Limbic Resonance

It's About Time!

2012-02-09T20:42:00.005-05:00

I had a couple night break from the show, so Mommy was home! We finally got our act together and were able to try another new recipe!! Mark's been craving a good curry ever since our visit to Barbados in January and a great Fusion restaurant there. We looked up a few ideas, found this one, and after a trip to Wegman's the night before, were ready to go!

Our sous chef was otherwise engaged creating this year's valentine's, so we had to make do ourselves.

Right off the bat, we decided the sauce didn't have enough kick. Since we're sharing with a 4 year old, we kept the heat factor down, but did add more red curry paste than suggested (they said 2 teaspoons, we added at least 2 tablespoons) and we added some curry powder. Other than that, we followed the rest of the recipe to the letter.

Don't know if you can see it, but we're not done and already making notes on the recipe...

I love theater, but I miss our evenings together!


And of course, I miss our little artiste

Okay, back to cooking. It was a pretty quick process...would have been faster if yours truly had defrosted enough chicken in the first place. Oops. Also, Thai ginger? My new nemesis. Hard to work with, and really, not as flavorful as the regular ginger I buy at the grocery. Couldn't peel it, it was hard to chop, grr...

Limes, chopped peanuts, cilantro for garnish. Used all three: YUM


I think we need a bigger boat, er, I mean skillet

Thumbs up from Evie! She liked her rice more though (of course)

All in all, it was a very tasty dish. I would definitely add more curry, and possibly some kosher salt next time. I would also not serve it directly over the rice, the rice soaked up too much of the sauce, I would have rather kept the rice on the side. We now have this recipe, with our notes, in the recipe binder as a "keeper."

Happy, Rested Family

2012-01-26T09:38:00.002-05:00

The thumbs up could be for any of the following:
A. Our first international trip as a family
B. Our awesome hosts in Barbados, Mark's Aunt and Uncle
C. The ten days we spent together in the States, traveling to Barbados, and on
vacation...uninterrupted, no work, no rehearsals, no school

Without the generosity of Mark's Aunt and Uncle, who are more like Sister and Brother-in-law really, we could have never taken such a trip. We basically just needed to get there! They put us up, fed us wonderful meals, and showed us wonderful sights. In return, we tried to be good house guests, replenish things we took, and treated to a wonderful dinner at a restaurant they found right on the water. Pure luxury, it was a much needed respite for us. We even got to see the U.S. Embassy thanks to Uncle George, who is Head of Diplomatic Security for the Embassy (the reason why they're currently living there). Evie had a blast, from the trip inside the Embassy to feeding monkeys, to learning how to boogie board.

I am so very happy that we could give Evie the opportunity to have a stamp on her passport at the age of 4! This was also Mommy's first trip outside of the US (Canada in HS not withstanding). We had a wonderful time, can't wait to go back next year!

Four Years of Winnie the Pooh

2011-12-30T07:17:00.002-05:00

Four years ago this month Miss Evelyn arrived. I still remember how cold the garage was that morning as we climbed in the car to head to the hospital. I remember the care Mark took getting us there as snow fell. We checked in, and the surgery prep began. At 8:25 a.m., a 6 pound 14 ounce beautiful baby girl was born. She was an alert, happy, contented baby from the start, except for when she was hungry... I also clearly remember Mark standing in the middle of the hospital room holding her and crying. My favorite quote from him was "I just hope I stop this crying by the time she's 30" Daddy was smitten. Okay, we both were.

One of her first presents was a Winnie the Pooh bear from her Grandma Blessing (aka Bop these days). This bear had a special purpose: to help show Evie's growth over her first year and then every year after. What follows is the Evie and Pooh Bear timeline, beginning at the end of January 2008, when she was one month old.

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

11 Months

One Year

Two Years


Three Years

FOUR Years!

Show people!

2011-12-06T21:52:00.001-05:00

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of my all time favorite shows. Theatre Harrisburg is putting it up in February. Auditions were in November, and it literally pained me to not audition, but we have a family trip in January and I didn't feel prepared to sing (I never feel prepared to sing). Dance? Absolutely. Sing? Still working on the confidence there. I saw all of the posts and spoke to friends who were cast and while I was happy for all of them, I was still a little sad. Then, I receive a message that someone had to bow out, would I be willing to jump in and try to catch up? WOULD I?!? Of course, I had a heart to heart with the dear hubby, because while I love doing shows and love the theater, I love my little family more and theater definitely takes me away from them. He was more than supportive, so off I went! So far, I've been to two singing rehearsals, one dance, and spend all of my time in the car with the practice CD. Aaaannnddd...I AM SO HAPPY! SO SO HAPPY! Only draw back is less time with Mark and Evie, but they're happy having Daddy/Daughter time, so it works out.

Tonight was the first dance rehearsal. Dance is my thing. Granted, when I was an actual dancer, I was 15-20 years younger, 50 pounds lighter, and taking master classes on a regular basis. Now I'm a full time director, full time Mommy, full time Wife, full figured woman, and not flexible at. all. But, I still love it and if all I get to do is help others with suggestions, I'm happy. Everyone needs to say a little prayer for the poor soul who has to lift me though. He's a strong guy definitely, but still saddled with the, um, hefty dancer. I can report we did our first lifts tonight and he rocked it! Now I just need to get up to snuff.

Will report more and share pictures as we go...hoping to be able to share more of this show with Evie, definitely more Evie friendly than Gypsy and Curtains were!

Thanksgiving 2011 - Ode to Learning Tower Part II

2011-11-26T07:23:00.001-05:00

As promised, here are the pictures from this year, Thanksgiving 2011. Because of the new recipes from this year, I only really put the learning tower into play during the night before baking. We always make the pies and do prep on some dishes Thanksgiving Eve so that I can be sure to have time to watch the parade. I do find it funny that we go to the trouble to make pie crust from scratch, only to put in canned fruit filling, but hey...there are somethings that I just like! :) Below is a small representation on the baking. Like Mother, like Daughter, we have to, ahem, taste to make sure it's okay for everyone...

So much to be Thankful for

2011-11-20T14:27:00.001-05:00

As Thanksgiving has been getting nearer, I have found myself reflecting more and more on just how much I have to be grateful for this year. If you ask Mark and I, our first answer, of course, is our child. Followed closely by each other (I assume, rather egotistically I guess). We're both thankful to still have jobs where so many others have been laid off. We're thankful that six years ago we married each other. We're thankful that both of us still have our mothers and fathers around, and we each have a grandmother (mine's turning 92 next week!) with us. Here are some other thoughts I have had (in no particular order for those friends of mine who look for those types of things):

I am thankful that in 2009 I decided, on a whim, to audition for a musical theater show again. Without doing that, I would not have connected, and re-connected, with some awesome people. By rejoining the Theatre Harrisburg community, we have been blessed many times over by the friendship of some amazing individuals and their loved ones. Names have been left off to protect the innocent, but you know who you all are.
I am thankful we have found a church that we can both be comfortable with...and I am thankful that I stopped allowing the United States political parties to tell me what being a Christian means. I forgot it's God who does that. Turns out, I can be a Democrat, or a Republican, or an Independent AND a Christian. Who knew?!
I am thankful as well that this church remembers that we are all God's people - regardless of our sexual orientation. I can therefore be comfortable that this church will teach my child to truly be Christian. Not a judgmental, holier than thou, fake Christian who uses their idea of God to put down others.
I am thankful for my husband's "coaching" that turned me into a runner, and by extension a happier, healthier wife and mommy. I also love that my child must have her own running outfits for when she runs with us.
I am thankful for this blog, and for remembering it was here. Even if no one reads it, it's a wonderful outlet for a woman who once wanted to write for magazines and to write the next great American mystery novel.

So, I'm sure I'll have to add an addendum or two to this for the rest of the week, I can begin Thanksgiving week with some of my top thoughts. Family and friends first always, but there have been some amazing things this year - the running and our family back in a church being most notable at this point anyway.

Ode to our Learning Tower

2011-11-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

With Christmas fast approaching, I felt this was an appropriate time to publish my "Ode to a Learning Tower" for those Mommies and Grammies out there looking for an amazing gift for the little one. We purchased ours after Evie's first Thanksgiving when day one of cooking looked like this:

Hey guys! What are you doing? Can I help?

I began my schooling in Montessori. My mother is a Montessori certified teacher. Montessori promotes child's sense of self and independence. Not independence from rules or parents, but ability to care for themselves, to experiment and join in the family life. Any way that we could and can encorporate this into Evie's life, we do. We even have her attending a great little school: East Shore Montessori School (can't recommend them enough either). So, when I first saw a learning tower I knew I HAD to have one for my little girl. Mark took a little convincing due to the price tag ($199 when we purchased it). There was a cheaper "version", but trust me, the original Learning Tower is the way to go. We're heading into Evie's 4th Thanksgiving, and it has been used every year for that holiday plus much more. I never did get any of the add-ons (easel, puppet theater), but there's still time for that. There is some wisdom too to the sayings that food a child helps to prepare, she'll eat. Or, as in our rules here at the house, at least taste. Miss Evie has been involved with a lot of our cooking/kitchen projects and it has really paid off in knowledge, her eating habits, and just general family time together. What follows is a photo-journalistic timeline of Evie and her Learning Tower to date. In just over two weeks we'll be really putting it to good use again as the yearly Mommy/Grandma two-day cooking extravaganza begins. Only now, there's another lady in the mix, Evie joined the tradition in 2009 and shows no sign of wanting out! I am still trying to figure out how we're going to break it to her that this year, there will be no canned mushroom soup or canned green beans. Mark recently found a recipe for homemade, from scratch, mushroom soup and then fresh green bean casserole from that. YUM!

The Learning Tower Arrives

Seriously. Look at that little button nose. Does it get any cuter?

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving 2010

Putting together her own lunch

Joining in the party prep

I'd like to note the soda was just for the party punch. Usually it is not found in this house.

Learning new uses for snack items (as ingredients for dinner)

I think those are walnuts she's helping to crush

Cutting grapes for same recipe

From Small Garden to Table

Making sauce with the tomatoes she harvested from our garden

The following pictures are all from our Real Simple 4-weeks Meal Plan

Mommy and Evie learned together how you deal with butternut squash

I feel like there should be tons more pictures, but I think you can get the point from these. It isn't always in use, but it's been used enough to make it more than worthwhile. Just the fact that she can say that she'd "rather have couscous with her salmon than rice" or "mushroom stemming is my job Daddy!" or "I'm doing lemons, taking the leaves off (the thyme) takes too long" makes my heart sing.

Turns out, I'm just doing my part

2011-10-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

It has long amazed me the bad manners rampant in this world. One of the worst offenses to me are the inevitable child questions. You know "do you have them?" "will you have them?" "why do you only have 1?" Why don't you just ask me how often I sleep with my husband in the carnal sense? I mean seriously, it is just as personal. If not more. I recently lost my temper with a long acquaintance. The past two times I went to the diner I used to waitress at during college I was asked by the same person about giving my daughter a sibling. The first time I smiled and refused to answer. She would have chased me out of the restaurant asking if another customer hadn't come up to pay. The second time I put my finger in her face and snapped "this is none of your business and I am NOT discussing it." Super. Now I'm a crazy person.

Having children, not having children, how many you have, if you can even have any is one of the most personal decisions a woman can make. Sometimes the decision is out of our hands, miscarriage, infertility, and so on. I have friends who have gone to incredible lengths to have children and have had amazing conversations with them on the topic. I have also had enlightening conversations with women with multiple children. Quite a few of our friends are childless. There is one constant. They are all our friends...period. Granted, some friends are not child fans, so we do not see as much of them now, 'cause you know, we have one. But whatever our friends' choices are on that front are not our concern, unless we are invited in. Not one of my friends have gotten in my face like so many others have about whether Mark and I have "enough" children. I have it at work, and now, apparently at eating establishments as well. That's why I love my friends.

I learned something new today concerning women's choice: turns out, I'm just doing my part to help defuse the population bomb. I will not go into explanation here where Mark and I are at, because, as mentioned before, I really do not think it is anyone's business. However, now I can perhaps stump some people or at least get them off topic. Of course, I have found that the same people who rudely persist are the same that are unable to pick up on your verbal and non-verbal cues that it is time to stop now. (It is? Time to stop now. Mack?...20 points to anyone who gets that movie reference).

In summary. I have one child. I love her like nothing else on this Earth. I have two nephews and one niece. I love them to pieces. I also adore my friends and my friends' children. I am smitten with my friends who have no children. I seriously do not believe I'm controlling world population, nor should I. But I'm still looking for a clever way to get away from the rude questions. Without crying or yelling at people of course. For now, I'll just pretend I'm doing my part for the Earth. Sounds good, right?

Jumper(ing) for Joy

2011-10-23T21:16:00.000-04:00

It isn't often that I can be super proud of a sewing creation. For the most part, I'm just happy that I can sew and it doesn't look like junk. Once upon a time, I made something that Evie loves and has now begged to have lengthened so she could keep wearing it. This is me. Insanely happy.

Two years ago, I sewed a really neat jumper for Evie that turned out super cool. I used Simplicity Project Runway Pattern 2574. She loved it, she and her baby could dress alike (yes, I made one for her baby doll too). Evie calls it her heart dress and wants to wear it a lot. She wore it in the winter of 2010, shortly after turning 2, she wore it once or twice last school year shortly before turning 3, but I made her wear leggings with it because it was getting short. She wanted to wear it again this year, but I had to alter it first. I've NEVER altered anything, whether it was something I made or something purchased. I took out the pattern again and decided to add on one of the alternate bottoms - as opposed to the straight one I made originally. All in all, I think it turned out great...but the pictures tell the story better.

