Friday Favorites

1. I am in love with this mediterranean salad that I think I invented.  It might have started with a Martha Stewart cookbook but it became an RH special with the addition of a few sweet elements.  I know your shocked.  Here's the break down:

Grab some cherries and chop em up.  I had both fresh and dried but I think the dried worked out better.

 Shred a rotisserie chicken

Dice some pita bread, drizzle it with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt & pepper, then toast it in a 350 oven until crisp and golden.

 Chop an english (or whatever) cucumber as the bottom layer

 Add the cherries

 layer the chicken and a bunch of fresh dill.

 Top with the toasted (and cooled) pita chips

 and a sprinkle of feta cheese.

 Now you just need some dressing.  I usually eyeball equal parts olive oil, cider vinegar and honey and then sprinkle in some salt and pepper but you can just use your favorite dressing.  Except maybe italian because that would just be weird.  And, voila!  You have the perfect lunch, or baby meal, or thank you for babysitting my kids three times this week meal.  If you do give it away just remember to keep the salad and the dressing separate or the pita will get soggy.
2. I'm not sure if I'm late to the party on this band but their voices are so haunting it gives me chills.  Ben found them awhile back but I didn't really pay attention until I heard Poison and Wine on VH1 storytellers.  Here's the whole shebang but my favorite starts at song #3.  It is the portrait of choosing to journey with someone and the honesty that comes from living simultaneously with your worst enemy and greatest ally.
3. The Honest Toddler is the funniest thing I've read in awhile.  And the big bed post will make you go from a smile to an embarrassing stomach clenching laugh by the end.  There is a chance that this might only be funny if you have an actual toddler in your house.  I'm not sure if all my sense of what's funny has been skewed by having kids or not.  You've been warned.

4. Trader Joe's caramel sea salt is my new late night addiction.  But I have serious plans for it besides eating it straight from the jar pouring it over ice cream.  I'm calling it pumpkin caramel cake and after I make two pumpkin cakes I'll be drilling holes and filling them with this elixir.  Then I will stack them, frost them with cream cheese icing, and cover the whole thing with shaved white chocolate.  I'm still working on the logistics but I think it's a good start.

5. I know this list is getting music heavy but I've decided that everyone needs this cd.  I bought if after high school and it has been a staple ever since.  Otis just knows how to get it done.  It will add instant soul to your afternoon.  It's only $7 on amazon so you really have no excuse.

6. I'm kind of loving this website right now.  Especially this piece.  Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person left who doesn't own a signature turquoise necklace.  (is this a first world problem?) I haven't pulled the trigger yet but as soon as I find the fifty bucks that I accidentally left in my down jacket last winter, it will be mine.  And I will justify it by saying it's a good cause.  Because it is people!  It's a good cause! 
7. And we'll end with a classic.  Crayola watercolors.  Because there's only so many times you can read I Want To Drive A Tanker Truck without actually wanting to be run over by a tanker truck. Watercolors are easy and fun and a little creativity in the day is always appreciated.  Plus you have something to show for your efforts at the end of the day, you know besides happy children, a beautiful mediterranean salad and your cute self in a signature turquoise necklace.

recorded

Our first full week is officially in the books.  I'd say we're coming into Fall with style.  In fact we might have approached the first stretch with a little too much enthusiasm.  At this rate we're going to be burnt out by the time Halloween rolls around.  But a little pomp and circumstance is always appreciated where new beginnings are involved and so we celebrate.  

Back to school party!

5 superstar kiddos

apple cupcakes

All decorations supplied by Target's fifty cent bin

A desperate plea for her friends to arrive so she can get her party on

Our first game of the year.  Ava's definitely getting into her soccer groove this time around.

She shoots and scores and beams with pride.  I'm trying to avoid fist pumping when she pushes the boys around.

 The first school lunch. 

 By request: pb&j, chocolate milk, snap peas, plum, and chocolate chip cookie.

 Kindergarten

 Bring it!

 Sometimes I'll run for the bus

 I can show my teacher how I ride a bike (seriously, these were unprompted)

 I'm so proud of this lovely little person

 This is her teacher, Mrs. Scott, right before Mama's were kicked out of the classroom

 There was palpable excitement on the first school bus day.  "When is it going to get here?!!"

 "Bye, bye!  You can come and visit if you want!"  I must say it took a fair amount of restraint not to follow her school bus with a pair of binoculars, but then I had visions of me as Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment and went back in the house.

