Not to brag . . .

Flickr Ticker

2012-01-18T21:59:00.009-06:00

Just a quick note for all the tens of longtime NTB readers. One of these days I will return to actual writing on NTB. I love Real Women of Pinterest and Pinterest-ing, but every week when I realize that I haven't posted anything at all since the last RWOP, I feel kind of sad. I just can't ever get caught up these days.

Moving along though. I made some pretty cute thank you notes for my son's birthday that involved a group photo and THANK YOU ! spelled in cool and colorful letters, printed on full sheet labels (my very favorite office supply) and then cut and stuck to cards (the blank kind you can buy at craft stores like Michaels). But all of those are sealed in envelopes. No photo evidence -- oops! The project was aided by this awesome collection of letters on Flickr that I was alerted to by several pinners. Check out the collection. Endless possibilities for what you can do with these little letters: custom name stationery, quotations, name tags, place cards, any kind of word art you can imagine. I will say that the quality of some of the images does not hold up when they are large, but there are hundreds of choices for each letter so you could probably find the right letter for any project you're envisioning. Promise you'll be a rule follower though and respect the wishes of Leo Reynolds, the person behind this Flickr collection, who asks that you not "favorite" the images or use them for commercial projects.

I can't share the real final product since it's now in the hands of the USPS, but I took a photo of two full sheet labels of letters. The top sheet was the layout I used for cutting, but I rejected that particular sheet because I tried to use "fast draft" on my printing settings and the quality suffered. I biffed on the sizing on the bottom sheet (look at the awesome quality!), but I'm sure I'll find something to do with those thank yous one day.
This next photo captures some cardstock notecards with a simple "thanks." Easy peasy.
Apologies for not making these photos horizontal, but I just didn't have it in me.

My sister LAP has stepped in once again to share a RWOP project. One of the first things I pinned in the early, heady days of Pinteresting was this link for melting your own heart-shaped, rainbow crayons. Though I continue to hoard old and broken crayons, I've never attempted the project. Some vague thoughts of hot wax and big mess seem to be stopping me. But LAP nailed it! Check out her final results ...
Her tips: Soak the crayons in warm water for several minutes before attempting to peel the labels off. When you take the crayons out of the oven, they will seem all melty and you will fear that you messed up. You haven't! Carefully, oh so carefully, take your tray of crayon molds and pop them in the freezer for about ten minutes to harden. [Note to self: make room in freezer for the molds ahead of time.]

Cheers to my sister, always spreading love!

Okay then, bloggers, please link up your Pinterest-esque projects (art, food, decor, etc.). Real Women of Pinterest everywhere who don't blog? Send me your pics so I can share them: mep AT nottobrag DOT net.

Please visit the links below for more RWOP inspiration.

RWOP: Do you need anybody?

2012-01-11T22:50:00.015-06:00

Hello, is this thing on? Real Women of Pinterest, can you hear me? Truth is I don't have any of my own Pinteresting to share this week. We're still getting back in the swing of things after the holiday "break," and I'm not sure how much Pinteresting I can justify when I still haven't managed to get our tree taken down. Thanks to hubby traveling and a DVR filled with the premiere of the new season of Downton Abbey, I have started wrapping up our ornaments, but there's still a ways to go. Plus, I need to help JJ, our Elf on the Shelf, returning to the North Pole this evening, to craft a letter explaining why he hung around an extra two weeks in the same spot where he was spotted Christmas morning and reminding the kids to listen to their mom and dad, say their prayers, and be kind.

Lucky for me, I have awesome people who answered my call to share their Pinterest-inspired projects. Check them out!
First we have a fun, kid-friendly art project. The Pinteresting mom, my sister LAP who is a valued NTB contributor, wrote, "The J, N, and B are on display on the window ledge in our stairwell. ... I used painters tape to make their first letter (I was not ambitious enough nor did I have large enough canvases to do their full names). The girls painted and once the canvases dried, we peeled off the tape. Voila...masterpieces! (or something like that)." I can see this project being used with a large shape as well -- a heart for Valentine's Day, a bird because I dig them, a shamrock ...

LAP had another offering as well: "The 'est 2002' was a trial for the Popular Pinterest pin that says 'use glue and paint over using any solid color.' I just used regular old Elmer's brand, but my suggestion is perhaps doing two layers of glue? I feel like mine is a little hard to read, but I still have it hanging out on my bathroom sink next to my soap and lotion (because I know you were wondering.)" I like the idea of trying this project with an inspirational word, perhaps "enough" since that is one of my themes for the year.
A dear friend of my family has a preschooler who requested "dolls of her teachers" for Christmas. Since such dolls aren't readily available at Toys 'R Us and the like, I am so excited to share her totally awesome creative solution: photos on magnets that can be moved around on a cookie sheet. I've been jonesing to try the much-pinned cookie sheet magnet board project, but I think this project takes that to the next level. It would be fun to think about what sorts of kids activities/games could be made with magnets and cookie sheets. There are probably multiple pins of such already. Maybe next week.
Last, but surely not least, is some Pinteresting from a high school friend who is a talented photographer and a pop culture guru. Inspired by a Pinterest pin (she sent it to me, but I'm too tired for any more links right now), she crafted alphabet printables (like the one above) as holiday gifts.

By next week, I promise, the tree will be down and I'll have something cool of my own to share.

If you've done any Pinteresting, please link up below or send me pics of your projects: mep AT nottobrag DOT net.

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Enough Already, Already Enough

2012-01-09T21:36:00.016-06:00

So I'm tearing myself away from the BCS Championship game to jump back into blogging. Such a sacrifice -- HA!

A New Year's Resolution post is a tradition here at NTB. If you fancy, you can check out my resolutions for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Or, you can just read one of those previous resolution posts and get the gist of them all. Let's not say that I fall short of my resolutions so much as that I recognize that I am a work in progress. I'm okay with that.

Okay, I just looked up last year's post so I could do the links above and found this very quote: "I'm a work in progress, and I'm okay with that." How's that for being a broken record or, better thought, how's that for knowing myself? Last year's post (which is kind of a good one, NTB) also includes mention of Gretchen Rubin and her Happiness Project. And, well, wouldn't you know it, this year's resolutions are inspired by a quotation that came my way, thanks to Gretchen Rubin.

I'm signed up for daily Happiness Project Moment of Happiness emails. Each morning in my inbox, I have a thought about happiness waiting for me. The one I woke up to the day after Christmas really resonated with me:

"Enough is abundance to the wise." --Euripides

Perhaps a thought I would have been wise to ponder earlier in the month before I began the yearly attempt to try to buy, wrap, do, cook, bake, give, and enjoy it all. And, yes, sure, I have enough stuff and, thankfully, always have had. Without knowing the original context of this passage from Euripides, I'd also like to reflect upon enough as abundance in other ways as well.

As a reforming perfectionist, anxiety addict, and guilt junkie, I spent many years being hard on myself, focusing a bit too much on what else I could do, had not done yet, or could have done better. Having children has probably forced the change in me more than anything, but I am learning to believe that I'm already good enough. I'm doing the best I can and that's enough and more than enough.

I'm not talking about settling or lowering expectations or dreaming smaller so much as I am about just living ... doing what I can for now -- hoping for tomorrow and the next day while enjoying this one as much as I can. I suspect that enough is abundance for those who can appreciate their lives exactly as they are.

I can honestly say that I am happier and more content than I have been in years. I love my husband and he is truly my partner, teammate, and supporter. We have three healthy and (mostly) happy kids. After a long two years of trying and failing to sell our home (we have responsible renters in there now), we were able to move into a new home. We are slowly making it our own and are truly falling in love with the neighborhood and community that surrounds us. There is something very comforting about knowing that we are going to be right here for the foreseeable future.

This life is good. It's enough and more than enough for this moment, and I'm confident that it will expand and change as I need it to.

I wanted to make resolutions that were sort of concrete and also ones that honored the spirit of enough as abundance. And in that spirit, I am still easing into most of these.

* There's a whole house here to organize, decorate, and clean. Resolved for now: try to keep the island clear and make my bed most days. These are two tasks that I think could be a foundation for a larger "outer order leads to inner calm" plan.

* There are about fifteen or twenty pounds to be lost. Resolved for now: weigh myself every morning and record the number. Go from there.

* Try twenty new recipes this year (noted: the old MEP would have resolved something unreasonable like "try two new recipes a week" or "eliminate all carbs except whole grains" and then beat herself up/chucked the whole thing when that goal was not met).

* Feed Pinterest addiction. So, I have my notebook but Pinterest just takes it all to the next level. I think for several years I kind of forgot how much I love to make stuff. Large and small creative projects just make me happy. Toward that end, I'm going to continue with the Real Women of Pinterest posts on this blog. Stay tuned.

* Stop going on iphone Solitaire benders. Enough already in the traditional, non-abundant sense. Just sort of sad or, in the words of my moody-these-days kindergartener, just "lame."

* Gather ye friends' cell phone numbers. Two phones ago, I did not transfer my numbers when I got a new phone. Thus, even now, my cell phone contact list is woefully incomplete. Reality is that most of my friends are busy with kids, careers, or both and it can be tough to find a time to chat when one/both parties isn't being whined at or pulled toward some mess or emergency. Sending and receiving little text messages brightens my day, and I want to do more of that.

* Launch my book blog. Yes, there's part of me that knows I need another website like I need a hole in my head. But, I've had ideas for booksandcarbs.com (a website devoted to my life's pleasures) percolating for a while now and I'm eager to get started. No timeline yet, but I'll keep reading and eating in the meantime. You can trust me on that one.

Okay then, that's enough for now. I wish you happiness and health this new year and the peace and content that comes with believing you are already enough. Because you are.

Any resolutions for 2012? Please share in the comments. Are you my friend? Email me your cell number because it's probably not programmed into my phone.

