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trying to learn how to knit
April 27, 2020

Dishes + Knitting

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Another weekend wrapped – this one went by especially quickly for some reason. Here’s what we were up to!

Friday night was a clean out the fridge leftover feast – I had leftover salmon, rice, and veggies + a cider and Matt and Riese had some leftover pasta and meatballs with broccoli. 

leftover salmon with frozen broccoli

Dessert was a molasses spice cookie. Definitely been eating more cookies lately and I’m not mad about it. These are so, so delicious! 

whisked dc cookie

On Saturday, we had a chill morning at home, ate some leftover vegan strawberry scones with nut butter, and then mid-morning Matt and I did a virtual boot camp/HIIT class led by Matt’s brother – our new normal routine. It was cloudy but not super cold so we set up outside, and Riese ended up joining us for most of it which was fun. 🙂

working out with a toddler

Our post-workout lunch was more leftovers – I had the last of a Sweetgreen kale salad from the day before, plus some quinoa tabouleh and smoked salmon. Random but it did the job! 

leftovers for lunch

While Riese was napping, I had a walking video phone date with my friend Janae – we had been talking about trying to plan a running-focused trip together this spring but obviously that isn’t happening, so a phone date was the next best thing! It was fun to get to chat with her and to get some more fresh air, although I was jealous of her amazing mountains views and sunshine (she lives in Utah)!

For dinner on Saturday, Matt grilled us some yummy chicken, asparagus, and zucchini. 

grill night

Enjoyed with some baked beans! Matt put a BBQ rub on the chicken – good flavor but a little salty.

grilled chicken with baked beans and grilled asparagus and zucchini

Sunday morning I was up early with Riese since it was Matt’s day to sleep in; we had some oatmeal with sliced mango, chia seeds, and chopped walnuts. 

(For oatmeal recipes/tips, check out these posts: Healthy Oatmeal Recipes + How to Make Oatmeal Taste Better.)

oatmeal with frozen mango chia seeds walnuts

Riese helped me organize my nespresso pods – it’s one of her favorite games. 🙂

(More ideas in this post: At-Home Activities for Toddlers.)

toddler at home activity idea

Mid-morning I headed out for a virtual phone running date with my friend Kathleen. It was gray and a little drizzly but we didn’t want to rain check! 

The first 1.5 miles I did a run/walk because my stomach wasn’t feeling it (that’s been happening a lot lately on runs, ugh – must be because I’m more stressed than usual…), but after a quick bathroom pit stop at home I felt way better and ended up running the rest and feeling good. Having someone to talk to always helps, too! 

5 mile run walk phone date

When I got home I was pumped because Matt and Riese made us some quiches!

quiches cooking in oven

These were a Blue Apron meal and I thought they’d be perfect as brunch (vs. dinner) – I was right! We used the onion that was supposed to go in the quiche earlier in the week, so instead Matt put in some yellow pepper, and it had mushrooms, garlic, and gouda cheese, too. Super good! And big – that’s a dinner sized plate! I thought we might have some leftovers but we took it down. 

Plus some arugula on the side. Sometimes I feel really lazy about salads because I don’t want to chop veggies, but I always forget that arugula by itself lightly dressed with my homemade balsamic vinaigrette is really delicious and so easy!

yellow pepper and mushroom quiche with arugula

As for the rest of the afternoon, Riese has been fighting nap time hard the past week and yesterday she basically only napped 30 minutes which was no bueno. It seems like she is in a phase now where she gets scared when we leave her in her crib… any tips? Yesterday I stayed in there until she fell asleep because every time I left she would start crying and calling “mommy stay!” which broke my heart. I snuck out once she fell asleep but when she stirred 30 minutes later she was really upset that I had left and wouldn’t go back down. Womp, womp.

It’s tough to know how to react – we obviously want to comfort her but we also don’t want to make it so that she will only sleep when we sit in there with her, you know? Weirdly in the past week some days she has done this and others she has been totally fine. We thought it was related to days when we got her down too late and she was overtired, but yesterday it was pretty early/normal timing. So… who knows. 