Finally on Sunday we took advantage of another gorgeous day and drove out to Sauvie Island after church.  The weather has been so nice I feel like I have to speak in hushed tones here but it looks like I'll be white knuckling summer well into October.  

I hadn't been out here since high school.  It kind of feels like sacred ground as Tien and I used to drive here in the old Honda Accord with nothing but our swimsuits and Bryan Adams greatest hits.  We would swim and pick the juiciest peaches and solve the worlds problems until we were sun burned and heart full. 

But a visit to this beautiful place was well overdue.  So we packed up floaties, and a boat, and sunscreen, and hats, and changes of clothes, and beach toys, and a cooler of food, and our high maintenance kiddos and made the short drive from church.  I pretended that we were road tripping it through Nantucket in the fall.  It was easy to do with all the road side markets and u-pick farms.  The roads were lined with ten foot high cornstalks and apple orchards as far as you could see.  

We took a few short boat rides and charted a course for the open sea.  There were sand castles to build and sticks to collect and stories to be told.

 Everything looks better when the sun is shining and you have a cheesecake brownie in your hand.

 Unfortunately Mama's plans to pick bags of apples for her new spiced applesauce cake recipe, were dashed when little 1 and little 2 fell asleep before the first dust flew up from our tires. 

 So yes, I know the drill.  It's time for some order.  Some Monday through Friday, top to bottom, routine.  But we will still look for adventure in the corners of fall and winter.  Maybe I'll have to work a little harder.  But in between soccer practice and homework I will search out those summer smiles. 

non-negotiables

Well we are a solid nine months into the year of the two's. (break for applause)  I know I've said it before but living with a two year old is a little bit like having a terrorist hanging around your kitchen.  You never know when they're going to try and hold you hostage.  Odds are highly in your favor that it will be during a mundane task like getting dressed or exiting the car.  Only they won't pull out a gun, no they're much smarter then that.  Their will is their weapon.
But I'm in my second round of this whole two-thing and mama has a few tricks up her sleeve.  I mean, I know it's the end of the world that your sister gets to obtain the smiley face from the receipt checker at Costco but if you'll agree to not stage a smackdown in the store I will reward you with a fruit snack.
Stayed tuned for my new book entitled: Parenting:  3/4 patience, 1/4 fruit snacks.
But even though little pookie has pushed me to my limits on more than one occasion I have to say I'm loving all the personality that has come through this year.  As part of our arrangement in the smackdown/ toxic food bribery department I have agreed to let a few things go.  These are what we lovingly call:  the non-negotiables.

1. Since mid August Ian has decided that he is a "inja" (ninja).  This means that he will pull his shirt off in various places and choreograph sound effects to his invisible sword.  Sometimes it's one sleeve,

 and sometimes it's two.

Yes, it can be embarrassing as it appears my son is rehearsing for a drag queen performance.  But there are more important battles to be fought and good gracious the boy can only eat so many fruit snacks in a day.

 2.  Despite my best efforts at a faux-hawk Ian is a staunch conservative when it comes to his hair.

 3. And his shoes.  The kid owns more than one pair of edgy shoes but he insists on these.  He calls them his "chewch shoes" and tries to wear them to bed over his footie jammies.  I will neither confirm nor deny that Ben and I hid them in the armoire and claimed they were lost on multiple occasions, resulting in tears and barefoot stomping.  The boy has some mad stomping skills.

 4.  Yes, it's the classic thumb sucking, belly button rubbing comfort mechanism.  It is the joy of my day.  It is the signal for stress and the cuddle on the couch and the soothing motion during our nightly reading of goodnight moon.  It is him and that is why I love it.  

 It never ceases to amaze me how two children can come from the same womb and be complete opposites in every way.  Where Ava is adventurous, Ian is cautious.  Where Ava is loud, Ian is quiet.  When Ava runs, Ian clings.  But in his own way he is taking steps towards independence.  And while I wouldn't mind trading in a few of those right-in-the-middle-of-aisle-nine tantrums or ending every sentence with the word "poop", I definitely wouldn't trade the boy who looks at me with spiderman eyes and wants to be held a little longer.  Because those kisses are non-negotiable.

