that, Vishnu and I will be headed to Hilton Head for his med school friend’s wedding/receptions. You guys have no idea how excited I am to have 48 hours to relax and know that my kids will be well taken care of (each set of grandparents is taking a kid). On the flip side, I’m also a little nervous because this will be the first time I’ll be away from Mila for more than a night. The first time was when I landed back in the hospital a week after giving birth. I keep telling myself it’ll all be ok. Vishnu and I need this time!

And THEN…we have the main event for June…my little boy’s 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY! I can’t believe he’s almost 5! This is the first big party we’re having that he’ll actually remember, so I’m super excited. We’re going with a Paw Patrol theme…I’ll share more afterwards. It’s going to be emotional for sure!

Other than that, I’m still wrapping my head around how hot it is already! It’s 90+ degrees in Atlanta most days of the week now! I’ll take this over a Chicago winter any day though. I always say, it’s so much easier to peel layers off versus pile them on!

June goals

  1. Really delve into mine and Chitra’s next book club book – Influence. I actually read this back in 2009 in business school and have been wanting to reread for a while now. Funny side story – I only realized this was the same book after I finished the first chapter. But it’s all good because this book is a great read from a business perspective.
  2. Read a fiction book. Hoping to dig into something when we go to Hilton Head. Saturday during the day is pretty free, so you bet this mama is going to park her butt on a pool chair (hopefully with a beverage in hand) to read!
  3. Find some summery clothes! I have a VERY minimal summer wardrobe since I was pretty pregnant last summer! Need to find some staple pieces stat!
  4. That being said, this month I want to clean out and declutter every closet in our home. The plan is to donate everything that no longer fits/that we no longer need or want. Wish me luck!
  5. I don’t know if this one will get done this month, but I need new professional photos! I found a local photographer so now I just need to schedule the time. This also means I need to get some new clothes for said pictures. So maybe I need to figure out #3 first! I’m ok with pushing this one back to July/August too. We’ll see…
  6. And of course, I’m still going to continue with my forever goals of moving every day (intentional 4-5 times a week), drinking half my body weight or more in water, cutting back my time on social media, meditating daily, and going to bed by 10 pm.

Phew! That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope your June is equal parts fun and chill. Here’s to being almost halfway through 2022!

Written on June 1, 2022 Related:Family, Life, Uncategorized, Updates

How We Went About Getting Our 6 Month Old Baby Girl’s Ears Pierced

written by Parita Leave a Comment

What a doozy of a title for a fairly straightforward blog post!

After sharing that we got Mila’s ears pierced on Instagram, I got a lot of questions about the experience, where we went, how Mila did, etc., so I thought I’d share a quick post about all of that.

Let’s get to it…

Why 6 Months?

Someone on IG asked why we chose to pierce Mila’s ears now versus let her decide when she’s older. If I’m being honest, Vishnu would’ve been just fine with that. He wasn’t eager at all but ultimately left the decision up to me. I honestly didn’t give it too much thought, and totally get the notion of choice. I also figure she can remove the earrings if she doesn’t want them when she’s a bit older and let the holes fill in.

As to why 6 months. I decided to do it at this age because I’ve heard it’s harder as they get older (harder to sit still, feel the pain of it more, etc.). Most of my friends did it between 5-8 months.

Where did you get it done?

You can absolutely go to a Claire’s (does Claire’s still exist?) or Piercing Pagoda type of place, however, we chose to go to a pediatricians office. My friend recommended a practice to me since our office doesn’t do piercings. It was a simple process just like scheduling any appointment. If your pediatrician doesn’t offer this service, I’d just call around to other practices in your area.

In terms of the process itself, when we arrived, we were taken to a small room, and a nurse brought a sample of all the different stud options they have (there were probably a good 15 or so to choose from). Once I picked what I wanted (went with the crystal stud) and marked the spot where we wanted the earrings to go, we had Mila sit in my lap with her feet secured between my legs. One arm held her head against my chest, and my other arm wrapped around her arms.

There were two nurses who came to pierce her ears – one for each! What a genius idea. It literally took all of three seconds once everything was ready.

How did Mila do?

She cried for less than 30 seconds! And then nothing after that.

Kids are so damn resilient! I cried more than she did when I got my nose pierced!

What does the maintenance process entail?