January 2010, 2 years old

Same dress, new pleated skirt added, October 2011, 3 1/2 years old

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get more than another year out of this, but just having these pictures to compare brings a smile to my face.

Run Mama! Run!

2011-10-21T21:59:00.000-04:00

"Run Mama! Run!" Those were the words I heard from the jogging stroller being pushed by my Husband as my mobile cheering section accompanied me on my first ever race (as an adult) back in the summer of 2010. It was a 5K. Took me almost 45 minutes to complete it. Last fall, I undertook another 5K, this time finishing stronger, with a good friend stepping in for my daughter...and also chanting "run Mama! run!" I have no idea what the other runners thought, but the fact that Mandi stayed with me while everyone else took off (my Husband went with my blessing to get our daughter back for her fun run) will forever keep her in my heart. Thanks to the cheering of Evie, Mark, and our friend Mandi, I ran that race almost 10 minutes faster than my first!

I had started running in the winter of 2010 right after I finished singing and dancing in a very taxing musical. As part of the ensemble for Curtains, I had a lot of dancing to do for a broken down, old dancer. Thanks to my orthopedic surgeon and cortisone shots (oh my goodness you should have seen the size of those needles), my knee and hip held up and I actually got in better shape and lost a few inches! After the gains made during the 2 1/2 months of the musical, I didn't want to go backwards. My dear Hubby had been running for about a year at that point and was over the moon that I wanted to join him in that endeavor. We went out for a run one morning before the musical was over and I made it almost 2 miles straight. I am not sure which one of us was more surprised. Mark now has more of an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into those dancing numbers. He put together a little training routine for me, and off I went! One of the women who had been in the show with me asked to join me on my morning runs, so I had company for a year - which is nice especially when you're running first thing in the morning while it is still dark.

The two 5Ks mentioned above happened, and then Evie and I went to cheer Daddy on at the inaugural Hershey Half Marathon in the fall of 2010. Then Mommy opened her big mouth. "I think I'll do that race with you next year Honey." I mean come on, a whole year to prepare? No sweat. Well, actually, A LOT OF SWEAT. I kept up with my three morning a week running, no set training plan would come about until closer to the race. I struggled from time to time. Muscles would get sore, I did another musical that had a physically demanding number for me, and I might have put a few more pounds back on. Nevertheless, I kept plugging away...something I've never been good at or known for. But, with the love and support of my family, I kept putting one foot in front of the other.

My running partner out paced me and wanted to be able to get better workouts in, so we parted ways as fellow runners. Right about that time, Mark handed me my half marathon training schedule. As I looked down I started to see numbers like 8 miles...9.5 miles....12.5 MILES?! Oh my goodness I thought. What have I done?! At that point, my longest run had been 4.5. It was a long 16 weeks of training. As the numbers climbed, it became increasingly difficult not just to finish the run, but find the time to fit it in. Things like this kept me going though:

This was on the front porch with flowers, a bottle of Gatorade, and gummy bears for me during a longer run

The support of my baby girl and my incredible hubby definitely made it easier. Plus, knowing that I was setting a good example for Evie kept me putting one foot in front of the other. I completed almost all of my training schedule, only missing from time to time to rest my legs or training was trumped by Mommy-life.

Sunday October 16th dawned cool and bright. Mark and I reported to the starting line. I was apprehensive, but confident in my training. I kept reminding myself that the first 2-3 miles of any run were generally pretty rough. Regardless, at about mile 1.8, I was already taking a walking break and crying about it. I pushed on to the first water station, and through the park. Miles 3-7 were pretty good, as they usually are. 8-9 were tough, but still okay. From 10- the end, it was ugly. I passed the 2 miles to go sign crying, just like I did on the way out. No matter my mood or attitude, Mark was encouraging and supportive. I tried to remember all of the racing advice from him, from my father, and any other runner who tried to help me prepare. In the end, I completed the race in 3 hours and 7 minutes. I had hoped to complete it in less than 3 hours, I had hoped to not walk quite as much as I did, but in the end, I DID IT! I kept moving forward for 13.1 miles. I never stopped, only walked from time to time. While I did this for me, for my health, I also wanted to run with my husband - to join him in that journey. I think I am well on my way.

MEAL PLAN - The End

2011-10-17T20:45:00.000-04:00

Wrapping up this meal plan were two of the yummiest dishes of all! Since Mommy was preparing for her first ever half marathon (that will be a later post), the carb loading pizza dish was well timed. The final dish of skillet poached eggs was surprisingly delicious and pretty easy to make. All in all, we were very happy with the four weeks of meal plans!

Thursday's Meal: Salami and Brussels Sprouts Pizza

We love our Brussels sprouts in this house. Our favorite way of cooking them is sliced thin, and then sauteed in olive oil with kosher salt. This pizza calls for them to be sliced thin and tossed in olive oil with kosher salt (along with the salami and mozzarella cheese) and then sprinkled on the pizza dough. WIN! We chose a whole wheat pizza dough that I left out on the counter from morning til early eve so it was completely defrosted and mostly at room temp...it was still pretty cool to the touch. Thank goodness for Wegman's! Our mozz, salami, and pizza dough were all Wegman's brand, and all awesome. I love that they use wholesome ingredients, and let you know what they do to keep you safe and healthy. I'm a big believer in farm-to-table, but unable to put that into practice as much as I'd like. Back when we were making Evie's baby food, all of the produce came from the farmer's market, but it's tough to get there now. Wegman's helps make up for that!

Friday's FINAL meal: Skillet-Poached Eggs with Braised Peppers and Onions

Friday nights are our usual pizza night with "Grandpa Gipe." He was game to try our final recipe with us. Of course, when those three start playing, I'm left to fend for myself...thank goodness this was an easy one! (Evie was dressing Daddy up again - each of us took a turn with those bunny ears that night).

I didn't get any pictures of the eggs cooking in the pan, but I have to admit it was pretty cool. I cracked each egg into a ramekin first, then slid it into it's "well" in the pepper and onion mix. This was a nice, simple, hearty meal.

Thus ends my blogging on Real Simple's four week meal plan. I am very proud of us for sticking to it and completing all 20 recipes. We learned a lot, from new foods to new skills. Looking forward to the next set of new recipes!

MEAL PLAN - BEST Chili EVER + The other dish...

2011-10-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

Catching up on this, our last week of the four week meal plan. Monday was dance night, so Mark made the chili recipe, and he's not into taking pictures during prep and cooking. I was so hungry and tired when Evie and I returned that I just chowed (you'll find out why as you read on). Tuesday night I worked late, so my Mom, Mark, and Evie did a night out together. Wednesday I made the chicken and slaw recipe. The slaw worked, chicken was bleh.

Tuesday's Meal (made on our crazy Monday night): Chipotle Beef and Beer Chili

The chili recipe we made on Monday was AH-MAY-ZING. We had never even heard of chipotles in adobo, but WOW did they make a difference. WARNING however, this chili had some major kick for those of you with little ones. Evie contented herself with the corn bread. The recipe only said "corn bread, for serving" - so I used the recipe in Fannie Farmer's Baking Book for corn bread sweetened with honey, not sugar. Very yummy and (with apologies to Bryden and Aimee) very moist. At any rate, the chili recipe will be repeated, but of course, Mark will put his own spin on it and make it even better next time. I do not know which beer he used, but we have quite a variety, I'm assuming he went with the closest to a dark Mexican beer if we did not have that exact kind. Not being kidney bean fans, I'm sure they'll disappear the next time, but not the beef and fresh cilantro!

Wednesday's Meal: Lime and Soy-Glazed Chicken with Cabbage Slaw

Two words: Sesame Oil. I love sesame oil. The cabbage slaw made with it was wonderful. I didn't have enough fresh mint, but I think it worked out okay, if I had had the full 1/2 cup I think it would have been over powering. The chicken glaze was very tasty, but the cooking method left the chicken bland and the skin soggy. We cut the chicken off of the bone and dipped it in the sauce from the pan. The slaw did save this dish for me, the fresh crisp carrots with the cabbage, scallions, and mint tossed with fresh ginger, lime juice, sesame and canola oils with kosher salt and pepper was yummy. Did I mention I love sesame oil? I have a tendency to go overboard with it (especially when making fried rice), but I behaved this time and only added a bit more than was called for, only because the lime was so overpowering. I think an equal ratio would have been better right off the bat.

MEAL PLAN - One more week!

2011-10-10T21:00:00.003-04:00

We have arrived at the fourth and final week of this meal plan! I am alternating between the following things:

horror that I will have to go back to my own meal planning
excitement to write about something other than food on this blog again
laziness - but I fight that all the time.

The end of last week was pretty "meh" in my opinion. I was a lot more excited for the mole sauce than I was once we were eating it. That might have had something do with the fact that having never bought "enchilada sauce" before, I apparently did not get quite the right thing. Whatever I did get was so over powering with the cinnamon, you got none of the peppers or the heat. I also committed a rookie mistake in that I did not read the entire recipe and instructions through thoroughly. Therefore I missed the part where you start with an oven proof pan to transfer the chicken directly from stove top to oven AND you only cook it on one side on the stove top. The meal wasn't bad, the salad was actually quite nice, but over all, the week went out with more of a whimper than a bang.

FOURTH AND FINAL WEEK OF REAL SIMPLE'S MEAL PLANS

Monday Night's (made on a Sunday) menu: Pan-Roasted Cod and Fennel with Spinach Couscous

Right off the bat I knew Evie would be excited, she loves couscous. In following our self-imposed rules, I did not buy "some other firm white fish", rather I purchased the listed Cod. We'll be taking a second mortgage out any day now... I kid (sort of). For those of you doing this to save money as well as time, I would suggest something like tilapia instead of the $20 per pound cod. Did I mention I purchased a pound and a half? I don't pay that much for a fish dish in a better restaurant! Mark and I were in a lets-just-get-this-shopping-trip-done mode and didn't really pay enough attention to 1. the cost 2. the fact we really do not need the full listed amounts since we're only really feeding 2 1/2 people.

Thankfully, my in-laws were up for trying something new and took the leftovers for dinner the next night. The meal turned out well, but was a little on the bland side. However, Evie ate ALL of her couscous with spinach.

She didn't care for the fish, but then again, neither did her Mommy. It wasn't my favorite, I think I would have thrown the fish back in a saute pan after the oven and been happier. My first experience with fennel wasn't bad, but I expected it to impart more flavor. Haven't heard from the in-laws on their take yet.

MEAL PLAN - Fighting over broccoli, and other fun foods

2011-10-07T14:01:00.000-04:00

Posted with apologies for the delay in menu/recipe reviews this week. I took a break Tuesday night to take my wonderful and handsome hubby out to dinner for his birthday. If you're looking for a restaurant in the Harrisburg/Hershey area that isn't too stuffy, but is yummy and has the added bonus of being a farm to table type establishment, then look no further than The Harvest at the Hotel Hershey. It was soooo good. Six words: hanger steak with birch beer reduction. You will not be disappointed. I promise you.

Back to your regularly scheduled programing after our commercial break. Wednesday night we were right on schedule with Real Simple's prescribed meal for that evening.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday Menu: Lamb Chops with Roasted Broccoli and Feta.

I was not kidding in the title line. We were semi-fighting over who got to finish the broccoli. It was the best broccoli I've ever had, hands down. Think it's ridiculous to get that excited over broccoli? Try this recipe, then talk to me. The lamb was yummy, but lamb usually is and it's hard to mess it up. However, it can be a strong taste for many and it's really on the expensive side, so it will not be a mainstay of our weekly meal planning. Other than that, not much else to say about this meal...except new and different salt shaker + curious daughter + alone in the dining room = really salty water.

THURSDAY

Thursday Menu: Lemony Tuna and Olive Oil Pasta

This meal was timed perfectly for hosting my sister and her three children. The pastas in these weeks are WAY more than four people would really need to eat, unless I'm having serious issues determining ounces of pasta (which, in retrospect is a distinct possibility). The pasta was yummy, but not very lemony I do have to say. It did have a very white-clam sauce flavor, very pleasing. Everyone that was served this concoction loved it (Evie's cousins prefer butter and cheese. Period.) Warning for novices of either cooking or just cooking with tuna in oil: once the garlic and crushed red pepper were cooked and fragrant, I dutifully went to add the tuna in...talk about OUCH. The oil in the can mixed with the already heated olive oil in the pan added up for A LOT OF SPUTTERING. I believe that next time I'll put in the pasta first, then the tuna and lemon zest. Oops. There were also four children, all 6 years old and under, running around my house, so no pictures were taken. Leftovers were sent home to the brother-in-law, so no proof exists of this meal!

MEAL PLAN - week three, Mediterranean Night

2011-10-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

Yum. Yum. Yum. I might be the only person in this house loving tonight's dish, but seriously, it was delish. I have no idea how hard it was to make, since it was dance night and Mark stepped in again (thank you honey), but I arrived back home in time to help throw together the yogurt cucumber sauce and that was pretty simple.

Tuesday's Menu (Made on Monday): Chickpea-Spinach Curry with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

Mark does report that the listed hands-on time of 15 minutes must be for chefs and people with better knives than us. Of course, if either of us had any idea how you're supposed to seed cucumbers, that would have been a bit faster too, but, we worked it out. It also turns out that we had less curry left than we thought, so instead of 2 tablespoons, we had a little less than one. But, the ginger helped carry it. I will say that the yogurt sauce made this dish for me. I could have sat with a spoon and the bowl of that! Evie was satisfied with the naan, so there was something for everyone. Probably will not often be repeated, but it was a good, healthy meal for our little family, so that made us happy. Well, Mommy and Daddy were happy anyway....I can't explain the tic tacs. Maybe she was worried about the garlic and curry.

