Today is MOLE DAY: the mole represents the number 6.02 x 10^23 (just like the word dozen represents the number 12)…so from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm we celebrate Mole Day on October 23 (10^23)…it’s the most sacred of chemistry holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gotta love Avogadro's Number ;)

Blueberries!

My favorite month is July because its smack in the middle of summer, and best of all its BLUEBERRY season.

Our blueberry bushes are bursting with berries - yum yum yum! So far we've harvested about 2 gallons of berries in 10 days, can you believe it? And there's plenty more on the tree! This season looks great - finally!

A couple of years ago I trimmed some of the branches on the bushes, and apparently the bushes didn't like it b/c we barely had berries that year. The following year we had harvested about 2-3 gallons for the season. And now it seems the bushes have bounced back, we've got tons of berries!

We have Green Beans growing in our backyard! Granted, its probably not enough for even one serving but its still fun to grow. I am collecting each harvest (of about 4-5 beans) and dutifully freezing them in the hopes that we can get one dinner out of them by the end of the growing season. I did use bean inoculant when I planted them, but they're not growing as high as I'd expected (gardening suggestions welcome!). Still yummy though!

Just heard that Ingrid Betancourt has been freed freed from the Colombian rebels, after 6 yrs of captivity. Hurray!

Now that I'm a mom, I just cant' imagine what it would be like not to see your children for 6 years. So glad they're together again! Of course I'm equally glad the rest of the rescued hostages were also freed (including 3 americans) but for some reason her story really touched me.

This article caught my eye. In particular, I thought this paragraph most interesting:

But letting kids explore -- at the cost of a few scrapes and cuts -- builds character, self-confidence, resilience, and self-reliance, says Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., author of "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee." Boys, being natural risk takers, may need encouragement to slow down a little, but maybe girls need to be encouraged to take more risks. Look for opportunities for your daughter to jump off a wall, swim in the deep end, or try the bigger slide.

We tend to be quite protective of Muffin, trying to avoid her getting scrapes, bruises, etc. Maybe we shouldn't? Not that I'll be encouraging her to go break an arm or leg ever, but a scrape here or there isn't such a biggie I think. (others at home might differ in opinion…)

Nevertheless, food for thought.

I think I found a new love: Pandora Radio .

I'm currently listening to nouveau flamenco while working, certainly makes a tedious task more enjoyable!

I love that you can customize what you're listening to so it matches what you like.

Update 07-02-08
Here's a link to my "radio station" in Pandora

So I've been thinking that maybe I've been getting too used and comfortable with my routines - at work, at home. Been so busy trying to 'get things done' and making to-do lists and running around, but maybe I should take time to get myself off-balance, challenge myself, do things that make (gulp!) uncomfortable… Not sure what this means, other than maybe start thinking on how to shake things up. Stretching & reaching is never easy but it does have its rewards….

Hey, I’m a Gemini, we thrive on change!!

added in 4pm...
Talk about geing a Gemini, I just checked my horoscope in Google, and it really applies to this entry - freaky! This is what it says:

• You can sense that the winds are changing, even though there is a peculiar stillness in the air today as mental Mercury pauses to shift his apparent direction. Instead of racing ahead with your best idea, take time now to look back over the past few weeks, integrate what you've learned and then begin to apply your new perspective over the next few days

I promised a fried I'd share with her how to make rice, here is how I do it. And since I got creative last night, I thought I'd add a bonus recipe for beans, inspired by this one for black bean soup.

How to cook ANY rice

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1 1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon oil (I like olive oil)

Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add rest of ingredients
3. Cover pot, and lower heat to a low simmer
4. Cook for required time: White rice =15 minutes, Brown rice= 50 minutes
5. DO NOT MIX or touch the rice until time is up!
6. If time permits, let the rice sit, COVERED, for 5-10 minutes.

Lazy Red Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 can Red Kidney beans (light or dark)
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano (or one whole cuban oregano leaf)

Optional (especially if you are feeding a picky toddler)
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup green peppers
1 tsp oil (I like olive oil)
Adobo Goya to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook onions, peppers & garlic in the oil over medium heat until soft.
2. put rest of ingredients into pot
3. bring to a boil
4. cover, cook at low heat for about 10-15 minutes
5. Take about 3-4 tablespoons from the pot, and puree with either a mini food processor or potato masher. Return to pot.
6. Optional - pour over rice.
Yum!

