We survived…and maybe even had fun

Breakfast before school

 

No, really, try to look excited!

 

Arriving at school

 

Leading the line to the classroom...and away from the crazy lady with the camera

No country for clean floors

I spent Saturday outside walking (first with a friend, and then on a family hike), and yesterday in the kitchen. All in all – a good weekend! I am coming out of my summer work schedule (off on Mondays, but late hours every night), and trying to take advantage of my last two weeks to help myself feel ahead of the game and slightly organized.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but Seth is starting school tomorrow (excuse me while I go grab a tissue). And, yes, that was said with sarcasm. I am well aware that this is boardering on a “Back to School Blog,” but, while its on your mind, any little prayers that could be said on my behalf at about 8:00 am, EST tomorrow would be greatly appreciated!  Anyway, I am nervous about what this new phase is going to do to our schedule. We already have a precarious schedule that shifts daily depending upon what work events I have, whether or not I’m working late, and if I have pre-planned dinner.

Identifying a bug in the field guide (it was a cicada)

Over the past few months, I have gotten significantly better with that last one. I keep a dry erase board on the door of our pantry. After each grocery shopping trip, I list out what our options are for dinner, which helps tremendously. All I have to do is look at the list in the morning, and take out the specific item to defrost.

Having the options listed out greatly increases the likelihood that we will have a nutritious and balanced dinner, rather than me just rooting around and throwing together some concoction.

I’ve also become a collector of quick & easy meals for weeknights, and make ahead options. Yesterday I made make-ahead quesadillas from America’s Test Kitchen. It is my favorite freezer-friendly meal, and it is incredibly easy to prep. The other bonus is that I get three meals out of it, so it is definitely worth the prep time. After they’ve been made, they take 20 minutes in the oven, which give me time to get the rice cooked, and make a salad. Twenty minutes of prep work is my goal during the week. (It is not always achieved, but I’m getting better.)

Rescuing a worm from the middle of the trail

Other than the quesadillas, I also made two recipes with boneless pork ribs that can stay in the freezer, be taken out to defrost overnight, and then left in the crock-pot all day. (We love crock-pot recipes in my house, and I cannot wait until the weather cools off and I can start making soups again!)

I also went ahead and prepped a big batch of eggplant Parmesan (thank you farmer’s market for the lovely and interestingly shaped eggplants). That is going to be dinner tonight, and I’m interested to see how it comes out. The eggplant is battered and then baked rather than sauteed, which should cut down on the greasiness, and also the cholesterol for my dear hubbie and his heart. We will see how it turns out.

 

Eggplants in egg white wash

Apparently Shalet & I are thinking similar thoughts this week. On Friday she posted this about domesticity, and balancing work and motherhood. It is a precariously balance – at least in my house. But, it is always nice to see what other people love, loathe, and struggle with. It makes me feel better to know that maybe I’m not the only one who has been known to scrub the toilet with one hand, while brushing my teeth with the other, and trying to get a child dressed so that we can get out of the door and not be late. Ahhh…the joys of working outside of the home.

 

And, for the record, if you ever want to hear how dirty your floors are, just buy a bug scope for your child. Last week, while I was making breakfast for Seth, he crawled around on the floor of the kitchen, looking at all of the crumbs through his scope, and pointing out the things that he discovered.

Seth, “Oh, did you make rice?”

My mental response, “Uhhh…yeah, maybe last week…or was it two weeks ago? I am absolutely sure that it was this month…”

Seth, “Wow – what is this from?!”

Me, “Well, that would appear to be a small piece of a blueberry peel that got smashed, and has affixed itself to the floor with an insanely tight seal…yummy. Here – use this butter knife and see if you can get it up.”

Seth, “Look over here!”

Me, “Oh, no…he’s in the baking corner…this isn’t going to be pretty…” (My rule of thumb: egg spills absolutely get cleaned up. Flour and other powdery substances get a once over with the whisk broom. Anything else should get eaten by the dog.)