MEAL PLAN - THIRD WEEK!

2011-10-02T21:05:00.003-04:00

I am happy to report that so far we've stayed on course for half of this plan, and we're so pleased we did. The first two weeks have flown by, I'm actually starting to panic now for when this ends and I have to come up with my own meal plans again. I'll just try to enjoy the next two weeks...because living in the moment without worry and no advance planning is SO me. Riiiight.

Monday's (Made on a Sunday) Menu: Pork Loin with Sauteed Cauliflower and Capers

Anyhoo, tonight's dinner was pretty good! We pulled the peppers out of Evie's portion of cauliflower, but just the bit tossed in the saute pan at the end was enough to give them a kick she didn't care for, so heads up for those of you with young ones. She did eat all of her pork though. It was pretty tasty, Mark and I augmented ours by putting a dish of Dijon mustard with kosher salt and pepper to dip our pork pieces in to, very yummy and it added some extra flavor. The pork itself was very moist and was probably the easiest time I've ever had working with a pork loin, chop, what have you. Didn't do much in the way of prep, browned the meat, slathered on the mustard, pressed in the panko with oil, and popped it in the oven. The cauliflower, after being cut into florets, was simply sauteed in oil with kosher salt and pepper. After it's been cooked, you toss it with the capers and peppadews. Made the dish once, can recite the recipe. That's the only time that's happened so far with these plans. So, for those of you perhaps a little intimidated by the meal plans, this would be a good one to try! Just remember, don't mess around with pork, make sure it's at least 145 degrees all the way through.

My kitchen table was taken up by this afternoon's puzzle....

...so we had "fancy dinner" in the dining room!

MEAL PLAN - Thursday and Friday of Week Two

2011-09-30T20:20:00.003-04:00

Way too tired last night to post about Thursday, so today's blog is two for the price of one! I know. You can't contain yourself. Let's get to it, shall we?

THURSDAY'S MENU: Shrimp Tacos with Black Beans

I'll post a few pictures, but since Evie couldn't be around this one (spitting frying oil and all that), I recognize Mark and I just aren't as cute, so we'll keep it to a minimum. That, and this was so far my least favorite meal. I enjoyed the black beans, we all do in this house, but corn tortillas are not on the favored list. I also liked the idea of the cornmeal crusted shrimp, but the taste was bland, bland, bland. I'm always up for a way to include cilantro, but I think something a little more fresh, like sauteed shrimp would have worked better for this. We would have been happier skipping this recipe and going to El Rodeo for shrimp fajitas.

FRIDAY'S MENU: Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

You had me at pasta. Seriously though, this was GOOD. Pretty darn easy too. The hardest part all night was cleaning the behemoth Al Clad Multi-Pot (thanks again Honey). Not a lot for my sous chef to help with tonight either. I guess I could have had her break up the tomatoes, but I had enough of a mess with just me doing it.

Mark got a new toy today in the mail, so I lost BOTH of my helpers. (He is by the way, still raving about the darn thing as I sit here and type 3 hours later. That and rambling about non-linear equations or something or other.)

This is me pouting about it.

Enough of that. I've never made sauce this way, it turned out really well though, so I might try it again. We do have an entire freezer full of tomato sauce from our garden to experiment with all winter, but no canned whole tomatoes. This way was pretty darn easy, and no fuss. A really cool way for a novice to make homemade "gravy" for guests.

The sausages I got were very sage-y, a perfect compliment to this dish. I'm very thankful I have a dual oven, but I suppose I could have cooked them in the same one since they were all destined for the same pot.

My dear Hubby is not a fan of cooked spinach, but the fact that the raw stuff goes in with the drained pasta, 1/4 cup cooking water, sausage, and tomato right before serving and therefore keeps some of the crunch saved it for him. Personally, I could have done without it in the dish and, as Mark suggested, had a side salad with this meal. I also drizzled some EVOO prior to serving, I think that made a difference too. Well, that and the shredded parm. This one will most definitely be repeated in this house!

MEAL PLAN - Wednesday of Week Two

2011-09-28T21:22:00.002-04:00

Tonight's recipe: Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad with Pistachios

This one was by far the easiest prep, only one pot and one baking sheet used. I've never made quinoa before...much less eaten any, but it was super simple and very tasty. I'm sure most directions will include this tip, but just in case: make sure you thoroughly rinse the quinoa before cooking. I used my strainer. There is a naturally occurring substance on the seeds that is rather bitter.

My sous chef returned this evening after goofing off during prep last night (see the post on Tuesday's meal for picture evidence). After she announced that taking the thyme leaves off of their stems just takes too long, I put her on lemon duty.

We had the quinoa cooking, the thyme and lemon ready for later, so it was time to take care of the veggies. Evie was beyond proud to have a job all to herself...the mushroom de-stemming! It offered some giggles too, those suckers get slippery after they've been washed!

You'll often find the dog near Evie when she has food

Ta Da!!

I think this meal has been the only one that was prepped and cooked in the time advertised. I also felt the best about this one in terms of what I was feeding my family. Mind you, this is the one Evie ate the least amount of, but in defense of the meal - she tasted it all, nothing was deemed "bad", and she's working on a cold.

MEAL PLAN - Week Two, Night Two

2011-09-27T21:56:00.001-04:00

Having cooked Monday's meal on Sunday, then skipping the actual day of Monday, well, the plan - I didn't skip out on the whole day, but that would have been nice - we're now at Tuesday and actually cooking Tuesday's meal ON Tuesday. Still with me? I kidnapped my mom when I picked Evie up at her house, so we had enough people for the 4 servings for once. Of course, this meant we lost our little sous chef, but I think we can let it slide this time.

TUESDAY MENU: Steak with Cognac Sauce and Salad

This meal was a pleasure to make and an even bigger one to eat! We did have a little whoops in that while we like our meat med-rare, it was a little too rare, so on the grill it went.

You do have to do it at least a little in a saute pan so you have the drippings and juices to make the cognac sauce.

Mmmmm...cognac sauce. My mouth is watering again just typing about it. The salad was fresh and with the homemade vinaigrette, very bright. Even my 3 year old liked it! The waffle fries were good, but didn't seem to go with the rest of this meal, we'll probably leave it off next time. And believe me, there will be a next time with this one!

We were so excited to sit down and eat that I can only share the aftermath, no plating pics this time...

MEAL PLAN - WEEK TWO

2011-09-25T21:01:00.001-04:00

The first week of Real Simple's Easy Meal Plans went very well. Very happy to report that all meals were successes in the house, and with only a few future plans for modifications (ugh, those oranges).

We went shopping Saturday morning for the ingredients for week two (plus a few non-plan items). This bill was under $200, a little more on the affordable side. Still a lot of fresh produce, which did my heart good. This week I think the big kids in this house can't wait for the steak, cognac sauce, and bleu cheese salad night. We did manage to reign ourselves in and started with the suggested night one meal.

Monday's Meal: Chicken with Wild Rice and Grapes (made on a Sunday instead)

A BIG note to all of you out there who, like me, were previous Minute Rice people: the wild rice blend that we purchased was DELICIOUS, but it also takes AN HOUR TO COOK. Therefore, those of you coming home and relaxing briefly before starting your weeknight dinners might want to get this pot on the stove and going before putting your feet up! Evie had her Daddy confused for a bit over it as well.

Evie: "Daddy! We're having crazy rice tonight!"

Mark looks at Mommy for help

Mommy: "Yes, Daddy, it's the WILD rice blend"

I hated making this meal, I wasn't feeling well, it's all of a sudden hot and humid again around here, and this meal felt like a thousand things at once going. However, the end result was so good, I've decided to take back the "hate" and go with "much dislike." I'm not sure how this would have gone after a long day at work, truth be told, but perhaps the more experienced cook would not have as many timing issues. My sous chefs were immense help as well.

Pulling the thyme leaves off of the stems

Seriously, are they not the cutest?!

The green beans were supposed to be steamed according to the recipe, but the bottom pot to my little steamer was being used by the rice and I didn't feel like pulling out my mega-Williams-Sonoma multi-pot. Therefore, we did the saute pan, olive oil and kosher salt bit.

YUM.

The Peanut's plate

Best quote of the night "Mommy, this chicken is so good that I can't stop eating it!!" Good enough for me! Not only did she devour her chicken, but she ate over half of her wild rice, two of the grapes, and most of her green beans.

MEAL PLAN - Friday of Week One

2011-09-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

The final night of the first week: A Pictorial Essay

MEAL PLAN - Thursday, Week One

2011-09-22T20:02:00.000-04:00

Week One - Fourth Night
Thursday 9/22 - One month away from our 6th wedding anniversary! What better way to celebrate than with bacon?! I did this one all by myself, coming home straight from work and letting the hubby pick Evie up at my Mom's. This one had a lot of irons in the fire at once for one less than experienced cook like me, but I persevered!

MENU: Chicken with Potatoes, Bacon, and Cabbage

I started with the potatoes. I was not able to find "new" potatoes at the store, so I bought a bag of smallish red potatoes. Worked fine. I had more than I needed, so I quartered the leftovers, boiled them in salt water and made a little potato salad for tomorrow's lunch. After I got the potatoes in the oven, I started prepping the other items. The cabbage was easy, I just peeled away the outer, limper leaves and then sliced what was left. I used a little more than half (the recipe calls for half) because after peeling away the outer leaves, I wasn't left with much. I used kitchen shears to cut the bacon into strips, then into little pieces. Nothing like the smell of bacon cooking...hmmmm....


I need a bigger kitchen

Finally, I addressed the chicken. "Hello, chicken..." Any time I cook chicken breast now, I pound the snot out of it first. I just wrap it between wax paper and pound away with the meat tenderizer-thingy. Great way to expend some pent-up frustrations from the day.

I cooked the bacon, removed it to paper towels, and did NOT remove the bacon grease. I cooked the shallots, mustard, vinegar, and cabbage in it. Super healthy. After tossing it a few times and the cabbage wilted and browned a bit, we were ready to plate.

I cut the chicken before placing it on the cabbage mixture. This meal was great. Evie again tried everything, took only one taste of the cabbage and potato but finished the bacon and the chicken. Fair enough, we do not require clean plates in our house.

MEAL PLAN - Wednesday, Week One

2011-09-21T22:03:00.002-04:00

WEEK ONE THIRD NIGHT
Wednesday 9/21 - Tuesday night was skipped due to a spaghetti dinner at Mom's. Turns out starting this on a Sunday worked out the way we thought it would. Tuesday for lunch I ate the leftover salmon and veggies (minus the bok choy, I will admit). It reheated extremely well, I even brought a little thing of the sriracha to pour over after reheating.

MENU: Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges

Once again, life gets in the way of meal plans. Evie and I had a dentist appointment scheduled for 3:45. Mark has to leave for his graduate class no later than 5:30, and that's pushing it. Thankfully, I'm home Wednesday afternoons with Evie. Therefore, I prepped everything so all Mark had to do was season and cook. NOTE for those of you who have not worked with fresh beets before...wear an apron, do not wear a favorite shirt, and be prepared for a little staining. I love beets, I used to get them all the time at the farmer's market to make pickled beets and eggs...but, I digress. At any rate, I used a potato peeler and then just cut off the bottom portion before slicing into wedges. The oranges were more problematic believe it or not. I had issues peeling them after cutting them in half. Turns out, better to peel, THEN slice.

Evie and I did not leave the dentist office until 5:00, we made it home in time to watch Daddy finish his meal, give him a kiss, and send him on his way. I plated up portions for the Little Miss and me.

Evie ate an entire pork chop, did not care for the beets, oranges, or arugula. Mommy liked the beets and pork chops, jury is still out on whether I like the two together or not. The oranges and arugula were just too bitter for me. Also, if I had been the one making them, I would have seasoned the beets with a little more kosher salt. Mark commented that he thought the chops were over seasoned based on the amount of oregano and thyme called for, but Evie and I loved them...so, there you have it.

MEAL PLAN - First two nights

2011-09-19T20:58:00.000-04:00

WEEK ONE FIRST NIGHT
Sunday 9/18 - as previously stated, we've decided we'll start our week on Sunday evening, thereby leaving a day free for whoops moments / dinners out / unforeseen circumstances.

MENU: Salmon with Gingery Green Beans and Bok Choy
Start time: 4:30 PM Sat down to eat: 5:20 PM

Thoughts during prep

thank goodness I'm not doing all of this prep on a Monday night
I would never make it on Chopped
I need a better knife

Evie came by "Mommy, what is that?" Me: "Salmon honey" Evie: "Ew! I don't like that" Mommy: "Evie! You love salmon!" Evie: "Oh! Well then, I will eat it!" (Score one for Mommy)

Once the prep was done, things moved very quickly. In retrospect, it wasn't all that bad...I would make this again on a rushed weeknight. Again, a better knife would help. This recipe calls for a lot of awesome fresh produce...but between using the potato peeler on the carrots and ginger, slicing garlic (and getting the garlic skins stuck EVERYWHERE), cleaning and cutting the green beans, and cutting carrots, it did feel like a lot of work. However, I didn't have to do much once it was all in the pan. Also, when they say you need a large skillet for the vegetables, they are not kidding.

Thoughts after eating

could do without the bok choy - still not a fan
Evie ate at least a 4 oz portion of salmon, she's totally a fan of this dish

the sriracha MADE this dinner, so says my husband (we left the spicy sauce off of Evie's portion)

The vegetables were fresh, crisp, and filling - a nice compliment to the salmon.
while we use "EVOO" (extra virgin olive oil) for most cooking, I went with what the recipe called for: vegetable oil. I think I actually like salmon cooked in that with a little kosher salt better than in the olive oil.