RWOP: Behind the Snowball

2011-12-15T08:14:00.021-06:00

So, you know the phrase behind the eight ball? I don't know what it actually means, but I often use it when I am trying to convey feeling behind, as if I'm scurrying around, playing catch-up, disorganized, caught unaware, bordering on overwhelmed, etc. Hope that's right. All of December, I've been behind the eight ball or, rather, behind the snowball. Actually, make that a snowflake.

Today's (late) Real Women of Pinterest post is the perfect holiday craft for a rainy day in December (I'm not exactly complaining about these warm temperatures in the Midwest, but I'd take a little snow). This project is another "use what you have, make it up as you go along" endeavor, but I'm finding that to be the best kind of Pinteresting. Especially if the kids are involved, it's the process that matters more than the product. My kids and I are definitely having fun! Here goes ....

Puzzle Piece Snowflake Ornaments

First, you'll need some puzzle pieces. Years ago before Bub was even close to ready, I ordered a pack of color-your-own puzzles from Current. He undid all the pieces, and I've never had the energy to put back a bunch of blank white puzzles, but I did save the pieces because I am hoarder-ish like that. If you don't have white puzzle pieces, you could totally paint puzzle pieces white or be creative and form your colored puzzle pieces into little holiday wreaths or trees.
We were out of Elmers glue (did we ever have any?) so mommy's job was to glue gun the puzzles pieces together to form snowflakes. I found that four to six pieces was the sweet spot for a cute, but not too clunky snowflake.

The boys' department was adornment. My oldest is obsessed with glitter pens so we got those out.
They would squeeze some big glops of glitter. Even the little, middle guy could do that.
Then, they'd spread it around. We had a couple baby wipes on standby for clean-up between snowflakes.
Excuse the blurry smartphone photography, but here's the close-to-final product. Something was missing ... ribbon, of course. I'm obsessed with ribbon.
Hole punch each snowflake. Pull a ribbon through (I used silver on some, brown on others). Before I tied the knot, I stuck in a short piece of teal ribbon and secured it with the long ribbon.

Pretty cute, right?

No, really, pretty cute, right?

Because one of the bonus features of our new home is no working power outside in the yard (until the electrician comes on Monday), we can't do any Christmas lights this year. So, I talked hubby into a second tree to put in the front window. It looks good, but a little bare as most of our ornaments are on the family tree. I have to say that the snowflakes have perked it up.

What about you -- any Pinteresting? Are you behind the eight ball this holiday season?

Bloggers, link up your Pinterest-esque posts below. Others, feel free to email me pics of your creations at mep AT nottobrag DOT net.

Be sure to check out the links below and to visit Small After All and my other bloggy pals for more RWOP.

RWOP: Two Trick Christmas Pony

2011-12-07T22:23:00.020-06:00

Welcome back for another week of Real Women of Pinterest.

Do a search for "handprint Christmas tree" on Pinterest and you'll see multiple pins of a couple versions of this holiday creation. I was ready to give it a whirl myself and had even purchased green and red acrylic paint several weeks ago in preparation. But, I forgot to buy a canvas. Because taking my three kids to Michael's is not even a little bit enjoyable, I decided I had to improvise. Take a peek.

Handprint Christmas Wreath

What? You don't have a large canvas? Grab a ceiling tile from the pile the previous owners of your house left in the basement.

Find something in your kitchen to trace a large circle with pencil.

Then, trace again with a smaller circular something.

Squeeze some acrylic paint into some little plastic egg cartons (good idea, right?).

Paint your son's hand green.

Instruct him to press that hand onto the ceiling tile. Don't try to press his hand down to make a stronger imprint because, apparently, those ceiling tiles are a bit scratchy. Repeat the painting of the hand and the pressing several times.

Get your littler guy in on the act as well. Try to stay breezy when he deliberately plants his hand in the no-holly zone in the very middle.

Okay, time for red paint and finger tip berries now.

Then, mom uses some more of that Costco ribbon from last week's wreath, ties a bow, and glue guns it onto the wreath. If your ceiling tile has a rough edge, use some ribbons to frame the wreath. Voila!
There you have it. Not the most gorgeous wreath ever, but not bad for using what I had in the house. And, yes, I realize that I have a larger-than-most supply of crafty crap on hand.

Christmas Handprint Trees

Okay, use pretty much the same process above, except pencil a triangle on a sheet of thick paper. Once the trees were dry, I placed them in the frames I used for the autumn fingerprint trees. No photos of the artists as little sister was topless during this project.

Voila!

The kids did the trees and the berries/ornaments. I cut out and glued the stars and tree trunks (why, yes, I did have three different brown scrapbook papers to use here, all purchased a dozen years ago when I had time to do things like scrapbook).

Big Brother's Tree -- "Mine is the best, mom, right? Don't you like mine best?"

Little Middle Guy's tree. No time to reflect or evaluate,
he just throws himself into the project and then walks away.

And Little Sister's tree -- yep, she was most willing to
accept coaching and guidance on hand placement.

Anything Pinteresting in your life this week? Bloggers, link up your Pinterest posts in the comments. Other readers, send me your photos or leave a comment about your Pinteresting.

See you next week, if not before.

RWOP: I wreath I can, I wreath I can

2011-11-30T13:00:00.010-06:00

My Real Women of Pinterest offering for today is a bit weak, but you can't win them all!

Excepting the company of a spider web from Walgreens back in October, our front door has been pretty lonely since we moved in. We needed a wreath. Now, I would very much like to order a wreath from the Williams Sonoma catalog, but I can't justify that purchase at this time ... or possibly ever.

Enter Pinterest. I saw a tutorial on making a wreath from strips of fabric. Unable to locate the big bag of fabric I absolutely could not get rid of before the move, I decided I would use a similar technique using some ribbon I did know where to find.

I didn't photograph my process, but here it is:

1. Find an inexpensive and not-too-thick wreath. I found an off-white grapevine-esque wreath at Dollar Tree.

2. Choose some lovely ribbon. I chose a wide, wire-rimmed ribbon that I purchased at Costco (personally think their huge rolls of ribbon there are a good value).

3. Cut pieces of ribbon long enough to tie around the wreath and knot. Do this a bunch of times until the wreath is covered.

4. Fluff and arrange the ribbons as you wish.

I wasn't sure about the project as I was doing it so I think that uncertainty subconsciously made me stingy with the ribbon. I probably should add more, but I think it's okay as it is. Not the most beautiful wreath ever, but I'm not embarrassed to have it keep my door company.

If you've done some Pinteresting or Pinterest-esque stuff of late, please link your posts below! Don't have a blog? Feel free to email me with pictures of your projects so I can share: mep AT nottobrag DOT net.

Please check out and comment on the posts of those who have linked up below. Join in next week for another edition of Real Women of Pinterest.

RWOP: May the Force Be with YOU and you and you too ...

2011-11-22T23:41:00.011-06:00

Welcome! It's time for the second week of Real Women of Pinterest. Please visit this blog and It's a Small World After All on Wednesdays to see Pinterest-inspired projects and link-up your own Pinterest-esque posts.

I've got a mountain of laundry to fold and four bags to pack for our Thanksgiving road trip so this post will be brief.

My son is obsessed with Star Wars. He received Star Wars bedding for his birthday back in June. This past weekend, he finally inherited his big brother's twin bed and was thus able to use that bedding.

I thought he could use a lamp. I thought it should be a Star Wars lamp.
We had an old lampshade that was slightly bent/cracked. I took photos of my son's bedding, printed them on full-sheet labels, did some cursory tracing and cutting, pulled the backing of the labels, and affixed to the lampshade.
If I had it to do over, I would have taken the time to cut a pattern out of plain paper before cutting out the labels. Then I could have avoided unsightly layered seams (see below). I also would have printed the labels on an inkjet printer and not a laser one. I think the colors would have been truer.
But, guess what? I can pull these easy-peasy labels off no problem and do it over if I want. I probably won't bother because really, it's pretty awesome, just as it is.

Not sure about the ethics of photographing the bedding, but I'm thinking: we paid for it and are enjoying this lamp in our own home, not trying to sell it or anything.

Let' s look at it one more time.
Link up your own Pinterest-inspired post below! Too busy with turkey day? Join us next Wednesday for the next installment of ... Real Women of Pinterest (RWOP).

I'll claim her.

2011-11-18T21:49:00.019-06:00

Bub and I took a Wiggleworms music class starting when he was around nine months old. By the end of each 45-minute class, I would be completely pitted out, fully sweating from the effort required to keep Bub from crawling the perimeter of the room to dig through purses and diaper bags, stealing maracas from other babies, and grabbing on to the teacher's guitar (music class could not proceed until he was removed, over and over, from that guitar). We had our own struggles at Gymboree and also at gymnastics. The issue was too much energy and exuberance, more than anything, but I spent many a "circle time" wondering if I might some day have a little girl who would sit on my lap during circle time and make me feel like a "good mom."

And guess what? I do. My Sweet P takes music class and does Mother Goose story time at the library every week. Sure, we've had our moments -- Sweet P stole a baby's hair bow in the first week of music class and then proceeded to swat that baby on the head repeatedly once the little one's mom had wisely pocketed the bow. There was also a frustrating class when she kept trying to open the supply cabinet. But, all in all, she's good in classes. I am able to smugly (a little bit) enjoy circle time while feeling compassion for the moms who have little Bubs.

Sweet P is also, NTB, better able or more willing to entertain herself than her brothers were at this age. She sits on the floor and flips through books (!!!!), moves her babies all around, pauses to watch five minutes of television now and again, and travels around the house looking for action.
As adorable and independent and sweet and good during circle time as Sweet P is, she is also trying my patience these days.

In the car, she refuses to sit in her own car seat, leaving me to either wrestle her into it or sweet talk Little Bit into trading. Also, when we arrive home, she wants to stay in the van attempting to re-buckle all the seats. Who doesn't like hanging out in the garage?