So, before we left the house, like a good wife and mother, I took the time to dutifully take care of my floors…

“Alan – please mop the floor when you get home – PLEASE!”

He was born to shimmer

Today is the day – my little man is officially 5 years old!

We started off the day with a great cuddle in bed, carefully reviewing the gifts that he received at his birthday party. I sang “Happy Birthday” to him while we cuddled, and then it was time to get up, get dressed, and head out of the door. All day I was thinking about him, and reminiscing about his past birthdays, some of my favorite “Seth-isms,” and contemplating how it is possible for time to go so incredibly fast.

I have an ongoing  joke with him that he is not allowed to get any older than 5; this is it. And, I admit, part of me wishes that it was possible. I just love this age. He is funny, independent in so many ways, creative, discovering new things daily, small enough to be held, and still willing to cuddle and give kisses whenever I ask for them, and even sometimes when I don’t. I dread the day that he gets embarrassed kissing me…is there a magic pill that I can slip in his dinner to make that never happen?! But, I know that he must grow up, and another part of me can’t wait to see it happen. I can’t wait to see the man that he will be. Will he maintain this confidence and humor, or will he grow more shy as he gets older? Will he continue to be interested in snakes, salamanders, critters of all kinds, cars, trucks, and planes, or will he morph into someone that I don’t even know yet? Will he continue to be the life of the party, or will he take a backseat role in groups? A leader or a follower? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to see!

For Seth’s first birthday, I put together a scrapbook of sorts from his first year. There were so many incredible memories that I wanted us to have frozen in time, so i spent hours assembling the book, selecting my favorite pictures, and trying to capture the essence of the things that had happened during that year. Looking back, I am so glad that I did. Every year is important in a child’s life, but that first year is filled to the brim with new experiences and milestones that are easy to forget later on. And now, it is something that I love to look at, and so does he. Until recently, we kept the book in his room and periodically he would pull it down and just sit and flip through the pages. He would ask us questions about various photos, and we would tell stories that were brought to mind by random things on the pages. 

In the scrapbook, I included the lyrics to a great Shawn Mullins song, “Shimmer,” that I gave to Alan before Seth was born. I love the song for many reasons. It has a great message of hope and positivity, but I really appreciate the way that he expresses his hopes for a young boy. From the time Seth came into this world, these have been my hopes for him, as well as my hopes for us as parents.

sharing with us what he knows
shining eyes are big and blue
and all around him water flows
this world to him is new
this world to him is new

to touch a face
to kiss a smile
new eyes see no race
the essence of a child
the essence

he’s born to shimmer, he’s born to shine
he’s born to radiate
he’s born to live, he’s born to love
but we’ll teach him not to hate

we’re born to shimmer, we’re born to shine
we’re born to radiate
we’re born to live, we’re born to love
we’re born to never hate

Happy birthday to my favorite person on the planet (alright, it is an even tie with Alan)! I can’t wait to see you radiate your force into the world!

And, yes, we did have ice cream for dinner. The rules in this house don’t exist on birthdays! Well, except for these: make it special; make it memorable; tell him/her how much you love them, and what your favorite memories from the past year have been. If you haven’t tried watermelon sorbet, you must. It is the tastiest thing ever! Perfectly light and cool - the best thing for a hot & humid day in NC. (And the incredibly HUGE waffle cone doesn’t hurt either!)

War Child Speaks

I have no words for this…thanks to Blue Yonder for sharing. Amazingly beautiful, tragic, and inspiring, all wrapped into one. “Go save the life of a child.”

Birthday blues & Jane Austen

Whew – I am exhausted. This weekend was busy and tiring, and I am enjoying a day of recovery. Yesterday was the Peanut’s 5th birthday party, and we had it at our house. We kept it small, family only, but the day was still stressful.