Dinner was delicious, though. Another Blue Apron — chicken with some roasted potatoes and sauteed snap peas.

chicken with roasted potatoes and snap peas

I posted this on Instagram stories last night but – raise your hand if you feel like alllllll you do right now is dishes (and unload the dishwasher)?! It’s insane how much of a mess it makes when we eat all our meals at home! At least listening to podcasts make spending ages cleaning up the kitchen a lot more pleasant. 🙂

hot mess kitchen

Last photo from the weekend: I am trying to learn how to knit! I’ve been thinking I really need a hobby… I don’t have a ton of free time right now, obviously, between work + toddler wrangling, but when I do have free time I feel like I waste it by just scrolling my phone or watching TV and not really feeling all the refreshed/fulfilled. I have always loved reading, and will continue to enjoy that – I love reading in bed before I go to sleep every night – but I wanted something that involved feeling a little more productive and that was more meditative, you know? 

So, here we go! I bought a kit online (via We Are Knitters) weeks ago and just hadn’t made the time to figure it out, but after feeling pretty blah yesterday all day I decided it was time to pick myself up and try to do something that might help improve my mood. I have been using YouTube videos (this one is really helpful) to figure out what the heck I’m doing, and it’s definitely not going to be a perfect end result (I’m attempting a blanket), but I’m pretty excited about it! I’ll keep you guys updated on my progress… any tips, let me know! I’m all ears.

And for my Zara fans, you will appreciate her in the photo below – she was like “wait, you’re playing with string and IT’S NOT FOR ME?!”