We got a cleaning solution to bring home. We dip a Q-tip in that and clean around the front and back of the earrings and also turn the earrings three times on each side. We were told to do this 2-3 times a day for 30 days. So far so good! Mila doesn’t seem to mind it at all.

How much did it cost?

$50 – piercing itself + the earrings!

Key Takeaways

  • If your peds office doesn’t offer piercing services, call around until you find one that does.
  • Mark exactly where you want them to pierce baby’s ears. One of my friends said they did this with a fine tip permanent marker before they actually went in. You can also ask to be the one to mark right before with a nurse there with you. Have them double check with you to make sure it’s even!
  • Hold your baby tighter than what feels normal. It only takes a few seconds but you don’t want your baby to twist their head during the process.
  • Follow care instructions!

It really was as simple as that. Let me know if you have any questions.

Written on April 20, 2022 Related:Baby, Uncategorized

Some Weekend Reflections

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Hello hello! It’s been a while since I’ve shared here, but I randomly felt the urge to come on and type something up. I’m still figuring out how all the different things I love fit together (and how to make time for them), but I definitely want to get back to regularish cadence with this blog. We shall see how that works out…

I hope y’all had a good weekend! Ours flew by as always. Vishnu and I were just discussing how it was nice to not have any real plans for once (other than Taw Kwan Do and piano)…but it still went by so quickly. With that, here are a few reflections (that I want to remember!)…

  • We introduced Mila to solids a week or so ago and so far she’s tried carrots, mozzarella cheese, apple, avocado, yogurt, peanut butter, and a few more things I can’t remember! I’m doing a semi-baby led weaning approach, and she seems to be taking to it well. I told Vishnu that we have a little foodie on our hands!
  • I planned to take K for a fancy donut date yesterday morning, but after a rough Friday night of no listening, I didn’t take him. I felt so bad, but I just couldn’t. We’re trying to teach him consequences, and since we don’t have much to take away (I swear he would be fine with a piece of tissue), I chose not to take him for a fun pre-Taw Kwan Do outing. Hoping we can revisit the idea this coming weekend! Mama wants a donut too!
  • We went out for our first restaurant dinner as a family of four yesterday. It went surprisingly well! Mila’s the chillest baby and Kaiden wasn’t as rowdy as I thought he would be, so we actually enjoyed the experience. I got us a cream puff afterwards, and Kaiden was in love. He wanted “just one more!” I swear he has a second and third stomach for desserts!
  • I took Kaiden to the park to play with some classmates today, and he had SO MUCH FUN! They all started hugging and jumping around the minute we got there, and I enjoyed hanging out with the other parents. But by the end of our 1.5 hours, Kaiden and the rest of the kids were covered in dirt. They had a whole playground to run around on, and they chose to dig holes in the grass. Boys, I tell you!
  • Afterwards, I almost flooded Kaiden’s bathroom. I forgot to turn off the faucet during his bubblebath and ran into the bathroom when he started calling for me. We were literally less than one minute away from a big disaster. Oops! Also, a great reminder to just stay in the bathroom. Kaiden told me he “got spooked,” and that’s why he called me. Thank goodness!
  • Vishnu and I enjoyed a little La Croix and cheese (and fruit/veggie/dip/nuts) night. It had been a while since we had one, and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with my husband without being interrupted 100000 times!

Some pics from the weekend…

And now it’s almost Monday…the start of a new week! Hope y’all have a great one.

Written on April 3, 2022 Related:Uncategorized

Our Family’s Covid-19 Experience + What Helped with Loss of Smell/Taste

written by Parita 2 Comments

After nearly two years of doing everything possible to avoid Covid, it entered our lives/home.

Let me start with the punchline – the anticipation of the virus was much worse (for us) than the actual experience of having it. Again, this was our experience, but I know it varies for everyone.

And just for the record – Vishnu and I are both double vaccinated and boosted. Kaiden and Mila are not yet vaccinated.

What our Covid days looked like, except we were masked throughout (this was taken this past week)!

How it started…Vishnu…

Vishnu came home from work on a Friday and said he didn’t feel too good*. All the flags went up. Since he was a little symptomatic, he took a rapid test but it came back negative. He still didn’t feel good the next day, so we scheduled a PCR test. The results came back on Monday morning…negative.