It was a good party, but for some reason I’m feeling physically, mentally and emotionally drained today. As most of you know, we are a blended family. Seth is my step-son (oh, how I abhor that word), but I have been actively involved in his life since he was born. There is no “step” to me - he just is my son; I just happen to share mothering duties with his birth mother.

The annual birthday party is always an interesting event, surrounded by anxiety and nerves for me. This is the one time per year that we gather all members of our extended families. Seth loves it, and I know that this is the best thing for him, but it is very difficult for me to deal with, and this year was tougher than years past. I feel very much under a microscope, and that scrutiny is difficult to deal with.  There are just many different personalities, with extremely varying styles of parenting, and it can make for an interesting couple of hours. But, we all know that this is all about Seth, put our best face forward, and just focus on him. Luckily, two of our closest friends were there as well, and they were great about offering me support and reassurance throughout the party, and helping de-stress afterwards. I am still having a hard time grasping that he is turning 5, though…I’m not sure I’m ready for him to grow up!

I know that he had a blast yesterday, and I love watching that and experiencing it with him. But, I just can’t shake this funk today. It is tough being his mom, but not being his mom. Most days, it isn’t even on my radar. We are just living life, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to know him, and hopefully mold him into the incredible man that he promises to become some day. Yesterday just wasn’t one of those days. Instead, I found myself feeling a big spotlight shining on the fact that I am the “step mother,” and it is hard to shake it off and move on.

So, I’m stopping my emotional babbling  here, heading downstairs, popping in “Pride & Prejudice” (the A&E version, not the 2005 version with Keira Knightly - I can’t stand that one – it is a very important distinction) and eating leftover cake…Jane Austen & dark chocolate have a magical way of making everything seem okay, don’t they?

“I’m gonna be a star”

This phrase was confidently told to me on Saturday, following a stunning “drum solo” while riding in the car to the thrift store. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – this kid cracks me up. But, on this day, he was shockingly correct. As we were making our rounds in the store, he was making up jokes. His favorites are of the “What did the ______ say to the _______” variety. As I was in the dressing room trying on clothes, he was hanging out just outside the door…

Interjection: I am not in the habit of just letting my child wait outside of the dressing room where I cannot see him, but this was a unique set of circumstances. You see, he was with a friend of mine who I haven’t seen or talked to in about 6 years because she has been living abroad – South Korea, Belgium, Amsterdam, etc. (It’s okay to be jealous for a minute…I am too!) Anyway, we had lunch together, parted ways, and then ran into each other hours later, on the other side of town, in the thrift store! I’m taking it as a sign that we are officially going to be a big part of each others lives again, and that makes me happy. I don’t think that you can put a price on the type of friend that you can see or talk to daily, and things be great, or you can go long stretches of time not seeing or talking to each other, and just sit down, and pick up right where you left off. This is one of those friends, and I am so glad that she is back!

…telling jokes non-stop. Like all other 4 year old boys (only 5 more days, and then I have to start calling him a 5 year old!), most of the jokes were funny because they didn’t make any sense, or included a reference to a bodily function. However, he kept them coming. We headed over to check out, and he was still coming up with jokes. Luckily, the people waiting in line with us were laughing, and enjoying him hamming it up. They were commenting on his jokes, and telling him that he was creative – it was a really good group of fellow shoppers! And then came his moment of fame…

Seth, “What did the left ear say to the right ear?”

Me, “I don’t know, Peanut, what?”

Seth, “HEY! I’m over here!!!” (Said while waving his hand and looking to the right.)

Let me just tell you how everyone laughed. He loved it! He soaked it up like a sponge, and immediately, amidst the comments of “He is so funny!” “That was a good one!” “You should get him on video and send it to America’s Funniest Home Videos!”, I could see his brain working. He was trying so hard to come up with another crowd pleasing punch line.

As we drove out of the parking lot, he rolled down his window and shouted to the couple who had been in line behind us, “Have a nice day! I hope you liked my jokes!”