WEEK ONE SECOND NIGHT
Monday 9/19 - Evie's next session of dance class (creative movement) began this night as well. They are holding it at the oh-so-convenient time of 5:15 PM to 6:00 PM. After a few brief texts during the day once I realized the timing dilemma, Husband took dinner, I took dance.

MENU: Tomato Soup with Roast Beef, Cheddar, and Horseradish Panini
Start time: 5:15 PM by husband's admission: "I was lolly-gagging a little bit." Therefore, the sit down time of 6:30 PM doesn't really count

My awesome Hubby on dinner duty

Mark's Thoughts from Prep:

prep was pretty easy - most difficult was chopping onions
thanks to our immersion blender, there was no need to blend in batches per the recipe for the soup
we splurged on a really good white cheddar (yay Wegman's cheese shop) - it was awesome on the sandwiches, and as a snack during prep apparently.

Family reports after eating:

YUMMY, the sandwiches were a perfect fall evening meal, the roast beef and horseradish went nicely on our Oat Nut Wheat Bread.
Loved the horseradish/sour cream spread on the bread AND in the soup. Loved the double use.
That was the best tomato soup we've ever had, hands down (patting husband on back now)
Evie's soup was augmented with goldfish crackers...that was a hit too.

Meal Planning, courtesy of Real Simple

2011-09-18T14:43:00.000-04:00

I received my October issue of Real Simple magazine last week. This issue included a section A Month of Easy Dinners. Yes please. The cover calls it "Your no-stress plan for delicious weeknight meals." Inside you find recipes for four weeks of weeknight dinners, colorful pictures, and tear-out shopping lists. The lists are broken up by "what you might have" and "what you might need." About a year ago or so they had a similar plan that Mark and I sort of tried. By sort of I mean we read all recipes ahead of time and did a pick and choose method instead of following the plan. This time around, I am determined to follow it to the letter...almost. Our "weeknights" will begin on Sundays. That way, we'll have a night to go off book in cases of dinners with Auntie and the Cousins, or pizza night with Grandpa. Beyond that, we are also following one of our kitchen rules: the first time we try a new recipe, we do the exact recipe. All times after we can experiment. I'm also going to try to keep up with blogging about it to track our progress as well as share our findings and opinions of the recipes.

Beginning of Week One:

I had taken the day off of work Friday (9/16) to prepare for house guests / get a jump on weekend chores since most of the weekend would be devoted to my 15th reunion year from college. That's another blog entirely. At any rate, armed with my handy tear-out meal plan / shopping list, I headed to Wegman's. I spent close to one half hour in the produce section alone. I was ridiculously proud of the amount of fresh ingredients populating most of the cart. Things like savoy cabbage. That's a new one for me. In the produce area, selecting the correct amounts of ingredients was easy. 2 oranges? You got it. 1 small, 2 lb butternut squash? Check. I did feel like a bit of an idiot though at the deli counter asking for 8 ounces of thinly sliced roast beef. Especially when the clerk (very nicely I might add) said "so, you mean about 1/2 pound?" Sure, for those of you who understand all that weird math stuff... Wegman's is an awesome place to shop though because they're there for you, no matter what level of chefdom you're at.

I did not yet add up how much the ingredients for the plan cost aside from our other groceries purchased, but the total bill was just over $200. Hopefully, the run for just the plan ingredients next week is much less. As much as I like new recipes and a set meal plan, $800 for a month of meals would be just ridiculous. The plan however, is clever. Your meals are organized so that the most perishable items will be consumed earlier in the week. So at least there should not be waste on the front end. I'll let you know about the leftovers. Each recipe is supposed to feed four and I'm feeding about 2 and 1/2 (dinners are not Evie's biggest or most favorite meal of the day).

Week 1 meal plan:
MONDAY          Salmon with Gingery Green Beans and Bok Choy
TUESDAY         Tomato Soup with Roast Beef, Cheddar, and Horseradish Panini
WEDNESDAY Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges
THURSDAY      Chicken with potatoes, Bacon, and Cabbage
FRIDAY             Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Fontina

Bye-bye tonsils

2011-08-25T12:19:00.002-04:00

In July, we visited an ENT at the recommendation of our Pediatrician's office because Evie was snoring a lot. While this was somewhat cute, the stopping of breathing and waking constantly through the night was not. Like the night I awoke to the little fuzzy headed one saying "Mommy, I just swallowed my throat." :( We observed her struggling to swallow food from time to time as well. So, Dr. Vander Ark (who is AWESOME by the way, I highly recommend) stated that while she wasn't to the point that they "had" to come out, he strongly suggested doing so. Evie's surgery was therefore scheduled for Wednesday, August 24th. This past Tuesday, I received a call telling us to be at the West Shore Surgery Center at 8:15 a.m. Amazingly, we got there on time, nerves, hungry and thirsty child, and all. We were registered, and back in the preoperative area by 9:00 a.m.

She thought the gown was pretty cool.
The "floppy socks" too.

The nurse came in to check blood pressure, pulse ox, etc. Evie was a brave little one, but tears threatened, she's old enough to know something big was going on. Another nurse came, announcing that she was Evie's nurse, and Evie's alone from now on. The kiddo loved that one. She got to smell three different tubes of fruit smells and choose one to "paint" the inside of the mask. While this was going on, the Anesthesiologist asked Mommy a bunch of questions. After both things were completed, the Anesthesiologist, showing this wasn't his first rodeo as my Husband said, quickly got us to give hugs, kisses, and got Evie moving with the nurse. It was heart breaking and adorable all at the same time to see my little Brave One holding the nurse's hand, holding Lamby in the other, and walking along trying with all her might to stay calm and not cry. Mommy and Daddy had the same difficulty. And we didn't have a Lamby. Although, the sight of my big strong hubby holding Evie's baby doll in her bassinet was pretty darn cute in it's own right.

We were informed it would take about an hour. We went downstairs for coffee, to stretch our legs, and for Mark to bring up a tear-jerker video on his iPhone. Seriously. Like we needed to watch the latest inspirational running video of the favored runner who blows his hamstring and is helped to "run" the race by his Dad. There we stand, two idiots, crying in the hallway of a surgery center. A woman stopped to ask if we were okay, we said yes, quite sheepishly.

We walked back upstairs and within a minute, the surgeon was out to talk to us. Dr. Vander Ark said she did very well, her tonsils and adenoids were HUGE. He expected her recovery to go normally, there were no complications during the surgery. A few minutes after that, a nurse collected us to go to Evie in the recovery area. She was just coming out of the anesthesia, poor thing. I got to hold her and rock her like she was a baby again. There was a little crying, but mostly rubbing of the nose. On me and my shirt. That's okay, I'm fine being Mommy/tissue. She took in an entire crushed up Popsicle fed to her on a spoon by Daddy, and then started sipping apple juice. The sleepy head wanted to lay back down then.

Sleepy Peanut Head

The only black mark of the time at the Surgery Center came now. When they took us back to the recovery area, it was about 10:20 a.m. and they said she had only been there about 7 minutes. About 15 minutes after we got to the PACU, they asked if we were ready to take her home. Excuse me?! She's just coming out of it, she's just had surgery, and you're trying to kick us out? I was not happy, but at that point, we figured we'd get her home to more rest, hugs, and kisses. Besides, she got to sleep in the car on the way home.

The ride home was pretty uneventful, she was still under the spell of the anesthesia, so Mommy just tried to keep her head from flopping around too much. I also took this time to text everyone who requested it an update and to do a twitter/facebook post for those other interested parties. I will say that at this point my stomach was still in knots, now because I knew what lay ahead. The biggest worry for itty bitties recuperating from tonsillectomy is dehydration. Having had my tonsils removed at the age of 12, I knew she might not be up for swallowing, but I certainly did not want to have to take her to hospital for IV solutions. Things started out pretty well at home on that front.


Lamby even got a taste of the popsicle. Thankfully, Lamby can go in the washing machine.

My hope setting her up on the couch was she could have a lot of distraction, TV, crafts, puzzles, but would hopefully rest when she was tired enough. Turned out, she just thought the TV on so much was so cool, I had to take her upstairs to get her to sleep. Daddy stayed with her, to, ahem, keep an eye on her. I also stayed upstairs (and awake) to keep a watchful eye.

My Big "Kid" and Little One napping
after the big morning

Things went pretty well, she ate about 3 popsicles in succession when we got home, drank a respectable amount, and rested for a good two hours. My Mother In Law sent up a delicious dinner that arrived during her nap, so Mommy and Daddy got in dinner without feeling too guilty. We went up to get her around 5:15, to try to get some pain meds in and see if she wanted anything soft to eat. After bringing her back to the couch, she seemed a little off, so we started small with Gatorade and a popsicle. While sitting and reading to her, Daddy suddenly jumped up, gave us kisses, and grabbed his book bag. We had forgotten his new graduate school class started that night. Oops. Good thing he got that nap. 20 minutes after he left, things went downhill. Evie threw up (no blood thank goodness), and was not happy in the least. I got her calmed down and cleaned up, threw away the eggs I had been cooking for her, and settled with her back on the couch. She wanted to sit by herself and try to calm down, but wanted to be at the ready since her little tummy still wasn't feeling settled.

Poor Baby.

We had one more round of that, and then Mommy put us both to bed. It took a little while to get settled, as we played Goldilocks. First we tried getting her comfy in her bed, she didn't like that. We discussed Mommy and Daddy's bed (Mommy's preference at this point), but ultimately, she decided that the guest bed was the place to be. So, armed with water, tissues, her white noise machine, the just-in-case bin, and Lamby (of course). We climbed into bed and fell asleep. For about one half hour. Then started the semi-wakeful crying out. When she did it around midnight, I could feel the fever. So, I went for the prescribed Hydrocodone, thinking it would bring down the fever and help with pain. Did you ever try to get a three year old to take a medication in the middle of the night that she didn't want to take because of the taste? No? Yeah, I don't recommend the experience. Especially when your goal is to make them more comfortable and way less miserable. So, back down the steps I went for the "cherry medicine" (acetaminophen). I got that on-board and after a potty trip, she announces she wants to wake up Daddy, get a hug, and then go back to sleep in our bed. Mommy was feeling just a bit vengeful, so she allowed this. Daddy didn't mind.

After all of that, we all got 6 hours of sleep. Not too shabby. At 6:30 another attempt to get the hydrocodone in failed, so we went with acetaminophen and the plan to dose her every four hours with that. She was pretty hungry now, so I offered to make scrambled eggs. That went over surprisingly well.

She actually ate about half...I was surprised and happy!

So, we're just about to noon-time on day one post surgery and things are going well. Our morning was full of crafts, puzzles, a get-well card in the mail from "Bop" (my Mom), and lots and lots of Disney Channel.


Bop's card brought a BIG smile

Those foam thingies are pretty cool.
Mommy might have to play later.

The box says ages 6+. Clearly, they haven't met my kid.

Currently, she's asleep on the couch, she lost steam during her second puzzle. I promised her it would be there waiting, so she gave in. Well, that and the latest dose of "cherry medicine" at work. I pray that her recovery continues on the upswing. I hate that she has to go through this, but loving our quality time together.

The second puzzle awaits the princess awakening.

Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin

2011-08-14T21:16:00.000-04:00

I made a realization tonight. Well, to be more accurate, I made a realization about a realization/decision. Let me back up. About two years ago I had to fire a volunteer. Yes, you can do that. However, I did it rather poorly. It was awful. The main problem was I didn't deal with the issues as they arose, so in the end, the firing was one of the worst professional moments of my life. After that, I told myself from here on out, I'd make the tough decisions and deal with the issues in the beginning, as they showed themselves. I've stuck to that, to the point of having to give myself pep talks reminding me of this decision/realization. I was/am so proud of myself, can't you tell!

Fast forward to tonight. As previously stated, we read to Evie every night. Tonight her selections were all Little Golden Books (love those) First was Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Second, Animals at the Zoo, and finally, The Three Little Pigs (1933 Disney version). We get to the final story, and as I am reading I recognize that the "realization" I made two years ago was actually a lesson I learned when I was probably about Evie's age. What's that book? Everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten? 4 years undergrad, 3 years graduate, I hold an MS in Management...and apparently all I needed to effectively manage was to remember the oldest pig's motto of hard work paying off. Yeah, yeah, yeah...build the house of bricks, no wolf can get in. There's also the children's story about an ant and a cricket, one prepares for the coming winter, one doesn't I think we all know what happens to the lazy one. But what about the dense 30 something? I learned from the Three Little Pigs throughout my life: straighten up after you play, makes for lighter cleaning later; study every day so you don't have to cram in later and fail the test; clean as you go while cooking; etc. But, as I grew older and tried to be a "grown-up", I forgot the basics. So, once again, thank you to my Little Peanut for reminding me of the important lessons in life.

Sewing Chronicles

2011-08-07T20:43:00.001-04:00

Over the past 8 years, I've sewed. The first four, rather sporadically, the last four - pretty regularly. Of course, that 3 1/2 year old munchkin has a lot to do with it. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I've gotten pretty darn good. I've received compliments on items I'm wearing or Evie's wearing that I made, and those giving it did not know it was of the homemade variety. I even made a bassinet for the Bitty Baby, quilted fabric, boning, ruffles, and all.