During her bath, I spend the entire time trying (and failing) to keep her from drinking bath water and from turning the water back on. After bath, she runs around my room naked and climbs onto the bed to jump and roll around. Always a treat getting her into jammies.

Every diaper change is a wrestling match. This gets messy.

Sweet P has never encountered a bin of toys that she didn't want to empty out.

We keep a big container of crayons on the kitchen table with paper. While Sweet P is happy to color quietly for a few minutes (again, something the boys never did at her age), she also dumps those crayons all over the floor two or three times each day.
She's gotten better about keeping her bows in her hair, but she still manages to look disheveled by mid-day and often has snot and/or pieces of her meals caked into her hair.

She's a bit pushy about her breakfast, grabbing Daddy's handing and leading him to the kitchen where she says, "Nonuts. Nonuts. Nonuts."

It used to be that at bedtime, we'd just say, "Okay, Sweet P, time to give kisses and go night night." She'd stop what she was doing, give kisses, and start heading upstairs. Now, she says, "No."

"No" is her new favorite word. Would you like pasta? More milk? Ready to go pick up Bub? "No."

I won't go into all the things that can go wrong if the boys or I forget to close the bathroom door.

She has now figured out how to open the fridge. She dumped one container of leftovers this afternoon and brought three juice boxes to me for straw help (for the record, I put them all back amid screams of protest).

She also dumped half a bottle of fabric softener on the floor. My fault, of course, for not putting the lid back on tightly, but honestly I don't even know how she reached it.

I keep my make-up bag in the kitchen (oven door is my vanity) and she was inspecting its contents after dinner.
"Your daughter," my hubby says with a smile. Over and over. She's got him wrapped around his little finger to the point that he never gets frustrated with her, and he's endlessly entertained watching me respond to her.

She drives me nuts some days.

Lucky I'm nuts about her.

Real Women of Pinterest Unite!

2011-11-15T22:36:00.013-06:00

An Interview with NTB founder and lead writer, MEP.

Are you seriously going to talk about Pinterest in another post? Didn't you just write about your Pinterest obsession?
Yes and yes.

Okay then, who are the Real Women of Pinterest?
Friends and fellow bloggers who have been inspired by Pinterest and who want to share their creations.

The phrase "Real Women" conjures images of Bravo's Real Housewives? Should we expect excessive consumption of white wine, cat fights, backstabbing, and botox?
More like glue guns, fabric, and paint. Pinterest is inspiring, but sometimes when you look at the beautiful rooms and homes and creations on there, you can feel a bit inadequate. I'd love to show real people motivated to make their lives more beautiful in big and small ways. My bloggy friends and I are going to share our own Pinterest-inspired creations on Wednesdays.

Oh, so you have loads of bloggy friends?
Well, not loads, but it's quality not quantity that matters.

How many participants are you expecting?
One for sure. It could be as many as three if only I had remembered to send an email telling people about it.

But anyone is welcome?
Yes, bloggers can link up their Pinterest posts here on Wednesdays. Non-bloggers are free to send a digital pic and brief description to mep AT nottobrag DOT net. I'll find a way to share their Pinteresting.

I'm getting bored. Anything else to show me?
How about my Pinterest-inspired Coat and Corkboard Center?

I have a feeling you just made that name up right now, but go ahead and show us.

"Coat and Corkboard Center"

In this photo, you can see the laundry room and the door leading to the garage. I'm thrilled to have a laundry room that is not a basement dungeon type like we had before. However, the kids would come in from the van, walk a few steps through the laundry room, and start shedding. They removed coats, shoes, and backpacks and strewed them about. Note the past tense.
Now they hang their coats and backpacks carefully on their hooks and line up their shoes just-so beneath. Sure, they don't do these things 100% of the time, but when I step over a coat, I can now say, "Bub, hang your coat up." And there's an actual spot that he can reach where the coat goes.
There's a bulletin board too. The long-term plan is to have the kids' school, sports, and activity schedules on the boards. Party invitations, permission slips, reminders, etc. We're not in the schedule-heavy years yet so we are playing the boards by ear for now.
This picture is included solely so you can admire Sweet P's adorable rain boots. It does remind me though that I saw a pin on Pinterest where someone had what looked like a cookie sheet filled with stylish rocks that was used as a sort of mat/draining board for wet boots.
This picture is tacked on at the end because I felt that something was missing when I took the others and realized it was Little Bit's cute backpack.

Where did you find the materials and labor for this Pinterest project, MEP?
I purchased the three-hook boards at Home Depot. The corkboards I already had because I have long been obsessed with incorporating, for better or worse, bulletin boards into my home decor. My hubby was not super enthusiastic about this project (though I don't think he minds the result) but my father-in-law was kind enough to hang the hooks and boards for me. I am very thankful.

Are you completely happy with the final Coat and Corkboard Center, MEP?
So glad you asked. I am not happy with my current wall color (though, to be fair, it is not as olive-icky as it looks in the photos), but we are having some painting done in a couple of weeks. I'll choose different fabric for the boards after I choose new paint. The black and white fabric was already on the boards from a previous decor moment. Any recommendations for non-boring neutral wall colors? Or, are neutrals necessarily boring? Same fabric for each board or mix it up?

Hire a decorator.
Do you know any decorators who work for free or for Activia yogurts? We are all stocked up on those right now.

How can bloggers link up?
See below. Just cut and paste the url for your Pinterest post. Feel free to link to multiple posts if you wish.

Ready, Set, Go

2011-11-14T22:37:00.014-06:00

You know how there are some moms who are able to do their holiday shopping throughout the year -- buying the perfect gifts as they think of them instead of forgetting all their brilliant ideas, taking advantage of sales instead of flailing around desperate and hasty, stockpiling treats in a secure and secret spot rather than misplacing them? Do you know those moms?

I am not one of those moms, and it's a shame. It's not that I get incredibly stressed out preparing to play Santa Claus. I don't. Desperate and hasty are probably a bit strong for describing me. Our kids have been happy every Christmas morning so far. However, I always end up feeling a bit disappointed in myself, like I could have done better. By better I don't mean grander or more lavish. I mean better as in more creative and surprising.

My ideas and plans for Christmas this year are still foggy, but here are some ideas I'm thinking about ...

For Bub:

Make good on my promise to turn part of a basement storage/furnace room into an art studio. I'd love for him to open the door and see a rug on the floor, the easel he already owns set up with new paints and brushes, a clothes pin art gallery ready and waiting for his creations, a smock, a variety of paper, and one of those 10-packs of blank canvases they sell at Michaels for $14.99. Also, a new bulb in the overhead fixture in there so he can see what he's doing.

For Little Bit:

He's really into the puppet theater in the library's "learning garden." Hubby and I don't have the time or DIY skills to construct a wooden puppet theater, but I think I could rig up something cool with some fabric and a tension rod -- maybe for a doorway or part of the playroom. Or, if I had a giant sturdy cardboard box, I think he'd be just as excited by that. I'd buy a few puppets and also search Pinterest (I know, I know, when will I stop mentioning Pinterest? Never.) for some directions on making your own paper bag or sock puppets.

For Sweet P:

Sweet P is flat-out obsessed with babies. Each night before she goes to bed, she has me tucking in three battered and semi-naked Cabbage Patch dolls (two of mine, one of her dads), her dad's "Baby Troy," a stuffed Elmo, and a Barbie-sized Princess Leia. She is constantly bringing me various babies to be swaddled. We've made some makeshift beds out of cardboard boxes, and she gets a real kick out of taking the babies in and out of the beds. For her, I'd love to create a miniature day care center -- a corner of the playroom or basement that has some baby beds or little pack n' plays, car seats, high chairs, strollers, etc. I've seen all this baby doll stuff at toy stores, and I imagine I could improvise as well. I think she could spend hours moving the babies from one spot to the next, especially if any of these baby doll items have straps to latch and unlatch. Actually, if I can't get the child care center set up, I'm just going to find a used infant carseat (we gave ours away when I could no longer carry it and Sweet P at the same time) so she could spend her days buckling and unbuckling it.

Speaking of babies, anyone have a source for inexpensive clothes to fit Cabbage Patch dolls?

For all three:

They all love singing and dancing, and I think they'd get a kick out of a dance area with a spot light. Our CDs and digital music are pretty disorganized right now. If we get our act together in that department, we could create an atmosphere more conducive to dance parties.

Okay, I've got to end this post and get to work on these ideas ASAP. I probably should have started months and months ago.

And, just warning you, I feel like I have more semi-creative Christmas ideas percolating. Stay tuned.

Any creative surprises in mind for the kids in your life? Please share in the comments.

PFMP -- Phase One

2011-11-10T21:18:00.018-06:00

Yesterday, I finished Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I adored this book. Kaling is smart, hard-working, and refreshingly honest about what's important to her: her parents, her friends, her hope to one day be in a happy marriage and be a mom. Her book of personal essays is extremely well-written and genuinely funny. If I were still teaching high school English, I would offer an excerpt to students to illustrate the elusive quality we call "voice." Hers is clear, strong, and engaging. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys a smart, funny read that does not rely on shock value or cheap shots.

One essay is entitled "These Are the Narcissistic Photos in My BlackBerry" and includes photos from Kaling's BlackBerry with commentary.

I don't take many photos of myself with my phone, perhaps because I seldom need to check my hair and make-up on the way to awards shows. I do snap a lot of pics with my phone though, often with the intention of sharing them in a blog post.

Here's the first phase of PFMP (Photos from My Phone), complete with commentary approximately 96% less funny than Kaling's and with insight into the accompanying posts that never quite materialized.

Okay, here we have Little Bit taking a walk amongst some still-melting snow mounds last winter. Since it snowed here for about seven minutes this afternoon, this photo called out to me today. There's my old city street -- aawww.