How can you not just love this little boy!? I will tell you – it is absolutely impossible!

Wrestling with inspiration

I am by no means a “sports fan.” I have been known to take a newspaper to a NFL game (I had been given free tickets) so that I can work the crossword puzzle during the game. There are no sports that I follow, and I have never played organized sports. They just aren’t my thing. However, the following video portrays the best aspects of competition and a team mentality. I love the relationship between these two boys, and the strength of character that they show. This is an amazing story – grab a tissue before you watch!

What to do…

I encountered a very difficult situation today, and I just need to vent about it.

There is a certain child that I know. He is adorable, sweet, and a funny little boy. He is not yet four years old, but developmentally seems closer to 2 maybe 3. I get to interact with him about 2 or 3 times a month. He can be amazingly fun, or insanely trying, depending upon his mood and the situation. As far as I know, he has not been diagnosed with any special needs, although it seems to me as though he could benefit greatly from some specialized attention.

I overhead a “conversation”  between him and his father tonight, and it just broke my heart. The child was crying, and the father was done. His tone was incredibly harsh, he was repeatedly demanding that the child “just stop crying,” and his body language clearly communicated that this encounter was the last thing that he needed.

I’ve witnessed similar interactions before, and they make me feel incredibly awkward. I know that all parents get to that point at times with our children where we are frustrated, and just trying with every fiber to not let them see the actual level of our emotions. But, it seems from my limited perspective that this tone of voice and level of frustration is the norm, not the exception.

I wish that there was a way for me to say something that let’s him see himself from other’s eyes. But, knowing this individual, and the nature of our relationship, it would not be in the boy’s best interest.

The silver lining (because I am a firm believer that they are always there) is that his mother is wonderful. She sees his needs, and meets them. She doesn’t let her partner’s frustrations rub off on her, nor does she react to his tone in a way that will make the child even more aware of the tension. I can’t imagine doing as well as she does…

At any opportunity I have, I point out the good and the exceptional things that this child does, hoping to clear the fog that is clouding the father’s vision. He seems stuck in seeing the child in one light only, and doesn’t seem to understand that he has the ability to change the situation by changing his attitude. I hope that my little comments and affirmation can help the father and child find a better way to communicate with each other.

(Another silver lining – my lilies that I planted in March have finally bloomed! I just love lilies!)

One step closer to 64

Today was a special day…

Someone around here turned one year older, and we had a great time celebrating. S made a great card for Daddy, and I’m just amazed at how far his writing has come over the past two months. He is finally showing an interest in doing more than just creating “rollar coasters,” and has developed into quite the little artist, which makes me happy!

We worked on the card together after Daddy left for work, and he was eager to show off his masterpiece. The three of us had a tasty and simple dinner (with easy clean-up; just one more thing that makes me happy!), and then the birthday cake!

Now, let me just say that this cake was his one special request of the day – a Carvel ice cream cake. I don’t get it, and I don’t think I ever will, but if that is what Daddy wants for his special day, that is what Daddy gets! Apparently I am the only family member who is baffled by the allurethe ice cream cake, but I’m sure I can live through the ordeal…they are good, but it’s just ice cream!?

And now I am moving on to another birthday countdown. S turns 5 in 12 days – 5! How did this happen?! We are having a small party with family & close friends, and I’ve got fun plans for the cake. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more soon…

But, for now, let me just wish my hubbie a happy birthday! He is truly, one of a kind. I love his sense of humor, his flexibility, his logic, his incredible ability to balance me out, the way he does the laundry every single Saturday, and the heat he puts off at night to keep me from freezing to death. Happy 29th, babe! I love you! (And, yes, I will still love you!)