I have only been defeated by one type of sewing. The Costumes. Seriously. I know people who say they'll sew costumes only, but won't go for any of the "tough stuff" like making clothes for themselves or their children. I do not understand them. Clothing might be challenging from time to time, but never the hair pulling, swearing, and yes, even crying trying to sew a stupid costume elicits from yours truly. Two years ago I started out to make Evie a bunny costume. I got about 1/4 of the way in and called in my Aunt who's AMAZING with sewing, crocheting, knitting...you name it. Of course, with her, my Mom's, and my work it came out adorable. Like the good Mom/Aunts they are, I still ended up doing it, with lessons learned and help given. But I still got to say I made it.

Fast forward to now. I took on a gold brocade fabric to make Evie a "Princess Dress." She did not ask for a Princess Dress. I thought we had been invited to a Princess Brunch and since there are no Princess type outfits in this house, well, to JoAnn Fabrics I went. The Princess Brunch turned into a breakfast party, no theme. But, I had begun the work, so Gold Princess Dress for Halloween it is! To appease my cool kid, I must amend that statement to say "Pirate Princess Dress." Love her. But, I digress...even further. SO, I've been working on and off on this thing and I'm done now. The dress is not finished, but I'm DONE. D. O. N. E. The fabric frays everywhere, the petticoat netting is longer than my sewing room, and the darn thread keeps breaking. Ever since I've started this whole running thing, I have a new mantra which goes something like "Oh heck no, I'm FINISHING this" Applies to a lot. It also has stronger language when I'm muttering it to myself.

We all know what's really going to happen here, right? As soon as I'm done with this blog, I'm calling my Mommy. And my Aunt. Then, after the costume is done, I'm going back to dresses, skirts, Bitty Baby Clothing, matching outfits for Evie and Bitty Baby, PJs for the family....but NO COSTUMES.

So much to (re)learn

2011-08-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

When Evie was first born, and I discovered this whole blogging thing, I went on a crash course to learn as much as I could. I read other blogs, I learned HTML or whatever it was I had to do to do "strike through." I probably drove Manic Mommy nuts with questions. But, I became pretty comfortable and apparently had a lot to say. After a 2-3 year hiatus, I'm having a bit of difficulty getting back into the swing of things! My brain is wired for 140 characters, I actually think in status updates from time to time. Given my true nature of story telling and talking one's ears off, I think it shouldn't be too long until I'm back to long winded diatribes about whatever occurs to me on any given day. I know. You're all on the edge of your seats. I have noticed that in the interim, Blogger has gotten a lot more user friendly. So to that, I'm making the pledge to blog at least once per week. I think that's a nice low ambition to begin with. I think this is my second this week already, so I'm exceeding expectations. Love it when I can excel like that...

Sleepy Time

2011-07-11T19:58:00.000-04:00

I'll be honest: bedtime is a trial with the Peanut these days. Mostly due to my lack of patience that time of night, but also from the "you HAVE to sleep with me a little bit" to "one more hug and kiss...pleeeaasse???" The regular ritual, bathroom stuff, books, hugs, tucking in usually takes 1/2 hour, 45 minutes or longer on "tubby night." Then we have about 15-20 minutes of calling from upstairs, dramas, and sometimes me running back upstairs at some point.

We read to her every night - we've only missed maybe three nights since she was born, and once it was on purpose because she was being such a nudge. One thing I'll never read to her or myself, is the new Go The [blankety-blank] to Sleep book. I get it. Trust me. I've been sitting down here listening to the "Oh Mommy...MOMmmy....MOMMY!" and muttering like a crazy person about how I'd love it for her to just go to sleep. I just can't use that language with respect to my daughter. I'm no saint, believe me. I have been known to swear like a drunkin' sailor as the saying goes. However, for some reason, swearing about children just bothers me. Recently a friend, in all innocence was commiserating about her day and stated that her three year old daughter had been being a, well, rhymes with witch, all day. This woman is an excellent mother. Phenomenal even...and I know she loves her kids. But in an instant, I was so shocked that I didn't know how to react. I'm not judging her, I'm remarking on my surprise at my reaction. I've dropped the f-bomb in Evie's presence by mistake (thankfully, so far it hasn't shown up in her conversation), but not about or to her. I don't know, maybe I am being a little humorless or taking things a little too seriously...but it really bothers me when people swear when discussing little ones. I suppose I should have said something to my friend at that moment, but how on Earth do you say anything without sounding judgmental? Then again, who the BLEEP am I anyway...

Is that your professional opinion?

2011-06-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

Today I'm home from work, the reason has to do with possible changes coming (no, I am not pregnant), but more about that later. What struck me again this morning was how much I've changed in the past 4 years. April 2007 is when I became pregnant with our daughter. April 2007 was also when I finally quit smoking (two weeks before conception we know now). Prior to those wonderful days when I was carrying my daughter, Mark's and my life was obviously different, but not just in that "you're having a baby, is YOUR life going to change." That was an earlier blog.

Anyway, this morning I woke up with the Peanut and Mark, saw them off to preschool and work, and then, went for a run. Yes. Me. Went for a RUN. Let me explain. 5 years ago, I would have poured another cup of coffee, gone outside with a book, and smoke what probably would have been my second or third cigarette of the morning. I've blogged and commented about not being a smoker anymore, but never in my wildest dreams would I have added "runner" to my list of activities. Granted, I'm only about a year into this madness, but the fact that I've been sticking with it for that long is amazing in and of itself. Now, not only am I running, but I've started training for a 1/2 marathon! I would say I need my head examined, but it might be a little too late for that and my father, a marathoner, has been quoted as saying "runners aren't known to be the sanest people." He's a psychologist, so I guess that makes it a professional opinion. It's okay though, Dad's called me crazy before...and now hopefully after October I can get that cool shirt that says: 1/2 Crazy is Still Crazy.

I'm baaaaaaack

2011-06-18T12:23:00.000-04:00

Two and one half years later, and we have a lot of catching up to do! I was just re-reading some of my posts from days gone by, alternately laughing and cringing. But, what is a blog but a place to have those things? And so, unapologetically going forward...here we are in 2011. My daughter is a happy, secure, smart, lovely 3 1/2 year old. I have a notebook full of little comments, stories, etc. from the past two plus years, I might sprinkle some of that in here eventually. For now, I think I'll just go forward from this post as though nothing's changed.

Right at this moment however, I have a quiet house...so I'm going to pour a cup of coffee and grab a book. More to come soon (sooner than 2 years anyway).

And it continues...

2008-10-24T09:39:00.002-04:00

...sorry again for the absence. Being Mommy, wife, full-time director, and part time grad student has not left a lot of time for blogging. My sincere apologies to anyone actually reading this blog! I am attaching a link to an article that furthers my point from earlier blogs. I had half jokingly mentioned to Mr. LR that I'd like to leave this area for Peanut's sake. He very correctly stated that all we need to do is NOT be the silence mentioned at the end of the article.

We regret the disruption in your regular programing...

2008-09-25T20:18:00.005-04:00

So sorry I've been absent! I know. You've all been waiting breathlessly for me to say something, anything....uh huh. There is a reason I am on that mediocre listing. I'm probably the MOST mediocre of all. Maybe I'm not even mediocre. Maybe I'm "just okay." At any rate, I am so so glad I have a blog tonight because I need to rant. Just full blown WTF. Seriously. For those of you who do follow my blog, you will remember my annoyance at some of my husband's extended family and their penchant for sending close minded, ethnocentric, ridiculous crap my way (I'm trying to clean up my language now that I'm a parent and all). I received an e-mail earlier in the week with some miss-information shall we say about Obama. I responded with two links. One to snopes.com and one to Obama's own debunk the rumors site. So tonight, I open my e-mail and there are not one BUT TWO of these crappy things. The first had to do with his record / experience / etc. Seriously? Haven't we been over this? And now that you have Caribou Barbie on your ticket shouldn't you just shut the hell up? Then, the second was bemoaning the fact that we have more than just Christians in our country now and isn't that just awful? Yes folks, you read that right. This is the gene pool my poor daughter is a part of. They want us to vote for McCain because we "have to have" Christians running the country. First, I'm not sure what that has to do with anything and second, Obama is a Christian. I am not even going to get into the we're a global world; everyone is entitled to his or her beliefs; we never, ever, ever push our beliefs on others...etc., etc. that I was taught. I am happy to report however that there was no family reunion this year. Good thing. Now I just have to plan to be sick or have an emergency at the hospital anytime there is an extended family get-together. Well, that isn't totally true, I can use them to show Peanut just what a bigoted, backwards, moron looks like and how to deal with them. If you have to learn that lesson somewhere, why not start with the family? Yeesh. Do I sound mad? It is because I am. And disheartened. I just keep hoping that someday respect will make a huge gain in this country. Yes, this blog entry is just one hugely disrespectful message aimed at the very people I am vilifying. However, I can very maturely state "they started it."

Teaching your children new traditions.

2008-09-07T13:44:00.005-04:00

I always said I would allow my daughter to make her own decisions about what she believes in. My own growing up experience was open to different groups on Sunday. My husband had a different one, you believed in one group every Sunday and it was the same as your parents'. I had really wanted Peanut to chose, but since she's still young, I am willing to bend to my husband's wishes...for now...until she's old enough to make her own informed choice. I myself converted (somewhat) when we got married, even attending an event the day after our wedding. That isn't to say I go back to my own earlier choices from time to time, or chose new ones...and I hope to instill that openness in Peanut in time. But, as I said, for now...this is what we'll have in our home:

Something I said I'd never do...

2008-09-05T13:11:00.003-04:00

...I promised myself when I started this blog that I would stick to what I was comfortable with. Doesn't the saying go "write about what you know?" At any rate, I'm going back on my word. I am not politically savvy. Not well read on the subject. Not particularly clever, witty, or intelligent with regards to political views. However, I am so very pissed off about Palin that I HAD to say something. Yes, I wrote that. I'm pissed off. Granted, I guess I'm really pissed off at the RNC speech writers, but the woman said the words, so I therefore blame her.

There are a lot of things she said that have a lot of people angry or excited, depending on their own personal politics. What I choose to comment on today was the dig at community organizers. I took it personally one, because I am currently involved in some community organizing in a small way and two, I know people who are much better at it and much more involved who are really, really making a difference in the lives of others in our area. And yet, apparently, they have no "real responsibilities." Huh? Did I read that correctly?! Yes, yes, yes, I know, all they really care about is slamming Obama. But did they have to attack good people?

For example, there is a woman who heads a free clinic / place to go (you need not to have a medical concern to visit her place) in an area of Harrisburg, PA that many have given up on. Her clinic offers the only free prenatal care to those in need in the entire State. Yes, you read that right, the only free prenatal care in the State. They help 10,000 individuals a year ... many who would go without any sort of care, kind word, warm coat if it were not for her and her staff...many many who are simply volunteering. She is organizing that community around this caring place slowly but surely. The link I provided was the best I could do, she's very private and humble...it is hard to get her to talk about her work.

Just so you know, I am planning on voting for Obama. I believe in his ability to pull communities together. I do not believe that his work as a community organizer should be discounted. I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions. You just heard mine. Please keep that in mind if you are moved to comment.

Another company to avoid?

2008-08-28T07:33:00.005-04:00

I hate blogging first thing in the morning...I can barely speak, how am I going to write something? However, I read this article, and was appalled. From the article:

SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.'s assets in April, "has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products," CPSC said in a release Wednesday. "SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc."

Can you believe this? I mean, seriously. SFCA does not wish to insure their products are safe for the babies and children will use them? So. You buy a company, but since those products were made before you purchased the company so therefore you aren't responsible? Uh huh. Think about what that says about your company. I believe I will make sure I do not buy anything under this company's brand. Of course, I looked up the SFCA website, and it is a group of shippers. No store, it talks about shipping. ?!? I couldn't even find an official Simplicity website (other than my bookmarked Simplicity Sewing, in no way connected with this mess). Odd. I guess more research is needed...unless someone else can shed some light on this?

Wordless Wednesday...One Day Early

2008-08-26T13:41:00.005-04:00

Friday Hodgepodge

2008-08-22T14:38:00.003-04:00

I really didn't have a lot to say, I just haven't posted anything in a week...

I'm sad the Olympics are coming to a close this weekend. It was nice to know there was something always on...watching the athletes and supporting Team USA made it feel virtuous rather than what it really was (couch potato-ism).

I'm even sadder (?) that while we are on "vacation" for the next week, we really aren't going anywhere. We had a great trip planned to Maine, but the economy and revolving credit debt got the better of us. Oh damn you Home Depot and your 12 months no interest. Not that we're hurting, we both work, we just like to be a little more fiscally responsible. I got myself in a load of trouble when living outside of Boston. I will never, ever, ever do that again. Therefore, we do not get to go on a trip, we pay bills instead. Rats. There's always next year. And truth be told, since Amtrak did away with the family car option on the Eastern route, I was not totally looking forward to 10 hours in a car trying to keep an 8 month old safe and happy. Was I totally looking forward to seeing a woman who is not only a friend but someone I have always looked to to help ground me? You better-freakin'-believe-it. But, as she said, we'll get caught up sooner or later.

So, here I sit, listening to my daughter babble and coo contentedly in her crib - excited that for the next 10 days we get to all hang out together and take in the sights nearby. You'll find us under an umbrella in Mt. Gretna, or maybe on a hiking trail in Pine Grove Furnace, or maybe even introducing our daughter to Chocolate World. Who knows? I won't get to see a moose, but there's always that damn groundhog in our backyard.

Yeah. Didn't have a lot to say today at. all.

Please Sir, Can She Have Some More?

