Every year Aya has a Valentine’s Day party that’s not on or near Valentine’s Day. Tons of women come over and fill the house with scents of perfume and fancy shampoo while they indulge in foods and talk about their feelings. What makes this year so special is that Aya decided she wanted to announce the pregnancy to her friends at the party. So not only were Aya’s emotions high, but so were her hormones, making the day-before party prepping very eventful.
Finally, my No Sweets Challenge has come to an end!
I had intensely relied on sweets as my emotional crutch, best friend, and reward system and it had gotten wildly out of control. So for 77 days, I passed on all things sweet. I had two exceptions; Valentine’s Day, and Fat Tuesday. But other than that, I had nothing sweet to eat of any kind for 77 days. So after successfully completing my mission, I found myself reflecting on what I actually had learned.
Continue reading “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: NO SWEETS CHALLENGE IS OVER!”
Always one of the best meals of the year. It’s a tough choice between this and Thanksgiving, but I think I pick Thanksgiving. Aya picks this. Easter dinner is always at my parents house and my mom does 98% of the cooking. I brought coleslaw and my brother brought carrots. My mom did the rest which included: fresh and smoked kielbasa, homemade peirogis (not homemade by her, but some lady named Jenny), ham, ambrosia salad, deviled eggs, sauerkraut, and homemade bread. Ugh, what a meal! So good!
For dessert she always makes a homemade banana lamb cake (it’s shaped like a lamb). And then as a special treat since my dad loves zombies, we made him his own zombie chocolate Easter Bunny. Good times, Happy Easter!
When Aya was pregnant with Ellie, she had absolutely no morning sickness or any aversions to food. Not only was she not disgusted by any food, she didn’t have any cravings either. At least, nothing unusual from her usual cravings as an exotic food loving person. (Her cravings kicked in postpartum when she’d send me to Dunkin’Donuts for a triple chocolate donut at 4am while she was nursing. Donuts? I wasn’t complaining.) But with this pregnancy, it’s been a whole different ball game.
Aya had plans to go visit our friends who are moving to Japan very soon. Since Ellie and I couldn’t join in the farewell festivities, I decided to make a batch of cakeballs for Aya to deliver to them to say “Goodbye.” You’re probably thinking, “Cakeballs? Aren’t you on a No Sweets Challenge?” Yes, yes I am. And that would be the tricky part. I was making cakeballs, but I could not eat them. I was going to test my willpower so my friends could enjoy this tasty American treat before moving to Japan. That’s just the kind of friend I am.