Hot bread and Melted Butter

I spent almost the entire weekend in the kitchen, baking. One of our closest friends was celebrating a birthday on Friday, and Seth & I made him a super moist and sprinkle-covered yellow cake with chocolate icing. I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen for the cake, with this frosting recipe from Martha Stewart. It was yummy, moist, and tasty, with a nice surprise from a raspberry filling between the layers. Seth was Master of the Sprinkles, and happily covered the entire cake in a bright, colorful layer. Is it really a birthday cake without sprinkles? Not in this family! The cake turned out really well, and even survived the car ride in a food tent (you know, those things that you use to keep flies off of food when outside), because I don’t have a cake carrier!

In addition to the cake, we also had sweet potato pancakes for breakfast Saturday morning, which are just so tasty. And, with Seth still being a slightly picky eater, it is a good way to sneak some extra veggies into him without any persuading. Orange is his favorite color, so it was something extra special for him. You just feel like you are having pie for breakfast, and that is a great way to start the day!

I had also started a batch of no knead dinner rolls on Friday, and finished those up on Sunday. This is the second time that I’ve made this particular recipe, and overall, I find the bread really balanced. They have a great, crunchy crust, and a light, airy center. This time, I did make one adaptation, which I will definitely do again. The recipe calls to put the dough into muffin tins for the second rise and baking. It works well, but the visual plays tricks with my mind!

When I see a muffin shaped piece of bread, it is just wrong that it be crunchy. The first batch I made was muffin shaped, and they tasted delicious, but I just can’t get over the mental block. So, this time, I formed the dough into three log-shaped  portions, about 10 inches long, and put them in a rectangular baking dish. I sliced them, and then let them rise. (I did save a portion of the dough to make in the muffin tins, just to show you how they turn out – wasn’t that thoughtful of me!)

These rolls freeze really well, which makes life for me much easier. I love warm bread more than anything, and having fresh, homemade bread with dinner is something I just adore. However, because I work outside of the home, it would be impossible without some weeknd preparation. This recipe is simple, and is not time sensitive. I can start it on Thursday or Friday, and finish it up whenever I have the time, be it Saturday or Sunday.

Here are the directions, if you’d like to give it a shot!

Simple Enriched White Rolls (adapted from Kneaedlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett)

Ingredients:

2.5 cups flour, plus more as needed (she calls for unbleached white, but I do a mixture of white & wheat)

5T sugar

1 1/8t salt

1/2 t yeast

1.5 c ice water

1/4 c unsalted butter, melted & cooled slightly

1/3 c instant nonfat dry milk powder

First Rise: Stir together flour, 3T sugar, salt & yeast in large bowl. Stir in water until thoroughly blended. (Consistancy should be like thick pancake batter. Adjust water or flour as needed to acheive this consistency.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (I use a linen towel). Dough can be refrigerated 3-10 hours. Let rise at cool room temperature for 15-20 hours.

Second Rise: Stir butter, milk powder, and remaining sugar into dough. Gradually add 1/2 c of flour (more or less as needed), until dough is slightly thick. Spray muffin tins, and fill with scant 1/4 c of dough. (Or you can form the logs and slice in a casserole dish as I did above.) Drizzle 1 1/2 T of butter over the rolls, and spread until evenly covering the rolls. (I actually don’t add the butter to the tops, and they are still very flavorful.)

Let Rise: For a 1.5-2.5 hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature. Or, refrigerate fro 4-48 hours, then set out at room temperature until the dough doubles in size. Sift flour over the top.

Bake in lower rack of 375 degree oven, 18-23 minutes, until the tops are brown. Cover with foil, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes. (I only let mine cook 16-18 minutes total in the muffin tins, or a total of 20-22 minutes in the casserole dish. I freeze them, and baking them slightly less than recommended helps keep them from getting too dark upon being reheated.)

The roll in the bottom left corner mysteriously disappeared shortly after being removed from the oven. That seems to happen a lot around here…hmmm…If you use the casserole dish, be sure to grease thoroughly. I didn’t get the corners very well, and there was some sticking, but a good covering of olive oil will prevent that from happening to you.