2008-08-15T13:20:00.002-04:00

Okay all you blogging Mommies...here's your chance. I am asking your opinions / advice. Seriously. Let me have it....because I am getting frustrated. Here's the deal: I am still nursing Peanut, things are going well there. She has been also getting spoon fed since she turned 4 months. We did the rice cereal, then the oatmeal, then pureed fruits and veggies. We make all of her food, well, except the cereal. I tried do so some research on feeding your child homemade food. I also checked with my Mother who made my sister's and my food as well. I'm ready to introduce some new fun things...things listed in my Beaba (or however you spell that - I'm not at my house at the moment) mini-cookbook (the larger one is currently only available across the pond). My pediatrician says no to meats and dairy at the moment. BUT, in Europe - where people are by and large healthier eaters - their babies are eating all sorts of things by 7 months. I bought some Yo-Baby organic yogurt the other day, called the pediatrician to ask what the serving size should be...and was told she shouldn't have any. (?) So, I thought, back to the drawing board. Time to do MORE research. Then I had a brainstorm. I read all sorts of advice on blogger...why not ask for some? So, lemme have it...(nicely please - and if you're not a fan of food until 6 months or even a year, I don't need to hear it...too late anyway!)

Quick Tuesday Commentary

2008-08-12T22:29:00.005-04:00

I've been up late watching the Olympics. I'm tired. Not feeling any blog-worthy stories. However, I felt the need to comment:

Yay to Michael Phelps. 10 medals. TEN!!

Now on to Mark "not an ounce of humility" Spitz - read this article and then ask yourself why they may have declined to invite you to the Olympics.

Jerk.

Back to "our" Michael, I know you wanted that 1:51:00. But a new world record, gold medal, and more career medals than anyone else really is amazing. Really. Save the 1:51:00 for another time.

Shawn and company, I'd love to stay up and support you...but I'm nodding as I type. Good luck.

I'm SO Not Winning Mother of the Year

2008-08-05T21:00:00.004-04:00

At least not tonight. First, let me say Peanut is fine. Second, let me tell you about my first call to the Poison Control Center. Every night before tubby/family shower time, Peanut gets some time to play on the floor in her room. We usually let her play diaper-less, helps her learn how to move around. Tonight she, um, had a little poop escape while playing. No biggie, out came the wipes, we put a diaper on her, and play continued. She was very interested in the wipe bag (Costco's Kirkland Wipes) and we just thought it was so neat that she scooted/pulled herself over to them that we'd let her play with the bag. Good reward, yeah? No. Turns out, it was leaking a bit. So, we cleaned it off her, and I, armed with the offending bag and list of ingredients, called the poison control center. All the while thinking oh my god, I hope she'll be okay. After the nice nurse on the line informed me that those wipes are not even listed for her (among all the rest) and since there is no alcohol in them we're safe...my second thought was, I wonder what this woman thinks of us for allowing her to play with such a thing? I got over that pretty quickly...I mean, it wasn't like it was the Clorox bottle. So, sorry little Peanut, Mommy's bad. We'll find a safer crinkly bag for you to learn to crawl towards.

That's it. She's grounded.

2008-08-01T15:21:00.007-04:00

I am not talking about grounding my 7 month old daughter. I'm talking about my 61 year old mother. Last night, she went out with her buddies the "Ridgeview Girls." So called because that's the street they all lived on when they met in 1950, when they were 2-6 years of age. I think it is absolutely fabulous that the friendships between these women has endured for 58 years. They go away twice a year together, meet for dinner occasionally, and so far have managed to remain out of trouble. During dinner last evening it was discovered that two of the five ladies only had one earring hole in each ear...so they finished up and trooped over to the mall to the Piercing Pagoda. Now, they are not red hatters, but they do cause a stir when they're out. They have matching t-shirts, and they wear what they refer to as their pop-it pearls. Since it was the birthday celebration of the youngest member of the group last evening, she was made to wear a birthday crown. Apparently, security was amused. When I called my sister to ~~tell on Mom~~ report to her about Mom's evening, my sister first asked if she was drunk (no.) and then suggested we watch who Mom hangs out with. I joke (for those of you who didn't get that) - again, I think it's amazing to have friends that long. I can be a horrible friend, often times I am not a very nice person, so I'm lucky that I have the friends I have - those that will put up with me. Below are pictures of my Mom with her new bling.

Your Momma Dresses You Funny

2008-07-31T18:13:00.007-04:00

We're going to Maine at the end of August (YAY!) and we needed more summer / some vacation clothes (BOO). I am still trying to loose those baby pounds. But since I'm still nursing, and eating ~~like a cow~~ healthy, my wardrobe is still lacking. I also did not want to spend an arm and a leg on yet more clothing. SO...out comes the sewing machine. First order of business was to use up some cute fabric I had from old projects (reduce, reuse, recycle!). Peanut therefore ended up with a new dress just in time for her 7 month photo shoot with Pooh Bear. Poor Evie. She has THAT Mom. Our wardrobes will be mostly store-bought, but it is fun to make things from time to time - I enjoy having projects. My sister made me promise to never make anyone in our family a "Theo Shirt." Mad props to the first person who understands that reference. My own mother made us beautiful dresses and adorable outfits. She did not dress us funny...we did that on our own. I wasn't the most fashion savvy. In fact, I believe it was Junior High that introduced me to the concept of fashion.

Happy 7 months Peanut!

This is what happens to my dining room when I get going on sewing projects

E in her new shorts...with matching, yes, matching shorts for Mommy up behind her

And, to be fair, a picture of me. The shorts for me would not be possible without the assistance of my mother who happened to be visiting right when I realized I had sewn the shorts wrong..."Grandma" sat down and ripped out all the seams for me so that I could have a "do-over." Whew. Thanks Mom!

My Perfect Friday

2008-07-26T19:40:00.008-04:00

Every once in awhile, I have a moment or a day where I actually think I've gotten a handle on everything. Friday was one of those days. I did not go to the office on Friday. Instead Peanut and I had a lovely day together. We did the farmers' market trip in the morning, came home, she napped while I made her food and visited with a friend. After morning nap we played and took a walk. After lunch she played in the Jumperoo while I vacuumed. First time I tried that. Apparently the sight of me dancing around like an idiot while vacuuming is absolutely hysterical to my daughter. Of course, I suppose there are a few people out there that would also find that somewhat amusing. Then there was afternoon nap...during said afternoon nap I had my tea, the phone, the laptop, and the blanket I'm working on all by my corner of the couch. It was heaven. I got to relax for about an hour and 1/2. I could also feel virtuous about it because I accomplished so much in the morning. It was a great day - capped by a great dinner that night with good friends. Might sound boring as all get out to some, but I loved it.

My set up (the battery on the laptop is dead...so it has to be plugged in at all times. sort of defeats the purpose, I know)

Ah. Family.

2008-07-25T13:46:00.003-04:00

Well, in actuality, in-laws. But do you refer to your husband's uncle as "in-laws?" I figured that was reserved for the 'rents of the hubby. But...I digress.

It is 2008. Election Year. I can't wait until it is over. Already. At work I've already had to give the "we are all entitled to our opinions and if you can't talk about it nicely, don't talk about it at all" lecture about three times. To people 30-50 years older than me. Online, I just skip what I do not want to read. Then there is e-mail. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked certain people to stop forwarding every message under the sun to me. If you can't send me a personal note from time to time, then please stop sending me junk. (I really don't want the some of this junk even if I do get a personal note!). This brings me back to the Uncle. He sends forwards like they're goin' out of style. And the forwards he sends. Honestly. I mean, when I first moved back home to good old Central PA, I will admit that I went (gasp) republican for about a year. It had more to do with not liking Kerry than anything else...I'm a big girl now and realize I can stay moderate and not have to go gung ho all the way one way or another. I can proudly say however that I was not a bigotted, WAY right wing, close minded (okay - I got a little close minded...sorry again Mrs. MarthaWho) crazy person. I'm not sure that hubby's Uncle realizes that his e-mails make him sound like a crazy person. In fact, I am beginning to suspect that part of my husband's extended family really does believe in the messages in these e-mails. And that makes me shudder. It isn't the way I was brought up, and it certainly is NOT the message my child will learn. We live in a global world...and my daughter will be one citizen in and a part of it. Not railing to stop something that is here already.

So. Do you think it is totally wrong of me to want to find a wicked-liberal t-shirt to wear to the family reunion this year? Or, even better, a t-shirt for me and a onsie for Peanut? I'm not kidding.

Signs that you may be getting to old to watch this show...

2008-07-24T22:04:00.004-04:00

So, here we sit. Husband and wife. Looking intently at the laptop screen, waiting for the Google gods to help us out. We just finished watching So You Think You Can Dance (yes, again, my husband is a saint...he puts up with a lot). After watching LL Cool J (uh huh, I was happy too), and a myriad of other dancers making the same gesture, we went to the computer to try to find out what it meant. But, not knowing what it's called...we're a little limited. Here goes, the person takes their hand and places it up on the shoulder of that same side...effectively placing their elbow out. Told you it was hard to explain. But I'm too tired to get the camera. Anyone know what this is? I'm so sad to even have to put this out there. There was a time I was actually in the know as-it-were. I was never "cool", but at least I knew (sort of) what was going on.

And one last comment to those who enjoy this same guilty pleasure of watching SYTYCD...Will? Really? Will?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-23T20:52:00.002-04:00

Ah Memories.

2008-07-22T20:04:00.008-04:00

On Saturday, the whole family took a trip back in time to revisit a childhood haunt of mine. Growing up, there was a family up the valley from us - a family of four girls, the oldest my age, the youngest my sister's year. We were inseparable in the summers - one swam on the team with my sis and I, and we were all in school together at one time or another. Their house was and is an amazing architectural feat, built by their father and grandfather. It had many levels and hiding places...a fun place when young! As we got older, we still had get-togethers...their (very brave) mother hosting many an after-prom party. They also had a pool - the reason for the visit on Saturday. We were invited for a catching up pool party. The 3rd youngest and I reminisced about our skinny dipping days, and the times we would camp out on the pool deck. We also told stories you can only tell when your children are still infants and can't understand you yet...like the fact that while I never sneaked out of my house to see a boyfriend...I did sneak out of theirs! My sister even commented that the house still smelled the same. I don't know about you, but we always noticed the way other people's houses smelled. And I don't mean in a bad way...each friend or family just had their own smell. It was just a neat moment, standing in the foyer - remembering myself as a little girl, while holding my own daughter. The one sister has a little girl two weeks younger than my Peanut...they were adorable together, and I just had to share a few shots:

My daughter does not routinely smack friends in the head...

All seemed to be forgiven anyway!

I'm NOT a big girl now...

2008-07-21T19:27:00.004-04:00

Turns out, I'm a big weenie.

I had to have an MRI today on my knee. Nothing noteworthy, I just have bad knees. My first knee operation was at 16 years of age and hopefully, we're not looking at another one soon! Anyway, this was my first MRI. The staff did a wonderful job of explaining what to expect. They even told me about 5 times that my head would not be in the BIG BAD MACHINE. Even so, as they lifted the table I was laying on, and added sandbags to keep my leg still, and added these weird looking donut things to my knee...I started to feel panicky! THEN, they started moving the table in so as to get my knee mid-machine. All the while saying, "do not worry, your head will not be in." I guess I didn't hear that not worry part. Once they stopped moving the table, and my heart started beating again, they put headphones on me...and left. Music started playing - Jimmy Buffett, so at least there was one good thing...a little Come Monday can be very soothing. I tried to pretend I was in a tanning bed. A very LOUD tanning bed.

At the beginning of each group of pictures, they would tell me how long each session would be. The first one they came through the headphones "this test will be 30 seconds." Okay. I can do 30 seconds. All the while worrying "do I have metal in me that I didn't know about?" and "will this machine pull it out violently and horribly?!" The 30 seconds were up, and the music stopped. And I laid there. And laid there. It probably wasn't any longer than another 30 seconds, but it felt longer. I wondered what was going on...and felt very small and alone. I didn't like it. At all.

I'm going to go pout some more, then eat some ice cream.

Update, Happy, Happy Update!

2008-07-20T19:45:00.005-04:00

A blog or so ago, I raved about our friend Kristine and her photography company. Tonight we got to view our preview pics on her blog, along with a slide show she put together.

I am almost speechless with joy. For those of you who know me personally, for me to be speechless is a monumental occasion. Seriously. Kristine did an amazing job. She took pictures that show you how I see my daughter. Other mothers will know what I mean.

We're the part on her blog entitled "Baby Evie. 6 months" Go see it. Leave comments. LOTS of comments. Make her feel loved. She deserves it.

Kristine - you have an amazing gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I would be remiss if I did not thank my Sister for referring us to the Pringles. I'm off to watch the slide show again. And again. And again....

Notice to Direct TV

2008-07-18T13:04:00.005-04:00

We were fed up with the local cable conglomerate as we were leaving our last house. We also wanted the NFL network because we live and breath football during that season. So, with a little research, we decided to go with Direct TV about a year ago when we moved in to our current home. A year later, we're still regretting that decision. First, the technician they sent did not install the correct system that we paid for (you pay for your dish and box, rather than rent)...so he had to come back. He spent 15 minutes trying to figure out "who's fault it was." I informed him I didn't care who's fault it was, I just wanted my damn HD/DVR box installed. He shut up and completed the install then. So we prepared to enjoy all of these great HD channels that DirectTV says they have. Uh huh. They're there on the guide. We pay for them. But all we get for more than 1/2 is "searching for signal." We therefore are relegated to (gasp) watching a non-HD version of the same channel. The DVR records when it feels like it, it is always a gamble deciding to record something to watch later...are we going to get to see it? Or am I going to be searching YouTube the next day to try to catch glimpses of things I missed? The final blow is this: at certain times, they just have signal problems. What you see on the screen follows:

THERE IS NO NEED TO CALL. WE ARE AWARE THERE IS A PROBLEM AND ARE WORKING TO CORRECT IT. WE APPRECIATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

Understanding. Riiight. Here is my notice to DirectTV:

THERE IS NO NEED TO CALL. WE HAVE DECIDED TO NOT PAY YOU THIS MONTH DUE TO THE LACK OF DELIVERY OF PROMISED SERVICES. WE APPRECIATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

Are you KIDDING me?!