Here's the Charlie Sheen auction package at the boys' school fundraiser last year. Can't remember if I took the photo because I thought it was funny or inappropriate. Discuss amongst yourselves. Actually, don't bother.

There's my Bub holding one of the Sweet Pickles books we read at Grammy and Pop's house. I'd love to have a complete set even though some of those Sweet Pickles are more grumpy and/or depressed than they are sweet.

A Caprese Salad my mom made. Delish.

Ahoy, mateys. We took the boys on a fantastic pirate cruise when we were in Florida last March. Loved it -- one of those rare totally-got-our-money's-worth experiences!

Whoa, step back. Is that the Biebs peeking out of my sister's front door? Or maybe just the life-size Justin Bieber cardboard cutout I got my niece for her birthday (pre-alleged-baby-mama-drama). I photographed each party guest with Mr. Bieber but never ended up putting a post together.

And here is the button I sewed onto my husband's shirt ... after that shirt sat on top of our china cabinet for two months early this year. Bet you're sorry that thrilling post never came to be.

We'll end with the money shot.

For as long as I can remember, the garage door above has had Snoopy as the Red Baron painted on it. It's next to a main road in the town bordering my hometown, and I have passed it thousands of times on my way home. I snapped this from the Odyssey as I was pointing it out to my kids --the very same garage door I had looked at from the back seat of the station wagons and conversion vans of my youth!

And there you have it, PFMP, Phase One.

Any gems saved on your phone?

Picture Lady in the House

2011-11-09T21:46:00.006-06:00

I am visiting Bub's kindergarten class as part of a parent-sponsored Fine Arts Program.

At my grade school, this program was called "Picture Lady."

Tomorrow I am the Picture Lady. I feel old and yet strangely proud because I always found Picture Lady and the picture ladies themselves to be kind of awesome.

I'd say I was worried about doing something that would embarrass Bub, but the truth is that he is still so young, innocent, eager, and sweet that I doubt I could embarrass him if I tried. He is over-the-top excited that I'm coming to his classroom tomorrow.

And so am I.
Off to get some beauty rest and dream of Van Gogh's The Bedroom in my own.

Word Up

2011-11-08T21:20:00.009-06:00

Well, I've reached that point in November when daily posting is getting difficult. I'm too tired and uninspired to write anything worth reading, but too stubborn to give up on the NaBloPoMo daily posting challenge.

Today's solution? Borrow some wise and inspiring words from others, the collected wisdom of my Pinterest "Inspiration" board. Sources for the quotations included whenever possible.

***

If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

***

Be kind and be truthful and your life will be fruitful.

***

Comparison is the thief of joy. Theodore Roosevelt

***

Cleaning House while the kids are home is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing.

(I'd replace "home" with "awake" for my purposes)

***

Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

***

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

(my friend E... has started an awesome series of gratitude posts inspired by this saying)

What words are offering you inspiration and perspective these days? Which of the sayings above resonates with you? Please share in the comments.

Pick a Card, Any Card

2011-11-07T21:58:00.014-06:00

Here are my memories from kindergarten: distinguishing myself by preferring white milk over chocolate, sitting on the rug and talking about the weather, going into the little classroom bathroom once and finding poop on the seat, being part of the group with the gold folders, hearing my teacher say she was "ready for my golden girls and boys," and calling my teacher at home to tell her that my new baby sister had just been born.

I don't remember learning any sight words in kindergarten and that may be the reason why one of my memories of first grade involves having one of the thickest stacks of sight word flashcards. It could be that kindergarteners in 1980 did not learn sight words.

Kindergarteners in 2011 do learn sight words, which I think is fantastic. Bub is so eager to learn to read, and watching him on this journey is one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of parenthood so far.

We were given a list of sight words for each quarter at the start of the year and some suggestions for helping our children learn them. One of the tips was to play games like Memory and Go Fish with the words. I bought a package of index cards at Walgreens and made two cards for each word. What I found was that the index cards were a bit too big for these games. When we played Memory, the cards took up too much room on the table. When we tried Go Fish, Bub couldn't manipulate all the cards in his hand.

One easy solution? Take the index cards left in the package, cut each in half, and make a new set of smaller, easier to handle cards.

Feel free to stop reading at this point.

* * *

I got it in my head that it would be so great to play Memory and Go Fish with the sight words if they were on actual playing cards. So, here goes.

Materials Needed: list of sight words appropriate to your child's grade level, computer/printer (though you could handwrite if you wish), full-sheet labels, playing cards, scissors, plastic container

Directions:

1. Type the sight words (each word twice) in a large, easy-to-read font. I used three columns and typed eight words per page, but there may be more efficient ways to arrange your document if you did more measuring.

2. Print on full-sheet labels (these are labels the size of a piece of printer paper -- available at any office store). Cut each word out (tedious).

3. Pull the sticky back off each word off (more tedious) and stick that word on the face of a playing card. Since I did not measure precisely, some words did not fully cover the original face of the card but this does not seem to matter.

4. Shuffle and play Memory with your sight word cards.

Memory is my favorite even though Bub clobbers me every time. And, yes, he has a pencil attached to his shirt collar.

5. Play Go Fish with the sight word cards.

6. Store in a little plastic container (could use the cardboard boxes to sort by level).

Things to Consider:

* if your child's sight words are sorted by quarter or level, you may consider using different colors of ink for each level.

* these sight word cards would be a great way to re-use playing cards from an incomplete deck -- be aware that it might make sense to make sure words from the same quarter/level are adhered to the playing cards from the same deck

* you don't need to throw out the Jokers as they just get covered

* you can buy a two-pack of playing cards at the dollar store for ... a dollar!

* probably best to make playing these games totally optional and not a chore/obligation

Remember that I said you could stop at this (* * *) point? Just checking. There are tons of great ways to learn and review sight words that don't involve cutting and adhering full sheet labels. I'm just sharing something we've had fun with at our house in case the project appeals to you.

I do this kind of stuff because I enjoy this kind of stuff. I think Bub gets a kick out of having the words on actual playing cards, and I don't regret the extra time and effort it took to assemble them. Bub and I both genuinely enjoy playing cards with the sight words. When the second quarter began, Bub knew all the second quarter words (NTB) just from playing these games a couple times a week.

Fun and learning together? Win-Win. I'll play those cards. Deal me in. I'll bet on that. A winning combination however you shuffle the deck. Okay, I'm stopping now.

Any sight word tips or success stories in your house?

What Rhymes with Lame?

2011-11-06T21:45:00.012-06:00

Here's another round of the Favorite Game:

Favorite New Television Show
New Girl starring Zooey Deschanel

Favorite New Christmas Album I Haven't Even Heard Yet
A Very She & Him Christmas ("She" of this duo is Zooey Deschanel)

Favorite Variety of Chobani Greek Yogurt
2% Pineapple

Favorite "Female Story" I've Read
My bloggy friend Dusty's post "The Best/Worst 'Female' Story You Will Ever Read"

Favorite Books Read in October 2011
Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang and Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad

Favorite Male Television Personalities
Tom Bergeron and Regis Philbin

Favorite Class/Program for Young Children
Music Together

Favorite Blog Tag Line
Wendi Aaron's "they're not all gems" (seems quite applicable to this post)

LEAST Favorite Candy Bars (had to tweak category since I am abstaining from candy)
KitKat, Three Musketeer, Nestle Crunch, Hershey's

That's it for now. I'm finding it trickier to come up with categories in which I have clear favorites than I thought. Feel free to offer your own answers in the categories above and/or additional categories for consideration.

Pretty Perfect Morning

2011-11-05T21:07:00.011-05:00

Sweet P was up and at 'em early ... so I took the early train into the city and caught the sunrise.And on that train, I read this book and laughed aloud at least five times.
When the train arrived in Chicago, I walked the almost-empty streets and enjoyed the rare freedom of having no stroller to push and no little hands to hold.
Then all of a sudden on that almost-empty street, I crossed paths with two of my sister LAP's good college friends. LAP's roommate's son took a picture so we had a record of this happy, surprise meeting. They were headed to run in the Hot Chocolate Race.
As they headed toward their race, I kept walking but paused to admire the Chicago River.
Then I walked into that Hot Chocolate Race. And guess what? I needed to cross that street. I'll wait it out, I thought, surely the runners can't keep coming forever. Twenty minutes later, I got up enough nerve to Frogger my way across the road. No one was injured, and I felt strangely exhilarated.
A little more walking, and I knocked on the door of the hotel room of one of my very favorite people in the whole world. I captured this city view from the room's window as she dried her hair and we talked in that very comfortable way you talk with someone who already knows you and loves you and appreciates you just the way you are.
Then we walked a bit to earn our tasty breakfast. Matching bowls of oatmeal, Diet Coke, and the croissant (which we split). And more talking.
Then some browsing and some analysis: Kit's scooter? Bitty Baby or Bitty Twin? Does Julie indeed have a pet rabbit? We gave each other the nudges we needed to give Santa some help. Then we got in a cab, met her hubby back at the hotel, and loaded up their sleigh.

Pretty good picture for a parking garage backdrop. A few pretty, perfect hours with a pretty stinking awesome friend.

That was my Saturday morning. And yours?

Sippy Cup Chapel

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

I promise that not every post will mention Pinterest, but here's a photograph of an old prayer that has been pinned by me, my sister, and a dear friend.

There are many moments in each day when it would be good for me (and thus for my kiddos) to pause and offer this prayer. There's certainly weariness, confusion, and noise to spare around here. I know my eyes are not always "gentle and smiling" but perhaps they will be tomorrow.

A few weeks ago, I printed this prayer and taped inside a cabinet door. It's the cabinet with the shelf that houses the children's cups. Several times a day, I stand at this cabinet trying to match cups with lids and keep track of who wants what. Regular milk in big boy cup with straw? Got it. Water with ice in a sippy but no, not in that one but that other one? Done. Can I have a sprite? No. I changed my mind and want chocolate now? Too late, well okay, actually not. Don't spill. Who needs more ketchup?