Given these results and the fact that the rest of us felt ok, we assumed Vishnu had a bad cold.

*Body aches, headache which then progressed to a mild cough, cold, etc.

Vishnu didn’t test positive (on an at home rapid) until Thursday.

And then there was Kaiden…

And then on Wednesday, when I picked Kaiden up from school, he told his brain hurts (headache?). Again, all the flags went up, but seemed ok otherwise, so I wasn’t too worried.

That night, Kaiden woke up crying and super warm. I took his temperature – 101.2. I gave him some Tylenol and put him back to bed.

The next morning, I had Kaiden taken a rapid test, and it came back positive before the control line even showed up. Oy vey!

I took Kaiden’s temperature regularly on Thursday and Friday, and it peaked at 99.8, so Wednesday night was the worst of it for him. No cold, no cough…nothing!

Although he was ok physically during the day, Kaiden did start waking up in the middle of the night after testing positive. Some nights he’d cry a little and fall back asleep, and other nights he’d be inconsolable for like 10 minutes. I really think this has some thing to do with Covid because 1. it definitely wasn’t happening before and 2. after asking about this on IG, a few people said they experienced something similar with their kids. He still occasionally wakes up, so we’re keeping an eye on him for now. I may bring this up with his pediatrician if it continues for longer than a month or so.

And then there was me…

My experience was also mild but a little strange. I took two rapid tests at home after we learned that Kaiden tested positive. The last one I took was on Saturday, and it came back negative. So I assumed I was superhuman and avoided the virus altogether.

But something told me these were false negatives because while I didn’t have any crazy symptoms, I did have a slightly runny nose and a tickle in my throat (that later led to me losing my voice a little).

So, I signed up for a PCR test at CVS that Monday. The results came back the next day…POSITIVE. I knew it!

My symptoms didn’t get any worse/prominent until I lost my sense of taste and smell that Saturday (over two weeks after being exposed to Vishnu). I’ll get to that in a minute.

And then there was Mila…

The biggest silver lining in this whole ordeal was that Mila (and Kaiden) didn’t show a single symptom at all. In fact, she was her smiley happy self the whole time.

After talking to her pediatrician and my sister (who’s a pediatrician), we decided not to get her tested, as the assumption was she probably had it and was asymptomatic.

Precautions

As you can imagine, taking any sort of precautions with a 4.5 and 3 month old was hard. We did the best we could, especially up until learning I was positive too. We wore masks at all times, I tried to disinfect major areas/surfaces, and most importantly, we kept Kaiden away from Mila (the hardest part).

The first few days were the toughest, but Kaiden mostly understood. All I can say is thank goodness for PBS! My boy watched a ton of TV those 10 days, but we got through it. We survived!

Loss of taste and smell

So like I said, I lost my sense of taste and smell almost a week after testing positive via a PCR test. It was the strangest experience, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to do it justice. But it really felt like it was there one minute and gone the next. In fact, my best friend and her family came over on Saturday, and we had Thai food for dinner. I could definitely taste what I ate.

However, that night before bed as I was going through my skincare routine, I noticed that I couldn’t smell my face serum (which has a very strong scent). I took the bottle over to Vishnu and asked him to smell. He said he could definitely smell it. I then tried to smell different things in the bathroom and nothing. It was completely gone!

The next morning, I tried a spoonful of PB to check my sense of taste and again nothing. It literally felt like creamy goo in my mouth. I even went as far as putting sriracha on my tongue. I definitely got a hint of spice but nothing that I needed a glass of water for or anything like that.

Later that night (Sunday), I talked to my friend who’s an ENT, and she suggested starting a high dose zinc supplement (which I got from Sprouts) and trying smell therapy.

What is smell therapy you ask? My friend told me to deeply inhale/smell either vinegar or coffee beans (not ground coffee) for 1-2 minutes 1-2 times a day. She said to really imagine what I know vinegar to smell like for the entire 1-2 minutes.

I started the zinc on Sunday and the smell therapy on Monday, and by Wednesday evening, I had my senses back, except for PB, which still tasted like crap until Thursday evening.

I was really nervous I was to lose these sense for the long haul, especially after reading about some people’s experiences online. I count my lucky stars for smart doctor friends and the fact that my experience was less than a week long.

How we’re doing now

I’m happy to report that everyone’s back on track!

