we're happy to maintain temps in the mid 40s as we ease gently into what's continually being hyped as the worst winter chicago will have seen since the last ice age.
david started the week and will end the week very busily with work. thus, the few days in between have been devoted to a lot of relaxation. two significant events have recently transpired in david's life that have translated into some notable changes in his lifestyle. first, the 10k we ran a few weeks back has really inspired him to commit more of our nonexistent free time to fitness. we have plans to run our next race in february, and while i continue to take the approach of "completion=awesome," he's set some really impressive goals for himself to improve on his previous performance, which is really great.
second, as i suspected, after completing eating animals by jonathan safran foer, david instantaneously modified his eating habits and outlook on food production in our country. we never cook meat at home, but we have begun to closely examine how we source our other animal products, which has led to us paying 2x more for eggs (which we already payed about 2x more than average for), because after doing some research on our current eggs, we felt we could support a better operation. we were very pleased to find eggs in chicago from a farm that treats its animals humanely and with respect. this action is representative of the responsibility we as humans really should take seriously...it's not eating meat or animal products that i object to, but the way in which we source those products.
it's easy to forget when milk is in a carton or animal parts are already separated and packaged that these items were once alive or came from living things, and if we choose to use them for our own nourishment and gain, we should do so humbly and with dignity. we are so busy searching for a bargain, we overlook the tremendous ramifications that might have on not only individual animals, but ecology, the job market, communities, and our own health. yes, buying quality and humane food costs more. a lot more. but as humans at the top of the food chain, we can choose to eat less or spend more. instead, many of us choose to eat more and spend less at the expense of much more than just animal welfare. i would argue it's just this ability to reason rather than say, our braun, that has us atop the foodchain to begin with...we ought to use it more often.
if you knew where your food comes from, you'd truly be appalled. take it from my husband, who when we met stated, "no meal, including breakfast, is a meal without meat." yesterday, we ate dinner at our favorite vietnamese restaurant where we've had several delicious pork chops and huge bowls of beef pho the past few years. last night, we enjoyed wonderful fresh spring rolls, a mango and papaya salad, and huge bowls of vegetable pho. was it the same? no. was it memorable and delectable? yes. we're excited to rediscover the chicago food scene with a greener outlook.
anyway! back to our days of relaxation. we made this pizza (along with the raw kale salad we can't get enough of), arugula, tomato, and david's first seitan sausage. it was so finger-licking good that i have to stop typing for a second to get a snack because the pictures are making me hungry.
bean is making a lot of progress feeding herself with a spoon, and now takes large bites of certain things without needing them cut up. big girl!
she continues talking a lot, with intelligible words sprinkled here and there. but she has an impressive vocabulary and can point to anything around the house or in any of her books if you say the word. she's also getting very interested in tasks we do...sweeping, wiping, picking things up, helping with reese...we hope she maintains interest when she's old enough to be effective.
not sure if it's because she's picking up speed lately or our apartment is just very difficult to navigate even for the nimble-footed, but she falls constantly. she slips, trips, and sometimes inexplicably just topples over. she got a little overly-excited a few nights ago when our bedroom was briefly left open and unattended...we found her seconds later balled on the floor screaming with a mouthful of blood. such are the adventures of parenting a toddler. as usual, she was over it quickly.
on a side note, her hair is slightly bigger and more awesome daily.
other than that, my fingers have been busy on the needles with various projects (just ordered the last of my xmas knitting yarn), and other crafts in preparation for homemade xmas are underway, with lots of help from the two elves. we have plans to erect the tree in the next week or so.........negotiations continue regarding who will string the lights.
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