trying to learn how to knit

Hope you guys are doing okay out there – sending love. <3

- anne
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28 comments
  • The Many Thoughts of a Reader
    April 27, 2020 · 10:55AM:
    My daughter did something similar at night time around that age. I think it was a mix of vivid dreams / not being able to verbalize something was bothering her. I think it took a few weeks of it occurring randomly and it just disappated. We tried ignoring (didn't work, she screamed no one slept). I would go in and sit and hold her hand. Worked but I had to wait until she was super asleep or we just started over again. I set up the pack n play in the spare room and she slept there for a few nights. It was a hot mess ha.
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 2:09PM:
      Oof. So tough!
      Reply
  • Ana April 27, 2020 · 11:48AM:
    Love the Zara stink eye, haha! Wonder if she’ll “improve “ your handiwork when you’re not looking?
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 2:10PM:
      Haha I thought about that - I put it in a box in my office last night where she couldn't get to it on her nighttime adventures!
      Reply
  • Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
    April 27, 2020 · 11:53AM:
    That is fun that you are teaching yourself to knit! I took a class over 10 years ago and have really enjoyed having it as a habit. I have not knit since our son was born 2 years ago, though. I might need to pick up a project in the fall/winter (it's such a fa//winter habit for me). Once you get good at it, it's pretty easy to knit while you are watching a show or movie if the pattern is pretty easy. And it's so rewarding to see the fruits of your labor! One year I made scarves for my mom, sisters (2) and SILs (2). That was a pretty big undertaking but they loved the gift. Our dishwasher is definitely getting ran way more frequently these days, too. Before we were an every 3-4 days. Now it seems like it's every other day!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 2:11PM:
      I feel like we are running our dishwasher every day now, it's insane! I'd love to take a knitting class in person once the world opens back up - would be fun to learn more!
      Reply
  • Melanie April 27, 2020 · 12:30PM:
    Hi..nap time is a tough one for sure. We used a playpen and put it in a room just off the kitchen or where ever we were so they could see us. My kids would just watch for a while, then sit down, then lay down and then fell asleep. It also taught them to nap in less than quiet conditions. It will work out...
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 2:11PM:
      Interesting - thanks for sharing!
      Reply
  • Emily April 27, 2020 · 1:08PM:
    Yes to all the dishes, I guess we were eating out more than I realized! I was also thinking about trying knitting as some kind of productive yet relaxing activity. I tried crocheting a few years ago but it didn't work out so well, hopefully knitting is a little easier!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 2:12PM:
      I haven't tried crocheting so can't compare, but def give knitting a try - so many great YouTube videos to show you how!
      Reply
  • Laura April 27, 2020 · 1:16PM:
    Yes to all the dishes and unloading the dishwasher every single day. I am so tired of doing dishes!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 2:11PM:
      Right??
      Reply
  • Lindsey
    April 27, 2020 · 3:14PM:
    So many delicious eats! I miss Sweetgreen ever since moving from DC! We are in Charlotte now and I'm thankful we at least finally got a Cava!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 3:57PM:
      It's the best!! Cava is delicious too though. I need to order from there soon, haven't had it in months! I actually just started listening to the "How I Built This" podcast episode on Sweetgreen - interesting story!
      Reply
  • Sharon April 27, 2020 · 5:26PM:
    Knitting is so relaxing once you get the hang of it. Check out Fibre Space in Alexandria when everything gets back to normal, she offers a lot of great classes and beautiful yarn.
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 27, 2020 · 5:32PM:
      A couple others on Instagram have recommended that place, too - excited to check it out hopefully soon!
      Reply
  • Katherine April 27, 2020 · 7:01PM:
    We started leaving books in the crib for our 18 month old to look at before she goes to sleep and I think that helps. Have you tried check ins? Let her know that you will be back in 2 minutes, then 5, then 10 and so on. Some kids like check ins, others it makes them more mad.
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 28, 2020 · 2:50PM:
      I've tried leaving a book in there for her but she just gets mad and says "book out the crib!!" Ha. We haven't tried check ins, but it seems like coming and going might make it worse for Riese... I'll think about it. Thank you!
      Reply
  • Kris S April 27, 2020 · 7:22PM:
    Alright! The knitting has begun! Keep us posted!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 28, 2020 · 2:51PM:
      Yes, will do!
      Reply
  • Kristine April 27, 2020 · 7:35PM:
    Oh, knitting is awesome! I knit a lot. Like, a lot. It's a great hobby because once you get the hang of it, you can do it while watching TV, while traveling, on phone calls, wherever. For beginners, I like to recommend making some dishcloths. They go quicker than a scarf or a blanket, so you don't get bored. You can work on a technique until you get the hang of it, then try learning something new, and the dishcloths will still work no matter how they end up looking, hah. Also you can get dishcloth cotton yarn at a lot of (large chain) grocery stores, or Joann's/Michael's, in lots of colors. It's the only thing I regularly buy from someplace other than my local yarn store. If you end up really enjoying knitting, I'd definitely suggest getting on ravelry.com. It's part pattern database, part project notebook, part social media. The pattern search function can help you find whatever kind of pattern you might be looking for, and a lot of patterns are for sale right through the website, and for each pattern you can see what yarn everybody has used and what comments they have about their project. I don't use the community side of Ravelry as much, but I'm sure there's groups on there that can help with beginners! It's a seriously awesome, useful website. Okay, lastly, and this is getting deep into the weeds a little, but if you can learn how to knit continental (where you hold the yarn in the left hand) instead of English (holding the yarn in the right), you'll be very thankful later on. Most Americans knit English, but I was taught continental, and so glad I was. It's faster and more efficient, once you get going. It also translates better to crocheting, if you ever wanted to pick that up. There's lots of videos out there, but they don't always show how to tension the yarn in your left hand - this link has a good picture of one way to do it, but people will wrap it however works for them. https://www.dummies.com/crafts/knitting/knitting-stitches/how-to-knit-continental-style/ Okay, sorry for the info dump! Good luck, I hope you enjoy it!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 28, 2020 · 2:53PM:
      Thank you Kristine!!
      Reply
  • Roadrunner April 27, 2020 · 9:41PM:
    Bravo on the knitting! Please keep us posted. And great to see your little workout partner!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 28, 2020 · 3:04PM:
      Thanks! And will do!
      Reply
  • Sarah
    April 29, 2020 · 2:58PM:
    I enjoyed reading about your weekend. Thanks for taking the time to post! My 2-year-old's naps are all over the place as well, and I just want to say we aren't doing anything wrong so try not to blame yourself! I've decided I just have to let go and realize I can't control it. We give her the time to nap (1 hour or so in her crib), and if she doesn't want to, we just move on and then move up bedtime an hour. Although it would be great for everyone if she would nap, I supposed it isn't something I can force her to do. My daughter doesn't like to be alone in a dark room, but I think it is important that she puts herself to sleep in her crib on her own, so I just lay on the floor in her room until she goes to sleep and then I leave. One day I will look back and laugh about this, but as with most things in childhood, it is just a phase I will get through. Fiber crafts are so much fun. Very relaxing and good for stress relief. And you feel so accomplished when you make something!
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 29, 2020 · 4:42PM:
      Thank you Sarah, this is helpful!
      Reply
  • Jennifer
    April 29, 2020 · 10:42PM:
    I have gone back to knitting constantly during this crazy time - I learned a little as a child but then picked it back up with a vengeance about 15 years ago. The book Stitch and Bitch: A Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller is a fantastic guide - I taught myself everything from this book, it's funny and easy to read and has very fun patterns that are great for beginners.
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 30, 2020 · 10:18AM:
      Awesome, thanks for the rec!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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