Anyway, since I stand there so often, especially at mealtimes when confusion, noise, and disorder are high, I taped the prayer there. I'm hoping it will remind me to pause and find patience, perspective, and joy in the moment.

What have you or would you like to tape inside your cabinets?

Pinteresting

2011-11-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here's a job I would like: Pinteresting. I would sit at the computer uninterrupted for an hour each morning, with a chilled Diet Coke and some delightful carb by my side, and pin things on Pinterest. Maybe I could be trusted with an important client project like "Pin all the best ideas for a nautical themed birthday party for a two year-old boy" or perhaps I would just be so admired as a pinner that I could pin and categorize whatever struck my fancy. Then, I'd go about my day as usual, taking care of the kids, doing school pick-up, heading to the park, making lunches, etc. At around 1:00 p.m., after Sweet P goes down for her nap, someone would come in and clean up the kitchen and family room, transition the laundry and occupy the boys for about ninety minutes while I got out my glue gun, paint, oil drip pan (yes, really), and ribbon and got to town turning my Pinterest dreams into realities. Actually, since I won't be beaten down by the thrice daily tidying of the kitchen, I will have the patience to let the boys join me in Pinteresting.

Some of you are nodding your heads like, "Oh, yes, I hear you MEP. I also am addicted to Pinterest and want to apply for a job as a pinner too."

Others are all, "What the hell is Pinterest?"

It's an online home for every recipe, design idea, craft project, gorgeous photograph, handy tip, inspiring quotation, or party plan you've ever been tempted to rip out of a magazine (and obsessively sort and save in binders you rarely open -- wait, that might just be me). Since all the cool stuff is there, you just "pin it" on virtual boards in categories of your choice. If your friends are on Pinterest, you can see what they're pinning and "repin" their cool finds. I love seeing what my friends pin and it makes me happy to think that so many people are seeking inspiration and outlets for creativity.

So, here's a recent example of Pinteresting at Casa MEP.

I repinned a friend's link to this template for a beautiful thumbprint tree, intended to be a wedding guestbook (guests place thumbs in ink to make leaves for the tree). The tree was meant to be printed out large-scale, but I cropped the image (did not need the text on bottom for my project) and pasted it into a word document and sized it as I wished.

I then threw the ink pads on the kitchen table and said, "Go to town, peeps!" Ha! I hovered a bit and strongly suggested they not use the blue ink and only the purple very sparingly because "don't we want our trees to look Fall-like and beautiful?"

Luckily, the boys ignored me and did their own thing.
Bub made a fist and pressed the whole side of his hand on the ink pad to create a flaming maple type effect. Love it.
Little Bit used the same fist trick and was drawn to the very blue and purple ink I had strongly suggested they avoid. The result -- a lovely, twilight effect behind his tree.
Sweet P needed a little help getting her small digits pressed into the ink far enough, but she caught on and enjoyed herself.
I typed each child's name and the season and year before printing. I think if I did it again though, I'd have handwritten those details in the corner to make the trees seem more like the pieces of beautiful art that they are.
I loved the final result so much that I popped them into some inexpensive frames from Michael's and cleaned off the mantle so I could display them.

New plan is to come up with a creative take on Thanksgiving and then Christmas to rotate into the frames. I think I might stick with digit prints for now and will, of course, search Pinterest for ideas. It will be tough though, to switch things out, because looking at the autumn fingerprint trees is making me so, so happy.

What about you? Do you Pinterest?

And, what are you waiting for? Follow the link above to the tree template and get cracking!

What's in a day?

2011-11-02T06:00:00.002-05:00

My dear friend E... recently wrote about a day when she cried over spilled milk, a day when she asked herself, "Where has this day gone? Any why can't I accomplish anything, except walk around in the ten foot path between the kitchen table and sink?"

I have those mom days too. Days frittered away in a haze of cleaning up the kitchen, begging the boys to pick up the Magna Tiles and then doing it myself, wrestling my Sweet P for diaper changes, settling arguments, preparing meals that I am embarrassed that my kids eat, and, sadly, getting so caught up in trying to create some order around this place that I'm less mom and more worker drudge.

As a mom and an individual, I want to be loving, energetic, fun, creative, attentive and, most of all, present. I'm doing the best I can.

One quality about myself that I have come to appreciate is my hopefulness and my faith in my own ability to grow, change, improve, evolve ... whatever you want to call it. I like thinking about the projects I want to accomplish (Pinterest -- I heart you), the books in my to-read pile, the recipes yet to be tried, the notes to be written, the exercise plans to be implemented, the fun stuff to be experienced and enjoyed with my husband and kids. I wake up many mornings, especially Mondays, thinking maybe this will be the day that I figure out how to do it all. Not sure that day will come and have certainly had many days that end in frustrated, brain dead, semi-exhaustion ...

But I still have hope for what each new day might bring. For what I might bring to that day.

With that in mind, I share with you a few glimpses of a new favorite children's book, one that would, in my opinion, make a better graduation gift than Oh, The Places You'll Go (though, that's a good one). What human being of any age or stage couldn't use a little inspiration regarding the value of a day?

Cynthia Rylant is one of my very favorite children's authors. I've given her book Give Me Grace as a baby gift many times and love reading the the rhyming prayers for each day to my kids.

In addition to Rylant's eloquent and inspiring text, I love Nikki McClure's illustrations in this book, which she created by drawing images on black paper and cutting them out with an X-Acto knife.

I love how simple the palette is: black, yellow, beautiful blue/gray.

I almost get chills here with "A day is all you have to be, it's all you get to keep."

How can you argue with that?

Okay, find a copy of this book so you can enjoy and be inspired by the whole thing. Then, buy some copies for people you love.

And go fill today up with you.

Disclaimer: I checked this book out of my local library. I was not compensated for this post. I will be buying copies of All in a Day as part of new baby gift bundles.

Same old story, but with a sweet(less) twist

2011-10-31T21:59:00.014-05:00

Okay, I'm not fishing for compliments. I think I look fine (not fine as in "Oh, Mickey, you're so fine" but fine). I've looked better. I've looked worse. I'm not anywhere near crisis mode about my personal appearance. That being said, I like to be able to button my jeans and pants and still feel like I can breathe. If possible, I like to put some jeans on and not have excessive spillage of the muffin top variety.

If you find that a good three-fourths of the pants in your closet are feeling too snug for comfort, one solution is to purchase some new bottoms. And, yes, I did that.

But I was also considering another common solution to the breath-constricting-pants problem: lose a few pounds.

In an ideal world, I would combine good (or even just reasonable) food choices and some exercise and kiss those pounds goodbye. But whenever I think of weight loss, my mind does not head straight to "balance and moderation." I think: I need some rules. I need a program. I need a plan.

I have a legal document box full of diet books that could attest to how well this train of thinking has panned out for me. And yet.

And yet, a few weeks ago, I found myself reading this book.

Not too bad as diet books go. Indeed, the author's suggestion for transitioning back to normal-non-diet eating after weight loss made a lot of sense to me. I had the feeling that if I could stick with the program, I could lose five or ten pounds and maybe keep it off.

But here's the thing, even if I possibly could stick with the program, I don't freaking want to. I got about three-fourths of the way through the book, flipped through the recipes and menu suggestions in the back and thought, "MEP, who are you kidding, you are not going to make yourself a fancy French pancake out of egg whites, yogurt, and oat bran every day." No, just no. NO.

I don't want to make that galette every day. I don't want to give up my obvious carby friends or slowly introduce vegetables and fruits back into my life after a period of eating lean, almost-pure proteins. I really enjoy the varieties of Greek yogurt with fruit on the bottom, but I am unwilling to buy into a lifestyle that considers such yogurts to be treats. I'm not saying this diet couldn't work or that it's bad or crazy (I've definitely read and tried worse). I'm just saying, I'm not interested. And yet.

And yet I do need some rules. I do do best with a little structure. So I came up with one rule that I thought I could follow and that might make a difference.

Stop eating candy.

Yes, I'm thirty-six years old, and I am on a no-candy diet.

No reaching into the hiding spot thirty times a day for some peanut butter M&M's. No buying Reese's Pieces at the checkout at CVS or Jewel or Walgreens or Home Depot. No eating a miniature Snickers for dessert ... after breakfast. No eating whatever other candy crosses my path--even if it's just a dum dum here or a Skittle stuck in a car seat there--just because it's there. Not no candy forever because I really love candy. Just no candy for now.

And, guess what, three weeks now with no candy and I think it's helping. Our scale needs a new battery so I can't get that kind of progress check, but my pants are a bit looser, despite having had access to two birthday cakes and a container of extra homemade buttercream frosting. As it happens, when you make one good choice, you are kind of motivated to make others. Sure, I ate some cake and frosting, but it could have been worse.

I had plenty of opportunity to make poor choices or start a bender while passing out Halloween candy, but I didn't and it wasn't even that hard. So now I feel kind of strong and proud of myself, NTB.

So, there you have it, thirty-six years old and on a no-candy diet. For now.

Before you know it, I will even be exercising twenty minutes a day.

Baby steps, you know, steps the size of peanut butter M&Ms.

Any M&M-sized or King-Sized Reese's steps you're taking to achieve or maintain a healthy weight? Please share in the comments.

Notice the badge in my sidebar? I'm going to make my annual attempt to participate in NaBloPoMo, the nationwide movement of bloggers who pledge to post every day in November. Please check back and comment if you have the time. I'd love the encouragement, especially as I've had difficulty making time for blogging this Fall. Thanks!

The places you will be from ...

2011-08-23T22:37:00.027-05:00

I'm back. I've missed you. Here's a quick recap: I cleaned our house for a thousand (slight exaggeration) showings this summer and then packed up a thousand place settings of Fiestaware (again, slight exaggeration, but I do have an obsession), a thousand books (accurate), and everything else we own so that we could finally, finally move to one of Chicago's Western suburbs. We have been wishing and hoping and cleaning and dreaming and praying that we could make this move for two years now. We're here.