2008-07-15T20:50:00.003-04:00

It's 8:45 p.m. in our home. I'm downstairs only 15 minutes after I've put Peanut down for the night again, she's still recovering from an immunizations reaction...poor baby. Blessed silence from her room. And then....the doorbell rings. Did I mention it's 8:45 P. M.?!?!

I was on the phone with my mother, as my husband went to the door. I asked her to hold on as I had a sinking suspicion it was a solicitation and my husband has to be one of the nicest people ever. Unlike me. There stands an idiot from APX Alarm systems to talk to the "homeowner" about how our neighbors are enacting better security. This guy is lucky my mother was on the phone in my hand. There are still some words I will not say in her presence. He's also lucky we had just put the "boys" (aka our German Shepherds) away for the night. I did let him have it as much as I could and started to shut the door...as he's STILL TALKING. For all I know, he's still out there. And you better believe I'll be calling this company tomorrow. Seriously. It's almost 9 p.m. It's pretty much on it's way towards dark. They think that's a good time to talk about security? Does anyone think it's weird of me to want to call our township police department to let them know about this guy?

Argh.

Ready for my close-up!

2008-07-14T19:49:00.005-04:00

We had a photographer come to the house this evening to do a "6 month photo shoot" with us. We plan on having her come out at 9 months and 12 months. We unfortunately went with a different photographer for the 3 months and will forever regret that move. No point in dwelling on that now.

I've seen Kristine's work before and she's good. She took amazing pictures of my sister and her family, my friend Jill's engagement and wedding, our friends Addy and Mike and their family. She was great with Peanut, wonderful to us. What I also love about this woman is she's a new Mommy too! Her daughter is 6 weeks old, and adorable to boot. Her hope is to grow their business to the point that she can "quit her day job" - I'm all for doing anything to help her with that!! So, if you live in the Central PA area, know someone who does, and they need an awesome photog...look no further! For my final piece of proof (without actual pictures from her of us as proof...yet) - see the picture below of Kristine with our little one, AFTER the session and 1/2 hour past her bedtime and Peanut was still happy!!! Keep an eye on her blog for our little family!

Happy Birthday to ME! and the State of Live Theatre....

2008-07-03T14:09:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was the 34th anniversary of my birth. It was also my first birthday as a Mommy! We went out together for the 2nd time since bringing Peanut home. I know, I know, we need to get out more, find a babysitter, blah, blah, blah...

Now to the second part of this blog: My birthday present from Mark was tickets to see a show at Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse. Allenberry was also celebrating an anniversary, this season is it's 60th. Many wonderful actors have performed there over the years. I've seen a few shows over the years, and remember them as being enjoyable (except for one horrid evening the Lauren and I will forever wonder what we did to deserve...). I also remember the seats being sold out or close to sold out. We went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (one of my absolute favorites). It was opening night, and the house was practically empty! For those of you who do not know, Joseph has about 10-15 children in the cast. All of the children in this show were local actors. Think about it. If you have 10 children, think about how many audience members they should generate alone. When I did shows as a kid in high school, opening night for me brought about 8-10 people. By my calculations (remember, for me, math sucks - so this is approximate!) there should have been at least 100 people in that audience. Hubby thinks there were about 50 audience members including us (he's REALLY good with math, so we'll take him at his word). Was the show incredible? No. Was it horrible? No. I've seen billboards around our area for the current season, so the advertisements are there. Joseph is a crowd pleaser, this isn't some out-there piece of theatre that Central Pennsylvanians wouldn't understand (believe me, it doesn't take much for something to be out of the reach of understanding around here). Perhaps my disappointment isn't with Allenberry, but the people of this area...AND the relations/friends of the poor children on that stage. I wanted to hug all of children's chorus. Then I wanted to hand them brochures for my friend's Theatre Academy. They'd have fun, learn a lot, and I know she'd be cheering for them at least!

Traditions

2008-06-21T20:07:00.010-04:00

Today we took a trip to my alma mater: Susquehanna University. The reason for the trip was not a happy one, we went to celebrate the life of G. Edward Schweikert III, swim coach, professor, and a good man. He was also the father of one of my friends, Gedd IV. I was already sad as we got in the car, but then I also had a "moment" as we drove towards the highway. This would be my daughter's first trip to SU (outside of the womb). I had been going to the University since I was a wee one, as my father also attended the school. This would be the third generation beginning her trips to Susquehanna. My father was there today as well, helping to celebrate Ged's life.

We went up early, and took a few pictures as we strolled around campus. It was a beautiful day. Pictures I could not take but will never leave my mind were the many people that filled the concert hall, the slide show of Ged's life, I cannot share the bagpiper - his haunting music bringing all to tears. The words that were spoken made us laugh and cry - Ged was a man who loved to laugh...I am sure he was happy looking down and sharing those moments. He was SU's only swim coach. He started the team in the 70s, after having been an all-American swimmer himself at his college. I was to have been a swimmer at SU, but before the try-outs for the team, I tried out for the University's musical. Because I was cast, I could not do both...and the rest was history. Ged never let me live it down either. His son was my saving grace my freshman year - my roommate drove me from my dorm and Gedd and his roommate let me hide out in their room quite a bit. All of these memories came crashing back as I sat in that hall today.

Susquehanna is nostalgic for me for every year of my life - mostly my own college years - but it really has been there for all (almost) 34 years. And now we start new traditions of taking Peanut up. We showed her "my" tree, we took her for Bongo-bongo dip (really, you have NO idea), and she met some wonderful people who were mourning a great man. Hopefully the next trip will be a less emotional occassion, but given what SU has meant to and for me over the years, I cannot think of a better introduction.

May Coach rest in peace. We will miss him, SU will miss him - but he will always be present there.

Out of the mouths of babes...

2008-06-19T20:03:00.003-04:00

We're all sitting around my dining room table, watching the twins have a late breakfast. I'm sitting on one of the cane chairs holding my daughter and enjoying the family moment. My three year old niece comes around the corner, looks at me and says "Auntie Kristi, you shouldn't sit on that chair, I think your hiney is too big for it." I'm not sure what was funnier. What she said, or my sister and mother's reactions.

Well, at least the kid won't lie to me. And for the record, EVERYONE'S hineys are too big for those freakin' chairs.

The Performance of Your Life

2008-06-11T21:16:00.004-04:00

I was a theatre major in college.
I graduated.
I moved to the Boston area.
I spent 6 years there on and off.
I auditioned from time to time for things.
I did not get hired for one of them.
I sort of figured out what I wanted to be when I grow up.
I did grow up (well, sort of).
I got married.
I had a baby.
I discovered the best use for my theatre training...in my little girl's smile.

I spent four years in college studying theatre, among other things. Thank goodness for those "other things" (yay to the liberal arts college!). I never was the best, not even close. I enjoyed myself, but mostly sat in awe of those more talented individuals (some read this blog...hi MarthaWho, Checky Pantz, and Bourgeois Deviant). As I sat the other night reading my new favorite book "Bear Wants More" to EGO, and watched her get excited, listened to her laugh at me I thought "wow, that oral interpretation class really did pay off!" Not to mention the hours I spend singing, dancing, and basically making a fool of myself so that my daughter (and sometimes husband) can laugh at me. Yeah, yeah, yeah...the four year degree helped me reach where I am career-wise, helped me get into grad school, but more importantly...it has helped me to be an entertaining Mom!

Damn you US Weekly

2008-05-31T09:51:00.003-04:00

I never thought of myself as particularly vain. I mean, in my 20s, when I weighed 115 and could eat anything I wanted, I was happy with myself although probably - in religious eyes - I was sinfully vain.

I had a baby 5 months ago today. I weigh more today than I did 6 weeks after having a baby. I have breastfed for 5 months. I went back to work 2 months ago, and I walk all over that hospital, even taking steps instead of elevators when I'm not climbing too many floors.

I can only fit into about 5 to 6 different work outfits. Getting dressed in the morning is about a half-hour struggle.

Having said all that, I was pretty happy with myself. Choosing to focus on my daughter. Happy with being a Mommy. I believe the "extra padding" and the little more than the 500 extra calories I eat each day helps to keep me going while I continue to wait for that elusive more than 4 hours of sleep at a time. The fact that my sister, who had twins a year ago, looks like a model didn't even bother me.

Then I picked up a recent US Weekly. There stands Christina Aguilera bragging about how she shed 40 pounds in 4 months. I started out okay. I said the usual to myself "oh, her job is to look good. She has a nutritionist, a personal trainer...that's how she could do that." Then, stupidly, I read inside about what she and the other new moms who are skinny eat and do to work out. I ended up crying (someone please tell me when these hormones are going to equal out)...whining about how I can barely muster the energy to do the laundry, much less daily walks, push-ups, etc.

So, damn you US Weekly and the like. But, thank you to my sister. I shared this little episode I had with her and she responded as only a younger sister can. She waited until we were walking in Mt. Gretna...then comes up beside me with her camera and shows a picture she took of me from behind and says "see? you don't look as bad as you think!" I didn't necessarily agree, but there's love for you. Only a sibling would be brave enough to do that. My husband wisely said nothing as he walked off to get me an ice cream sundae.

All I got was this lousy t-shirt...

2008-05-17T20:36:00.007-04:00

After bath time with my daughter this evening, I went looking for sweats and a big comfy t-shirt to lounge around in. We've tried to whittle down our collection over the years, but we still hold onto beat-up favorites. I grabbed a "take me to your Corona" shirt with an evil looking lime on it. I had to stop and think about the shirt's origins, then remembered...I used to date a bar manager. Therefore, we have some shirts that make us look like booze hounds. This led to more thinking, how many shirts do we have that actually come from my (or his) past relationships? I know for me, there's the aforementioned bar shirts, and a few others (the hockey shirts, a random Polo t-shirt). I asked Mark and he's says he's pretty sure he has some too, but can't remember (the man doesn't remember much - this is the norm). My hubby is awesome like that: we can talk about past relationships without problems. I do have some close to me that do not have that ability to share those stories / laughs / and maybe even t-shirts with their significant others. It just reminds me again how very lucky I am. And I have the shirt(s) to prove it.

Growing up..part 2

2008-05-04T13:45:00.006-04:00

I started this post awhile ago for a different reason, but thought with Mother's Day being tomorrow, it made sense to take it in another direction.

Last weekend we returned from our Sunday trip to Wegmans - a 25 minute drive to the closest one, but worth it - and as I was putting away the edamame, fresh spinach, tuna steaks, risotto, etc...I got to wondering, what the heck happened to me?! I just finished a blog the other day about how much my daughter has grown in 4 months and now I feel compelled to really look at how I've changed. I knew it was happening/bound to happen. Especially after the 1,000th time someone said to us "oh, having a kid is going to change your life." Yeah. Thanks. We thought it would be JUST the same. That being said, I am amazed at little things.

First off, I have actually been eating breakfast for over a year. Let me explain. Breakfast for me used to mean coffee and cigarettes. In fact, that was lunch too. Sometimes I'd switch it up, eat a couple of Girl Scout cookies, drink a diet soda, and then smoke a couple of cigarettes. Dinner was optional. Unless I was at MarthaWho's house...!! I was known for always having a Starbucks coffee (sometimes Dunk) in one hand, cigarette in the other. I was a skinny, mean girl. Now I'm fat and happy. (for those of you out there who do not know me, I've been smoke free for over a year...I quit officially two weeks before I found out I was pregnant).

Second, sleep deprivation. Now that our little one is here, I don't know how I'm still functioning. My daughter is breastfed. I am not preaching for or against it, my sister's kids are all formula fed and they're all little wonderful geniuses. That being said, my daughter has never had a bottle overnight. She now gets two bottles of pumped milk while I'm away at work. It's been all me. And I'm not the martyr type. But, somehow or someway, I've just kept going. And not in a robot-ish way. I love my daughter like nothing else, and that gets me to roll out of bed and pick her up from her cradle...generally at a time I would have been going to bed. It really truly does amaze me that one little person can turn me into a Mommy. Especially since I spent months before her birth TERRIFIED of breastfeeding. Thinking it wasn't going to work / how was I going to do this?!

So, thank you Petunia for being a beautiful little baby, for turning me into a better person, and for giving me my first Mother's Day. And much love to my Mom for being the best Mommy/Grandma out there.

To all of you Mommies out there, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

Growing Up

2008-05-03T16:48:00.007-04:00

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months!

E.G.O. turned 4 months officially this past week. When she was born, my mother gave us a stuffed Pooh Bear to have her picture taken with each month. My sister's 3 year old still gets her picture taken with her "Lamby." This month was the first time my little mover and shaker gave me a run for my money...trying to sit herself up, falling over, rolling onto her tummy. Not only do the pictures tell a story, but each month when I go into the living room (that we don't live in) to take the pictures I see the changes. More personality showing through, more movement. I am just amazed. And, of course, loving the adorableness that is our Petunia.