Kaiden even went back to school for three days before we got a phone call that another kid in his class tested positive. For us, that means he can’t go back for five days, which puts us at Tuesday.

While we physically fared ok this time around, the mental games this virus plays with you is something else. I was so scared for Mila and even Kaiden. It was also stressful being at home with two kids who needed me in different ways. Thankfully, Vishnu was either off or working from home most of that time.

Bottomline

While this is definitely a nerve wracking time for parents, please don’t freak out until you have to. Don’t put yourself through the virus twice – once in your head and then when it happens IRL. Kids really are faring well with this variant, and while a positive outcome can’t be guaranteed, know that it’s largely out of your control at this point. This is the advice I would’ve gave myself a few weeks ago if I could’ve!

Written on January 28, 2022 Related:COVID-19, Uncategorized

Postpartum Health Journey – Week 2

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Taking a more holistic approach to my health this time around is proving to be helpful…feels more balanced to be honest. This week was good in some ways and definitely showed me areas of improvement in others (another reason why I like the four categories I picked – helps break things down a bit more).

General thoughts

A few things I forgot to share last week…

Measuring overall progress – In light of keeping it real, I am weighing myself about once a week/every two weeks right now, but my main focus from a postpartum body perspective is how my clothes fit. And more importantly, how I feel on a day-to-day basis. Do I feel strong? Am I exhausted? Do I feel depleted? Am I reacting more than responding?

Length of workouts – I shared last week that my plan right now is to do a mix of strength, cardio, and core rehabilitation workouts. In terms of length of each workout, right now I’m able to manage 20-45 minutes on a given day depending on what’s going on, if the baby is napping, if anyone is around to help, etc.

Vitamins/supplements – In terms of vitamins and supplements, I’m currently taking a prenatal vitamin, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and a pre/probiotic.

Week 2 – Physical health journey

So this week was Friday-Thursday, and in that time, I squeezed in four workouts. Everything from Peloton rides (ranging from 30-45 minutes) to Peloton and Bodyfit by Amy* strength workouts. From a physical health perspective, it was a good week.

I will say that I’m taking it much easier on my core than I did with Kaiden. Vishnu really wants me to be careful (rightfully so) because he knows how all in I can be with my workouts, and he doesn’t want me to create permanent damage somehow.

*Bodyfit by Amy is an amazing and free YouTube channel with hundreds of workouts and challenges that an be done at home (and some with no equipment). I’ve been doing Amy’s workouts since I was pregnant with Kaiden, and I can’t recommend them enough. She has everything from prenatal to postnatal, HIIT, strength training, pilates, tabata, etc.

Week 2 – Nutritional health journey

My sweet tooth is a little out of control, so I’m currently working on reigning it in a bit by coming up with alternative ‘treats’ for when the craving hits. Will share more as I experiment and learn.

I’m also focusing on adding more protein to my meals and snacks. For example, I’ve been making a nut mix at home with pecans, almonds, walnuts, and a few chocolate chips. I figure that’s better than eating chocolate chips on their own!

And finally, definitely working on increasing my veggie intake. Step one – eating more salads for lunch!

Week 2 – Mental health journey

Still keeping up with therapy! Love my therapist so so much as well as the relationship we’re building.

I’m reading again and started with ‘The Midnight Library.’ Mainly squeezing in pages while I pump, but that’s better than mindlessly scrolling!

My parents are coming to help me this weekend since Vishnu’s on call and working 7a-4p+ both Saturday and Sunday. Woo hoo for living in Atlanta!

Week 2 – Social health journey

Last week, I talked about how I was going to try new ways to control my social media usage. Turns out I don’t need anything new. I just need to go back to my old rules. So from now on, I’m capping my time on IG to 100 minutes/day. After that, I delete the app from my phone. Hopefully this helps!

In terms of our social life, we have a white elephant get together this weekend with friends. Vishnu’s also going to a Hawk’s game with friends on Friday. And last weekend, we had friends over for dinner andK + V went to a Santa event. Given the fact that we have a newborn at home, I feel like this aspect of our life is on track. We don’t attend everything we’re invited to, but because we personally need friend time and want Kaiden to be out and about with new friends, we’re weighing our choices accordingly.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week! Wish me luck for week 3!

Written on December 10, 2021 Related:Health, motherhood, Uncategorized

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