Yep, we're here. There's work to be done, but we look forward to doing it (or saving enough money to have it done--baby steps). We're happy. We're healthy. We have some more room (if one steps around the boxes, toys, and strewn packing materials) to breathe.

We are thankful for the past decade in Chicago, and we look forward to the next chapter.

All is well. The ending and the beginning.

I will miss our street in Lakeview, but not hanging out in the van during showings and not the heinous apartment building across the street (see far left).

I will miss this view, glimpsed from our pediatricians' office. Not everyone gets this view with their amoxicillin prescription, and I appreciated it.

I will also miss this view from the boys' Lil Sluggers class. Lake Shore Drive high rises in one direction and the lake shore itself in the other. I have great memories of long walks along the lakefront during my first two years in Chicago -- back when I woke up after 9:00 a.m. and still listened to my audiobooks on cassette tapes.

And how about those Lil Sluggers?

Even though our new community has a super sweet, well-stocked, fresh-smelling, beautiful library, I will miss my "home" branches of the Chicago Public Library. Sulzer, Uptown, Lincoln/Belmont, I'm talking to you.

And I'll miss the free museum passes you can check out at the Chicago Public Library to go places such as . . .

The Nature Museum

The Museum of Science and Industry

The Adler Planetarium

Seriously, look at the skyline view from the Museum Campus.

And look at the little beach behind the Planetarium that it took me ten years to find.

The library's free museum passes helped get us out of the house during several showings this summer. Better at a museum than at our other "showing safe haven."

That's right, Target. To be honest, I won't miss my Target. I've been there on too many super hot or super cold days, hoping to find some refuge for me and the kids. We'll just get some stuff on our list, get something to eat, pass some time, I tell myself. And we do, but only after I've spent money on crap I don't need, called out/yelled for Little Bit fifty times, and possibly sprinted to locate him. We won't even talk about Bub's favorite Target Cafe snack (cinnamon sugar pretzel dipped in ten packets of mustard, yep). Okay, I'm finished now. I won't miss my Target or the way city living forced (?) me to return there time and time again. Makes me feel sad. [Note: I chose this photo of Target because the boys always run to the doors, even when the path is icy or covered in puddles.]

I will miss my Wrigley McDonald's big time -- this photo taken from its drive-thru window! How will I ever make it without my go-to spot for $1 large DC's?

And the Southport Jewel. It took me a while to warm to this Jewel, but the store won my heart. I grew to love it when it was the small and slightly grubby store affectionately called "The Little Jewel" at our house. I continued to be a fan after it was knocked down, closed for a year, and then rebuilt to become "The New Jewel." The Jewel employees at Little and now New Jewel are the best ever. Seriously. I'm tearing up. I'll miss my Southport CVS too, but I forgot to take a photo. Oops.

My whole family will miss St. Andrew, our church and school community. Kind of an ugly day to snap a photo of a place that has been a source of light for us. We'll miss our friends there -- many kind, down-to-earth, fun-loving families.

And our little house? The one we were so proud to buy back in 2005. The one whose front door opened to many friends and family visitors over six years. The one we thought would be good for one or maybe two kids and ended up housing three. The one with the nice moldings and the quirky layout. The one with the big tree and the "huge backyard" featured in the photo. I will miss our house. I will miss the feeling of getting a little one settled for the night and pausing on the landing (where above photo was taken) for a moment of peace and a glimpse of our little corner of the larger world. At this moment, I feel like I'll remember everything about our little house in the big city.

But I don't know what my kids will remember. Chicago(land) has been my home for almost ten years now, but it will never be "where I'm from." What struck me as I was crafting this post is that our new house and community is the place that my kids will identify as where they're from. And then I thought of the lines from the late nineties classic "Closing Time" about "the places you will be from" and how "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Will be from. Some other beginning's end. Cheesy as hell, I know, but once I thought of the song, I could not not include it. I won't stretch the song lyrics much farther, except to say that I hope we'll all find some friends.

There's more that could be said about the other beginning's end and this new beginning, but I'll just leave it at so far, so good.

Any new beginnings or ends for you this summer? How did you spend my blogging hiatus? I need updates please!

Note: All photos taken on my phone.

Parenting Truth #1

2011-06-26T22:54:00.004-05:00

Context: Helping one's child put his/her shoes on.

Truth: If you hold up the right shoe in preparation of easing it on, the child will lift his left foot. If you offer the left shoe, the child will lift her right foot.

Artsy and Fartsy

2011-06-13T22:04:00.006-05:00

Looking for some summer fun that doesn't involve Tom and Jerry, Max and Ruby, or Phineas and Ferb?

Check out Canvastic, where your child can create works of art that can be saved and/or printed. There's even a place to add commentary. Bub the artiste, age five, named all of his pieces but the first, and I typed in his titles verbatim.

I'm going to let Bub's work speak for itself. I ask that you respond to his creations as a supporter of the arts and not as a therapist.

I admit I was a little worried about Bub during the two minute pistachio and brown phase, but he seems to have pulled himself out of it.

Any favorite web sites of the children in your life? Would you like me to send any of Bub's creations to you, free of charge, in an email attachment? Signed prints are also available upon request. Anyone? Anyone?

Disclaimer: No one from Canvastic compensated me for this post. I found the site when Bub asked me to find him a place "to do drawing on the computer." There are ads on the free version I linked to, but I can honestly say that Bub expressed no interested in heading to JoS. A. BANK (the largest ad) after creating his masterpieces.

Clowns to the left of me! Jokers to the right!

2011-05-23T11:04:00.011-05:00

Stuck in the middle with you.

Our little, middle guy is having some tough days lately. There's the daily battle to get him dressed as he screeches and cries, "No, I wan wear jammies."

There's his new obsession with turning off the television whenever big brother Bub is watching something. Cue screeching, screaming, and cries of "Moo-oom, he _______!"

There's the running around in circles once we've gone upstairs to settle down for night-night.

There's his habit of "accidentally" knocking over, kicking, and tripping his little sister Sweet P.

There's the running far away from me at Target, Jo-Ann Fabric, and Jewel ... even when just as we've entered each store, he's looked up at me sweetly and promised, "I stay close, Mom. I stay close you."

There's the schtick where he folds his arms across his chest, sticks out his lower lip, and announces in manner of an obnoxious sitcom kid, "Not fair. It not fair." If I ask him to clarify what's not fair, he answers, "You!"

There are the screeching and screaming fits that come seemingly out of nowhere and are resistant to logic and even to kindness and patience.

He'll turn three next month. I'm in the camp of parents who think the threes are potentially more terrible than the twos so perhaps his tough days can be attributed, in part, to his age.

Circumstances are probably also a factor. It's been a long "sprinter" (term for winter-like spring conditions), and he's been cooped up too much. Plus, he's been cooped up in a house that's for sale and always needs to be "close" to show-ready. His mama is tired and short on patience these days.

And, of course, he's our little, middle guy. Our daily and weekly schedules are dictated by Bub's school schedule, Bub's t-ball practices and games, and Sweet P's naps. Our Little Bit goes with the flow pretty well ... until he doesn't. I don't want to pin everything on birth order, but I imagine he does feel stuck in the middle sometimes, wondering, What about me?

Earlier in the spring when Sweet P was learning to walk, my hubby would stand her up so she could practice walking between us. Little Bit, desperate for his own attention, would swoop in, block her, and say, "Look me. Look me. Look I walking!" So we would humor him and clap, "Yes, good, good for you. You ARE walking, just as you have been for almost two years now. Way to go!"

Our little, middle guy is our biggest cuddle bug. He will crawl up on my lap, give me a hug, and say, "I love you too, Mommy." It's the too that gets me every time. I hope it indicates that my "I love you" to him is always understand, but my heart breaks that he always seems to need just a little bit more reassurance.

Little Bit climbs into our bed at some point every night. Sometimes hubby hauls him back to his own bed, but a lot of nights we leave him. In the morning, he wakes up between me and his daddy. Sometimes we will both snuggle him and kiss his cheeks at the same time. His eyes light up so big and with such joy that it's worth the discomfort of having been kicked by him for the last hour of fitful sleep.

He is a lovable little guy. With his angelic face and his big, blue eyes, I don't know if there is a boy who looks any sweeter when freshly-scrubbed and in his jammies.

And he's funny too. His passion for Star Wars and lightsabers is still fiery. He's invented a new game called Hide-n-Seek Lightsabers. The hider and the seeker are both armed with lightsabers. As the seeker seeks, he has to say, "I have a bad feeling about this." Cracks me up every time to hear Little Bit say that. When seeker finds hider, a battle ensues. Sometimes, two lightsabers cannot be located and Little Bit is quick to improvise, "It okay. I use the Force."

He likes to dance and shakes his little hips.

He's learned a couple of prayers and songs at school and his attempts to share them at home are stinking adorable.

He's taken a fancy to the younger sister of one of Bub's friends and calls her his girlfriend. "My girlfriend be there? My girlfriend be at t-ball?"

He used the potty exactly enough times to earn the red lightsaber I promised him as an incentive and then promptly stopped.

He eats his own dinner every evening and then eats a second meal with me and Daddy a couple of hours later. He's so proud whenever he tries a new food, "I like it, Mom. I like it!"

He asks me to take his picture all the time. I'm happy to oblige. One day my little, middle guy will be dressing himself, hearing "no" without throwing himself on the floor, staying at home all by himself while I shop at Target alone, and sleeping in his own bed past nine or even ten o' clock in the morning. I'll look at those pictures and only have slightly blurry memories of the screeching and the crying and the battling and the mess-making.