Getting started early

2008-04-26T20:04:00.006-04:00

As a manager of volunteers, it always amazes me to be contacted by an enterprising young person...especially when they turn out to be too young to volunteer at a hospital (our minimum age is 16). Most of these students are either 1. looking into a medical career and want to know if it is really for them 2. performing service hours for school/church/etc. or 3. Mom and Dad are pushing it. Numbers 2 and 3 are obviously not good reasons for me. Now, don't get me wrong - I think it's great that schools are trying to get students involved in their communities while attempting turn them into service minded individuals. However, this rosy picture doesn't always happen once the kids get to us at our respective organizations. There is a difference between the student that contacted us because they had to/but chose an organization they had an interest in vs. the student that did not think it through. That being said - I do believe you can't start too early teaching children to help others and give of themselves...as long as it is appropriate. I was once contacted by a mother who wanted her 5 year old to come visit the patients...by herself. I am not kidding. Therefore, when I brought my 4 month old to the hospital campus today for the hospital's Auxiliary Spring Festival in order for her to "volunteer" with Mommy and Daddy, I had to chuckle. Granted, the most we did was take pictures with her and another (adorable) baby that was there...but now we can say that we're starting REALLY early. And if that mother wants to contact me about being a hypocrite, I can say two things. One, it was not IN the hospital, and two, I'm the boss and I'll do what I want. Since the other baby was the Auxiliary president's daughter I think we're safe. Besides, look what fun we had!

Cool Book Meme

2008-04-22T09:37:00.015-04:00

Jenn over at Juggling Life has a really cool post about books. I too was a voracious reader growing up...still am (still reading AND still growing up). My mother owns what really does amount to a library's worth of mystery stories - I think she's up to about 1500 books. We were never denied books when we asked for them...I still have my entire Nancy Drew series, all ready to hand over to Petunia when she's ready. We'd go to the beach for a week as kids, my suitcase would have 7 books, one for each day.

One thing I do have to say is that I've never been big on reading the hot books, I read to be entertained and to get away. My husband introduced me to books I would have never otherwise read, suddenly the bookcases had double the amount of books when we moved in together, so, I read them! I still prefer my more "girly" books to his WWII histories, philosophy books, and Stephen King novels. So, here we go:

1. List three books you’ve always meant to read, but haven’t gotten around to reading.
2. Share the two books that changed your life.
3. Recommend the one book you’ve been talking about since the very first day you’ve read it.

1. My three books are:

Anything by Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Kathy Reichs. The first two because, well, given I'm such a mysteries fan, it stands to reason that I should read the grandmother and grandfather of the genre. Kate at Kate's Mystery Bookstore in Cambridge, MA (a great place - I've picked up a few signed first edition books there over the years) tried to get me to read Kathy Reichs a number of years ago. For some reason, I just could not get into her...and since then have become a fan of Bones, the series based on her books/life.

2. The two books that changed my life:

Little House on the Prairie - actually, the entire series. I'm not kidding. As a little girl it really opened my eyes, not only to how the world used to be, but that there was a "used to be." One of the imagination exercises we did was to imagine either myself in Laura's time OR how Laura would react if she was suddenly transported to our time. If I get stuck in a long line, I still wonder about that.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a beautiful story of mothers and daughters. It is the imagined life of the daughter of Jacob. I think becoming a mother to a daughter made this story even more real for me. I don't know what it is about this book, but I could read it over and over.

3. My book to recommend, after the two above (seriously, pick up The Red Tent - it is a great read) would have to be: The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank...mainly because it's just so darn entertaining. Second runner up: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris...because he's just so wrong, and so funny.

My Baby is Sick

2008-04-08T09:22:00.004-04:00

It was bound to happen. I returned to the work force after 3 months. She’s spending more time with her cousins, one of whom attends preschool twice a week.

Petunia has her first cold.

Mommy and Daddy are sick too, but we’re big people, we can handle it (or, at least, Mommy can. What is it about men when they’re sick?!). At any rate, our little one is stuffed up and has a bit of a cough. I think she may now be having nightmares of that saline drops bottle coming to attack her, poor thing. Yesterday, early evening, she had the magic number on the thermometer. Not the magic “Yay! She’s better!” number, but the “the doctor said to call if it reaches this number” number. Sure enough, the world’s best pediatrician said to call tomorrow for an appointment. She reassured me that the 100.4 is only worrisome in a 1 month old, and to “continue to give her Tylenol every 4-6 hours.” Oops. “Continue?!” We had given her a dose the night before because she was screaming to beat the band (something Petunia does not do very often unless she’d rather be switched to the other side BEFORE having her diaper changed…my kid likes to eat). I hadn’t given her any more Tylenol yesterday because while she was sleepy, snotty, and not as smiley as usual, she didn’t seem to be in any great distress. I’m trying not to feel the “bad mommy” feeling…I was operating on the thought that the less medicine pumped in, the better. I guess I erred too far on that side. She has had 3 doses since that call and I can happily report that the fever has subsided and we’re seeing the doctor this afternoon. Hopefully they won’t call DSS.

Success! Sort of.

2008-04-04T08:01:00.002-04:00

It is now Friday, April 4th, and I am back home with my little Petunia. I made it! My first week back to work was not the absolute horror I thought it might be. I'm not going to lie, I bawled the entire ride to work on Monday. However, Petunia had so much fun with Grandma and Auntie A that Tuesday went a lot better knowing she was at least okay...! And, dare I say it, I actually had fun at work this week!

I've returned to 4 day weeks, which is good because I was about a drooling moron by yesterday afternoon (some of you may wonder how that is different than normal). I say it was a sort of success because the evenings were, um, different for me. Has anyone actually resented their husband's presence while at the same time wondering why he isn't doing more? Intellectually I recognize that I was just missing P's and my "alone time" while dealing with The Way Daddies Do Things. Emotionally, I was doing a dance when he left for work this morning. Don't get me wrong, the man is amazing - he'd have to be to deal with me - but I do hope that I soon adjust to the next phase of motherhood...for all our sakes!

Lazy Sunday

2008-03-30T14:57:00.009-04:00

We returned this morning from a trip to State College area to visit with Mark's family. Not a long drive, but we're both tired from the surprise birthday party for one of the cousins. After we got home, got laundry going, fed the Petunia (well, I did that part on my own), we descended to the basement to upload pictures and relax. I left Mark and Petunia in the other room while I messed around with photoshop. I walked back over to check on them because it was rather quiet....and this is what I found:

I am a lucky woman.

Maternity Leave - Nearing the end

2008-03-25T13:42:00.003-04:00

I went today to my place of business to visit and meet with my boss regarding my return next week. I have been chatting with friends, getting great advice (such as A.L. Deviant’s comment on Maternity Leave - The Extended Version), etc. In the end, I decided to ask for a reduction in hours for a time. I am a salaried director, with a lot of flexibility in my position and an amazing assistant with a great attitude. However, I did not want to turn it into taking mad advantage of a good thing. Thankfully, I also have a great boss who is very understanding. Of course, it helped I think that he was holding the world’s cutest baby while we were chatting!! So, I’m now a 32 hour a week-er. It remains to be seen if I’ll do the 5 short days or 4 regular (oh, who I am I kidding?! 4 days please).

Thanks to all for you for the helpful advice – and Martha Who? will probably get stuck on g-mail IM with me more than she wants (thanks again babe for the chat yesterday). I’m pretty sure that I’m ready to return to the working world…just someone please remind me of that when I am a sobbing mess next Sunday night!

Clothing Line or Rhetorical Device? You Decide!

2008-03-19T21:27:00.003-04:00

We’re sitting watching TV tonight, suffering through commercials because we caught up after pausing for a bit (what did we do before DVR?!). Ah the suspense…I can’t wait to find out, who will be voted off American Idol tonight?! Here comes a commercial with supermodels. It’s Milla Jocovich! Loved her in Zoolander. She’s with some woman I don’t know talking about their new clothing line for Target. Decent commercial. Super skinny models in clothes that will not look like that on me. Whatever. And then, I hear it. Milla calls her clothes “ironic.” Say WHAT? Ironic? How the hell can clothing be ironic? Seriously. I’ve heard a lot of weird things on commercials. Dissecting and complaining about them is actually a sport for Mark and I most evenings. This one I just had to comment on.

Personally, I like my clothes contentious and symbolic. Never ironic. Sorry Milla.

Maternity Leave - Extended Version

2008-03-17T07:20:00.000-04:00

I wondered when we decided to start our family just how it would be to return to work. Well, I am exactly two weeks away from doing just that and I am NOT happy…and I feel kind of stupid about it. One, Petunia will be cared for by Grandma and Auntie A. – no daycare worries, and as Auntie A. has pointed out, Grandma raised “two perfect girls” (who are incredibly modest as well). Two, I have one of the best jobs in the world at a great organization. My boss is quite flexible as evidenced by the fact that my maternity leave was to end on March 24th and I’m not returning until the 31st. I asked for an extra week due to some work travel Mark will need to do and was given it with a smile.

I’m not worried about the whole pumping thing, I’ve got that down. She’s had a few bottles and takes them just fine, so no worries there. She loves her Grandma, Auntie A., and cousins.

I just want to spend the rest of her babyhood watching, hugging, and playing. Can’t work wait another 9 months?! My cousin tells me that California is thinking about a one-year maternity leave…from a business standpoint, that would be a nightmare, but from a new mommy view, what PA Senator do I call?!

Movie Meme

2008-03-16T19:28:00.001-04:00

I’m not even sure what a meme is being a blog neophyte and all, but I had so much fun with Manic Mommy’s that I thought I’d bite off of her and try it on my site! (and I too smile at the use of behold).

Behold, the rules:
- Pick fifteen of your favorite movies
Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
- Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
- Fill in the film title once it's guessed.

This part is for the reader
- No Googling or using IMDB search functions.
- Leave your answer(s) in the comments.

Movie One
- You do know there are more guns in the country than there are in the city. Everyone and their mums is packin' round here!
- Like who?
- Farmers.
- Who else?
- Farmers' mums.

Movie Two
Hey slim, are you wearing my underwear? 'Cause I'm wearing yours, and they're not doing the trick.

Movie Three
Beautiful isn't it? It took me half a lifetime to invent it. I'm sure you've discovered my deep and abiding interest in pain. Presently I'm writing the definitive work on the subject, so I want you to be totally honest with me on how the machine makes you feel. This being our first try, I'll use the lowest setting.
The Princess Bride (Manic Mommy)

Movie Four
So I'm rappelling down Mount Vesuvius when suddenly I slip, and I start to fall. Just falling, ahh ahh, I'll never forget the terror. When suddenly I realize "Holy shit, Hansel, haven't you been smoking Peyote for six straight days, and couldn't some of this maybe be in your head?"
Zoolander (Jenn @ Juggling Life)

Movie Five
Do I look like a cat to you boy? Am I jumpin' around all nimbly bimbly from tree to tree? Am I drinking milk from a saucer? DO YOU SEE ME EATING MICE? Stop laughing right meow.

Movie Six
-Are you kidding me? How does he do that? How do you do that? What are you saying?
-[speaking as H. R.] Hey, how are you?
-[speaking as Becky] Oh, I'm good!
-[H. R.] Nice to meet you. I'm Handsome Rob. And you are?
-[Becky] Oh, my name's Becky, but it's written on my shirt!
-[H. R.] Listen, I'm gonna need your shirt, and your truck.
-[Becky] Perfect! I'll give them both to you. Would you like my virginity as well?
-[H. R.] If it's on the menu.
-[Becky] Oh, you're so witty! Why don't you take advantage of me?
-[H. R.] Yeah, you're not too bright, are you?
-[Becky] No.
-[H. R.] Perfect.

Movie Seven
- You're wondering, "What is a place like me doing in a girl like this?"
- Yeah, something like that.
The Mummy (Manic Mommy)

Movie Eight
- When what's left of you gets around to what's left to be gotten, what's left to be gotten won't be worth getting, whatever it is you've got left.
- When I figure out what that means I'll come up with a crushing reply

Movie Nine
- This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
- Define "interesting".
- [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?
Serenity (CheckyPantz)

Movie Ten
-Fluff and fold, buddy. Soon as I make it really big, I'm going fluff and fold.

Movie Eleven
- We've become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change. Yes sir. How's that for a bit of homespun philosophy?
- Readers Digest, April 1939.
- Well, I only quote from the best.

Movie Twelve
- Now, I had heard that word at least ten times a day from my old man. He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master. But, I chickened out and said the first name that came to mind.
A Christmas Story (Manic Mommy)

Movie Thirteen
- He's all right! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it I haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Manic Mommy)

Movie Fourteen
- Lizzy, how can you put your faith in a man you spectacularly binned for being unreliable? A man whose idea of a romantic nightspot and an impenetrable fortress are the same thing? It's... This is a pub! We are in a pub! What are we going to do?

Movie Fifteen
- No, a vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, you become something else entirely.

Yup. Blogging is going well for me...

2008-03-16T16:07:00.000-04:00

I opened this blog site two months before my child arrived. Now it is two and 1/2 months since our little Petunia joined us and I'm getting back to this site.

I have nothing else to say at this point...too exhausted from attending Palm Sunday services solo with Baby, then visiting with Super G (great-grandma to Petunia).

Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent...I did not name my child Petunia. We did however give the poor kid a name who's initials spell: E.G.O. We figured she'll either: a. get over it or b. it will build character.

Very First Post

2007-11-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

Two of the coolest Mommies I know have blog spots on Blogger. In an effort to be cool as well, I too will try out this blog thing. I am two months away (approximately) from being able to share fun child stories, so for now I am sure I can come up with some interesting preparation stories to share.

At the present time however, I must prepare for the Patriots and Colts - football Sunday and this pregnant woman just realized how low on snacks she is...the pantry might not be bare, but doesn't have anything I currently want. "Oh honey...."