OMG - they're putting all of the Elfquest comics online - for free!! Wow! I *think* I have most if not all of those comics but one day when (ahem!) I have the time (yeah right) I'd love to peek at these lovelies. Hopefully Cutter will acquire enough new fans to make the movie version a possibility…
Once upon a time I used to buy comics here , but then I got preggers, and life got busy with a little one, and …. Ok, one day I WILL get to read comic books again, really, I will!

Being a working mom, its hard to get out of the 'working all the time mode". About the only time I let myself relax is when I read the paper. I tend to just run around the house, doing stuff like laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, putting away stuff, etc. And my poor daughter is left waiting for her mommy to stop running around and pay attention to her.

So last night I decided to let everything else wait and spend some time with her at our basement play area. Boy was it tough to just let GO of my do-do-do mindset! I probably need to do this more often. She's not going to stay this small & adorable forever, I need to enjoy her now. Funny thing is she gave me a taste of my own medicine, she spent quite a bit of time telling me to wait while she 'prepared' a handbag for me (basically stuffing it with toys). So I waited and listened while she chatted away about what she was doing, what I needed to do, etc.

I need to make a point of spending more time with her. Its bad enough I rarely get to talk with anyone (family or friends - that's something else I need to work on, sigh). Would love to hear comments on how other working moms juggle tim with their kids & getting things done!

One day when I have time to myself again (... yeah right...) I will watch movies again, maybe in one of the websites listed here.

Last night I went to our local Holistic moms meeting, and there was a new member that was pregnant. I couldn't help myself, I suggested that she check out the ICAN website in prep of her delivery, and her response was that she was happy with her care (said she's got a great midwife & doula team). I felt a little rebuffed in that she wasn't concerned about learning how to avoid a possible ceasarean.

I guess after my unwanted ceasarean, I feel the need to warn others that most ceasareans are unplanned for… you almost have to assume you'll be bullied into a c-section and you need to take preventive action BEFORE you give birth. I know for me, I swore up and down I wouldn't be a c-section but didn't know you have to actively work to avoid one. I wish I'd known there's ways to avoid one, that you need to prep your body way before delivery in order to decrease your chances of a c-section (ie walking helps the baby get into position).

Ok now I REALLY TRULY need to get some work done! This is why I don't blog often...

I keep meaning to post about my trip to Colombia in December and I keep not getting to it… somehow I got lucky enough to arrive the day my company was hosting their Xmas party, they had it at a place called Andres Carne de Res (Andrew's Beef would be the literal translation into English).

It’s a huge, very rustic and kitschy kind of place, with so many funky decorations you just don't know where to look. For those in the NJ area - the best way I can describe it is like a "Jose Tejas" on steroids. The music was fantastic, the food was excellent, and the whole atmosphere just screamed PARTY TIME. Fun place, I wish I could bring all my friends there, it would be such a blast!

This blog entry gives a good feel (and pictures) of the place. I especially agree with this description: "...it is sort of a cross between a restaurant, a bar, a house party, a discoteque/nightclub, and a carnival, a place where every night that it’s open is like Mardi Gras. "

Aside from the party, the business part of the trip went well, and going in/out of Colombia was very hassle free (easier than some airports I've been to in South America). The roads are in terrible condition, and traffic is so bad they're now restricting who can drive during rush hour. But there were cops all over which made me feel a bit safer. My co-worker from our offices in Bogota was wonderful, driving me all over and knowing all the tricks. I felt bad that he got stuck with chofer duties for me but he did it cheerfully. I was able to meet his wife during the Xmas party, a lovely lady. Wish I'd taken pictures!

My hotel was gorgeous but unfortunately it was almost 45 min away from our offices, I'd have taken another hotel closer to my work if I'd had a choice.

One thing that caught my eye was the many Juan Valdez coffee shops. I hear there's one in NYC , I'll have to visit its some day, the bag I brought home was excellent.

Next time we need to buy a couch, I think I'd love to get it from here:
http://www.carolinachair.com/index.html
I *love* the idea of custom ordering my couch, from a US company, at a decent price!