I don't know if birth order is a crock or not. I'm the oldest in my family and don't know firsthand what it feels like to be "stuck in the middle." I'm not doubting the pain of the experience, just wishing I knew better how to make his tough days less so. I guess just summon all the patience and energy I have and keep telling him and showing him how much he is loved.

I love you too, Little Bit. So, so, much that it's not fair. You're stuck in the middle and you're stuck with me and Daddy. So there.

Any middle children out there? Any wisdom to add? Grievances to air?

A Visit to the Bookstore (don't snore)

2011-05-10T22:10:00.005-05:00

Way back in my early twenties, I lived in three different houses/apartments over the course of four years, all less than a five-minute walk from the bookstore named on the bag above. It was one of my happy places.* I spent many satisfying evenings browsing the bargain books set out on tables outside and inspecting the new releases inside and to the right. The store hosts author readings and book signings several nights a week, and my dear friend and fellow booklover E... and I were regular attendees, often buying the featured author's book when we felt sorry for him/her that the reading was not better attended. (Side Note: these days, the thought of conjuring pity for someone who had actually finished and then published a book seems kind of comical.) I also enjoyed many meals in the book store's cafe, including a Beef Wellington special that still comes to mind on cold winter evenings.

When I taught a high school elective course called "Bestsellers" (basically, a course devoted to reading for pleasure, not necessarily to reading bestsellers), I took my students on a field trip to this bookstore. Can we pause for a moment to appreciate the fact that I was able to gain permission for the students and I to take a school bus to this bookstore, enjoy a tour and browsing, and then walk across the street for a pizza party in my home before taking the school bus back? That really happened.

Anyway, I love this bookstore but had not visited for years. When I was back in the Cincinnati area with my kids during Bub's spring break, E... and I were planning to get together and decided to meet up at the bookstore for browsing and dinner. We had the most lovely time, making our way through the store, discussing books, considering purchases, and making each other laugh ("a coastal knitters mystery"--that is funny). The last time we had walked through that store together and shared in a meal in that cafe we were young, unmarried high school teachers. Now we are wives and mothers (three children each)--older, wiser, tired-er. The opportunity to be alone with a dear friend and surrounded by books was especially delicious and worth savoring.

I haven't followed all of the reports because I live out of town, but I am pretty sure that my favorite bookstore is in or near bankruptcy. I am hopeful that the store can be salvaged somehow. Admittedly, I do most of my book shopping online these days. Taking my brood into a bookstore is not even a little bit relaxing. Truth be told, I also have a hard time paying full price for a new hardback when I know I can get it for free at the library or for 30% off online. Like so many others, I hate the idea that bookstores are becoming endangered species but do enjoy discounts and, more and more, enjoy ebooks and audiobooks (though, to be clear, I do still buy traditional books and pray that I will always have that option). I also read more reviews than I used to and find that I am seeking out particular titles and authors these days, whereas in the past I tended to browse and take chances.

I tried to do my part to support bookstores that evening and thought you might like to see my purchases.

The books were mostly bargain books:

Street Gang by Michael Davis is a history of Sesame Street that I read a review of years ago and had been wanting to check out.

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton was purchased because, as often happens for me in the bargain book section, I liked the title and cover.

I made one non-bargain book selection (discounted paperback). I had read many positive reviews of Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, which has since time of purchase won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Not too shabby.

Having devoted six years of my life to researching female friendship, I had to pick up the bargain edition of Friendship Poems since I am diligently continuing my research (when I am not working out). Ahem.

I haven't read any of the books yet, but it's always a happy, hopeful feeling to know there are books waiting to be enjoyed.

I also bought this beautiful collection of cardinal notecards by the late Charley Harper. I am obsessed with cardinals and knew nothing of Charley Harper until I saw these notecards. I have since pored over a website selling Charley Harper prints with the hope that I will someday have a new home in which to feature one or two.

And, in the name of supporting independent bookstores, I also purchased some baby gifts and dinner. Just trying to do my part.

My book buying habits may make for snoring-boring reading (sorry), but I am interested in the topic and would love to know if others' habits have changed over the years as mine have. Have yours? Where do you get your books? How often do you visit bookstores? Do you have a favorite one? Any recent bookstore purchases worth sharing? Are you a sucker for the bargain book section? Please share in the comments.

*Other happy places of that time period include: Graeter's in Hyde Park Square, the "World's Greatest Don Pablos Ever", Bruegger's Bagels, Arthur's patio, the audiobook section of the Oakley Branch of the Cincinnati Public Library, and the now-closed Phar-Mor. I basically could list every eatery in the area, but I will stop for now.

Can you hear it? That RETAIL BEAT?!

2011-04-27T21:06:00.010-05:00

It's been far too long since I've offered a new edition of The Retail Beat. Given that these endless days of April rain don't make for happy blog fodder (unless you like whining), I've opted to share some recent favorite products we are enjoying Casa MEP. It may be wet at the playground, but it's generally dry inside the grocery store.

Here goes:

Hot and Sweet Mustard from Trader Joe's: It's hot. It's sweet. I find it adds a pleasant zing to my sandwiches. And if a pretzel happened to fall into some of this mustard, well, I'd be happy to rescue that pretzel.

Breakstone's Zesty Blends Roasted Garlic & Herb Sour Cream: First, roast some potatoes. Then, dip them in this sour cream. Repeat. Potato chips would do in a pinch. This "zesty blend" was a recent and pleasant discovery at the Jewel. I also noted that there was a Chipotle blend, and I think I remember seeing a Jalapeno one as well. Was BOGO the day I was there, NTB, so I bought one of the roasted garlic and one plain reduced-fat.

Method Wood for Good: If you are lucky enough to have a dining room table that is used daily for meals and snacks and doubles as a "home office" for two adults, you might find yourself needing to wipe that table down multiple times a day. That chore is a pleasure with Method Wood for Good. Feels more cleaning-ish than typical, foamy dusting spray and has the most awesome almond scent that even my husband has favorably commented upon. I buy mine at Target, but I think other stores carry Method as well.

WARNING!!!! I am a big fan of Method cleaning products, but I recently tried two different varieties of the Antibac cleaner. I'm usually in the "if you can't say anything nice ..." camp, but in case any of you go hunting down Wood for Good, I want to suggest you skip the Antibac. It probably gets things very clean and sanitizes well and all, but it does NOT smell good. I like cleaning products to smell good.

Let's get back to food now.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread: A facebook friend mentioned her love for this product in a status update, and I knew I'd have to track it down. Lucky for me, Trader Joe's is five minutes from my house and one minute from Bub's school. This peanut butter cream cheese is delicious. Dip some pretzel twists in it, and you have an ideal sweet and salty snack. I made some brownies last week and covered them with chocolate frosting. When, as I was falling asleep that night, I realized that I could have covered them in a layer of peanut butter cream cheese and then the frosting, I wanted to kick myself. Next time.

Ben and Jerry's Late Night Snack: I don't watch late-night television so I missed the announcement of this Jimmy Fallon-inspired ice cream. I heard about it at the hair salon, checked for it every grocery store trip for five weeks, and finally found it this past weekend. Let me walk you through it: vanilla bean ice cream, salted caramel swirls, and chunks of chocolate-covered potato chip. Get. Right. Out. Of. Town.

On a semi-related topic, I'm curious to know if anyone has a "healthy lifestyle" plan that is working for them these days?* And, of course, any favorite things in your house? Please share in the comments.

*Moderation does not tend to work for me. I need some rules.

DISCLAIMER: I paid for all of these products with my own money and am writing about them because I thought you might be interested. I was not asked to write about them or compensated in any way to endorse them.

Sleep Seminar: The "Crick-quel"

2011-04-18T21:20:00.012-05:00

Back in the fall, I offered my readers a comprehensive instructional guide for getting 5-6 (non-consecutive) total hours of (semi) restful sleep each night. If you are seeking to cut back on your sleep, you might consider revisiting that post.

These days, I am getting 6-7 hours* of sleep, NTB, so I'm going to shift focus to sleep quality for today's guide.

How to Make Sure Your Sleep Is As Uncomfortable As Possible While Also Questioning Your Own Sanity

1. Buy a home with newly-installed Berber-style carpet in the bedrooms in a shade of "practically white." Admire how clean and fresh it is and how spacious it makes the rooms seem. (If you are not in the position to buy a home right now, you will need to install some of this carpet).

2. Make sure the carpet gets walked upon daily. Keep your shoes on as you walk up and down the steps, for example. Also, for those areas that don't get foot traffic (under the bed, in strange corners, etc.), you will have to just ignore the carpet. If you ignore it, a nice, dark layer of dust will accumulate all on its own. Store your vacuum in the basement so that, for several years, it rarely touches the carpet more than twice a month.

3. Have one, two, or three kids. With no urging from you, they will do things like pee on that practically white carpet, smear poop on it, have a bloody nose on it, spit sticky medicine upon it, press mom's pink highlighter on it, or walk on it while wearing shoes.

4. (Optional) Have that carpet professionally cleaned. This step is optional because although it can make the carpet look somewhat better, it can also pull to the surface new stains that you never saw before. Also, it might take three full days to dry, which is rather inconvenient. If you are trying to sell your house, you might conclude that you would have been better off just sucking it up and buying new carpet. Which leads to the next step . . .

5. Buy new carpet. If you don't get it at a big box store, the carpet place might just give you a price that includes moving of furniture (as opposed to Home Depot where they take a picture of each room and you have to tell them what you would like the installers to move so that they can charge you for the number of items moved in each room).

6. Pause to admire the new carpet and the way the installers put everything back in its place. In fact, tell the owner of the carpet place how delighted you were with Francisco the installer and his helper. Assume that anything that was disassembled during the installation was reassembled. You may even pause and think to yourself, "Wow, I would hate to take apart a sleigh bed, but I guess those guys do it all the time."