Help me Rhonda

There's been a fair amount of baby mama drama around these parts with a certain Ms. A starting kindergarten.  My beautiful girl is getting ready to spread her wings.  She's ready of course as she always has been.  I suppose she's always reached for a little more independence than I've been comfortable giving.  Truthfully, I've got a lot to learn from her.  She's never held back in anything she's done.  She moves forward without fear and always gives it her best and most creative efforts.  I love so many things about her from being the worst joke teller to being the most agile at the playground.  I love how she can take a roll of scotch tape and 6 sheets of paper and make a travel bag for her pet tiger.  

I love how easily she makes friends and how tender her faith is.  Her smile can knock me flat out on a daily basis.  I love the difficult parts too. (although I don't like to admit it)  Because I know those qualities will serve her well some day.
So I'm prepared to let someone else in on this good thing we've got going on.  I will logically tell myself that there are other people who can help grow this girl into the woman she's meant to be.
But I will first give myself a full three quarters of an hour to mope around the house.  I will eat more than a few cookies.  I will whine to Ben about how this feels like the beginning of the end.  The first step towards letting her fully go.

And then I will put on a brave face and throw a back to school dinner.  I will tell her how much fun she'll have and how much she'll learn.  And then I'll walk her to the bus and wave goodbye and breathe deep with thankfulness.

Ten for Tuesday

1. We had a semi spontaneous visit from Ava's great grandparents last week.  It was lovely to have them here and even lovelier that they got up early with the kids so we could sleep in.   We decided to mix things up a bit and take them to some food carts instead of the rose gardens.  Note to self: when you are almost 90 years old you care less about kitchy street food and more about proximity to bathrooms.  

 2. We are in full back-to-school mode around these parts and my girl got a little trim.  She has since decided that she wants bangs and attempts to form them with various clips and headbands. I'm hoping her classmates will think she's ahead of her time and not visually challenged.  Photos to come.

 3.  This was taken right before I hiked the littles up to the giant slide at Oaks Park.  Cut to me holding both of them screaming at the top of their lungs 500 feet up in the air in front of about 1000 moms with sympathetic glances.  Note to self: Oaks Park does not issue refunds.

 4.  In my obsession to be the coolest kindergarten mom I have started a file with back to school lunch ideas.  I'm guessing that the green bean, brown rice and corn salad is not going to make Ava think she's the coolest kindergartner.  In a surprise twist, Ava rethinks her "bangs" in exchange for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

5.  Grandpa has decided it's time to introduce the kids to power tools.  He's the best grandpa ever.  When Ava's slingshot broke because someone (Ben) was using it, he made her a new one.  I have photographic evidence but eleven on Tuesday doesn't have quite the same ring to it.  

 6.  Ava started soccer last week.  We are especially glad that we paid $150 so she can perfect her skills on the monkey bars.

 7.  Our vineyard has produced it's first bunch of grapes!  At this rate we will have our first bottle of wine when the kids leave for college.  I suppose it will be appropriate timing.  Although I won't say whether it will be a celebratory toast or a drowning of sorrows.  (wink, wink)

8.  Ever since Ben and I were married we've been making grilled pizza's with Trader Joe's $1.29 pizza crust.  So good.  I stock them up in the freezer and then just pull them out when we need them.  But I have found my favorite combination and cannot keep it a secret any longer.  Here's the step by step:  roll out the pizza crust to fit your oiled baking stone, add homemade pesto (or T.J's), crumble some cooked italian sausage, fresh corn, black beans, sweet onions, goat cheese and a little mozzarella over the top and bake on a hot grill until bubbly.  I swear it's the best pizza I've ever had.  Except maybe My Pie in Chicago or that one place in Italy.  But definitely a strong third place finish.  Definitely.

9. As we were enjoying a beautiful day at the grandparents I overheard Ava telling her neighborhood girlfriends that she had fallen into a trance and the spell could only be broken by killing the evil Ian.  They looked at her and then at each other and then kept swinging.  I, however, swelled with pride at the Anne of Green Gables moment and snapped this photo of my budding dramatic artist.

10.  This is my neighbor/friend/partner in rogue momming, Anne's daughter that they've just adopted from Korea.  Her name is Katharine but Ian calls her Catfish.  Sometimes Anne lets me pretend that she's mine.  I scoop her up and whisper in her ear that we've been waiting for her.   And even though she doesn't understand a single word I'm saying I speak her language when I rock her back and give her a big raspberry on that round tummy.  She is sugar sweet and I know in two shakes of a bunny's tail she's going to be at our house for a sleepover and I'm going to be giving her advice about boys and painting her nails turquoise and all will be right with the world.

Hope your Tuesday was a happy one!

Secrets to a happy marriage

Compromise