7. Given Step 6, proceed as usual. Allow your children to jump and wrestle on your bed every evening while Daddy changes out of his work clothes. Allow one or more of your children to migrate into that bed for a portion of each night.

8. Start waking up with a very sore neck. Complain that you have a very limited range of motion in your neck and a great deal of pain. Repeatedly use the phrase "crick in my neck" or even "this is beyond a 'crick in my neck.'" Your partner may support you with murmurs of concern.

9. (Optional) Try to change up your pillow arrangement and sleeping position. This step is optional because these adjustments will do little to improve the pain.

10. Start suggesting that something may not be right with the bed. After a couple of weeks your partner might reluctantly agree that, yes, something is awry and, in fact, he feels as if the mattress is sinking toward the middle.

11. What he will find is that the carpet installers placed the three wooden cross beams on the bed's frame, but neglected to position the supports that go under them. (If you want to Make Sure Your Sleep Is As Uncomfortable As Possible While Also Questioning Your Own Sanity without installing new carpet, simply skip straight to this step and DIY or hire someone to remove or otherwise adjust the supports on your bed so that your mattress is receiving the least amount of support possible while still raised from the ground).

12. Spend a couple of weeks trying to have a good attitude. "Yes, how nice that our mattress is being supported again. Indeed, how lucky that no one was truly harmed." Try to ignore the fact that you (but not your partner) is still waking up feeling uncomfortable and sore.

13. Once you realize that you no longer like getting into your bed, it is time to start saying things like, "I feel as if I am going to slide off my side of the bed. I'm waking up sore every morning from trying to overcorrect/cling to the bed each night."

14. Your partner may say something along the lines of, "I fixed the bed already" or even, "I've double-checked and those supports are still in place."

15. Spend a week wondering if you perhaps are crazy. Then, you have a couple of choices.

If you want to continue with uncomfortable sleep and concerns about your own sanity, choose 15a) do nothing but complain and wonder what is wrong with you, not what is wrong with your bed

If you want to start making sure that the 6-7 hours you spend in your bed are comfortable, choose 15b) have an emotional breakdown about the length and quality of your sleep until your husband agrees to give the bed another once-over, realizes the frame on your side was not properly reassembled, tests it out and admits that one does really almost fall off your side of the bed, and then fixes it.

Again, you're welcome. Any tips for uncomfortable sleep or ways/reasons to think one is crazy? Please share in the comments.

*late-night housecleaning for showings helps me keep my numbers lean!

Bibs

2011-04-05T21:18:00.011-05:00

Here are a few of the things I want my Sweet P to know about herself at one year old.

Here goes, girlie:

You growl and so we sometimes call you Darth Vadar.

As of recently, you can climb up on the couch. You're also fast on the stairs.

You love to open the drawers next to the dishwasher and pull out all the kiddie bowls, plates, and utensils.

You also love throwing containers of baby food around and removing their plastic lids.

You are a Messy Bessy when you eat -- favorite foods are blueberries and french fries -- and meal time is sometimes frustrating for your mama. So far you are not into cake, which is shocking.

Today, your birthday, you are being treated for an ear infection and pink eye.

You take an antibiotic every single night due to a kidney reflux issue, but it should work itself out a few months from now.

Sunday mass starts about forty-five minutes after the time when you would normally start napping. The highlight of Daddy's week, I suspect, is holding you in the back of church while you fall asleep on his shoulder.

You are a girl of many nicknames. Sweet P on the blog. So many more at home. Most commonly: Bibs.

You like your snacks, especially crackers and those Gerber freeze-dried yogurt thingies.

Your big brothers love you so much and sometimes forgot how little you are. You don't help matters by trying to jump in on the scrapping and wrestling (while growling).

When you hear music, you flap your arms up and down. We think you're going to love to dance.

You can stand on your own, but you're not walking quite yet.

You like pretty much any toy, as long as you can taste it first.

You tend to look slightly disheveled and often have your hair in your eyes. You've got lots of cute bows, but you like to rip them right on out.

Your eyes are blue for good and that dark hair of yours has turned light.

You have seven teeth already and show them often when you smile.

You were a better sleeper at two months than you are a twelve months. Since you sleep about ten feet from Mommy and Daddy, we have a hard time letting you cry. Your days of nighttime meetings--usually two, URGH--with mommy are numbered, girlie.

You have a lively, fun spirit and you laugh a lot.

You should also know how ridiculously proud and puffed up Daddy and I get when we take you out in the world and see others responding to your smiles and cheeks and bright eyes.

You've been everywhere with me this past year -- Mommy and Sweet P at the Jewel, on a walk, out to lunch, at showers and parties and weddings -- and I can't readily think of a single instance when you were exceedingly fussy or unhappy. I can't thank you enough for giving me this chance to finally know how it feels to be a confident, semi-wise, semi-relaxed mom of a happy, content baby. Really, thank you. I needed that.

Each night, we pray in thanksgiving for the gift of you and ask that God keep you safe, happy, healthy and strong.

You are so very loved.

There are more good times ahead, sweet girl, and many more years to go. Thanks for making this past year so wonderful.

Brand new . . .

Around six months . . .

Nice little Tuesday . . .

2011-04-04T13:41:00.016-05:00

If you've never been to Newport, Rhode Island, you should totally go. The town is full of amazing coastal views and beautiful, historical homes. I've visited twice and enjoyed every second.

And, guess what . . .

If you've never been to Newport, Kentucky, you should totally go there too. Growing up just outside of Cincinnati, I don't remember crossing the Ohio River all that often, at least not until I was old enough to visit the restaurants and bars on "the Kentucky side." I'm not sure about the timeline of the changes and renewal in Newport, but the town has a lot to offer right now. As part of our Cincinnati Spring Break last week, the kids and I had a great little Tuesday in Newport, Kentucky.

Our first stop was the Newport Aquarium.

The kids waited patiently for The Penguin Parade.

I guess it was unreasonable for me to expect to see penguins waddling across the carpet, but honestly, that's what I wanted. The penguins on push carts were perhaps not worth the wait, but ah well . . .

We weren't the only spring breakers at the Aquarium last Tuesday, but my mom overheard another group saying, "We're going to head to the big penguin exhibit first and beat the crowd." So we followed that group.

We had the penguin exhibit practically to ourselves, and we all loved it. Little Bit kept waving and saying, "Hi Pen-gens, Hi Pen-gens!" Bub was doing a sort of swimming/dancing motion against the glass. Grammy later named the penguins her favorite part of the aquarium.

Having visited the penguins first, we found ourselves going against the flow (pun intended), which worked out well. We enjoyed several exhibits in a quiet, non-crowded environment until we finally met up with the flow. It got a little tough wading (another pun, I'm on a roll) through the sea (NTB) of bodies and strollers with three little ones and our own stroller, but there were plenty of cool sights.

Little Bit and especially Bub were into everything. They had an opportunity to pet sharks but could not quite bring themselves to do it. Bub did touch (for a fraction of a second) a stingray, a snail, and a starfish. Pretty pleased with himself. I thought aquarium admission was a bit steep for the size of the facility, but I will say that the boys enjoyed the experience even more than I expected them to at ages almost 3 and 5. All in all, nice little morning.

Then we had to eat. My sister LAP brought my nieces Swiper and Wookie (blog handles, not real names, in case you are concerned) and we headed to Dewey's Pizza. Back in the day, when I was a young single girl in the city, there was only one Dewey's. It was very close to where I lived, and I have fond memories of cozy dinners with girlfriends enjoying the delicious salads and pizzas. Multiple locations now, but it's still so good. Every one ate well at lunch, and the kids enjoyed watching the pizza dough makers.

And, then, wouldn't you know it, there was a guy in the square making balloon animals for tips. So we got some balloon animals. Note that Little Bit asked for a lightsaber -- still obsessed with Star Wars.

Since it was all going so well, we also stopped at the candy store. We were, after all, on vacation.

Even though it was chilly, we had to get some shots of the kids and Grammy in front of part of the Cincinnati skyline. Poor Sweet P, hanging out in the stroller by herself. I need to mention that she was good as gold for the entire outing, NTB.

And then, it was early afternoon and time to head back to Grammy's house. A morning without a single tear or meltdown where we saw cool stuff, ate good stuff, and enjoyed it all and each other.

Nice little Tuesday.

One final bonus, the cost of parking in a garage right next to the aquarium and all the shops, bars, and restaurants? Wait for it . . . $2! I pay $2 to park at the pediatricians' office in Chicago and much more most everywhere else. Woo hoo!

Have you been to either Newport? Any spring break plans this year? Please share in the comments.

Loaves and Pizzas, A Homily

2011-03-21T21:42:00.012-05:00

Years ago, two decades or more, my parish priest used a little anecdote in one of his homilies. It was the story of a married couple. The husband always made his sandwiches and then left the ends of the loaf of bread for his wife to use for hers. For years, she felt bitter and annoyed by this habit, hurt that he left her the crummy ends of bread and took the other, better, fresher pieces for himself. One day she finally confronted him on it. His sincere reply: "The ends are my favorite pieces, the best ones, so I leave them so you can enjoy them."

Sweet, right? Even though one can't help wishing the couple had cleared up their slice preferences many years earlier.

I can't remember what larger lesson about that week's readings the anecdote was meant to illustrate or how the story tied into God's love, Biblical insights, etc. All the same, the anecdote has remained with me for twenty-five years or so.

Hubby and I had a similar moment of revelation over the weekend.

We took the kids to a pizza place they call "Choo Choo" for lunch on Saturday. The kids ordered chicken and fries, as you do at awesome Chicago pizza places. Hubby and I easily settled on sharing a family size salad and a medium thin crust pizza. I happily ate several of the perimeter pieces -- you know, the best ones, with the crispy crust handle. I eventually felt guilty for eating so many of these "good" pieces and decided to grab one from the middle. Hubby says, not unkindly, "Aww, you're taking one of my good middle pieces."

"The good middle pieces?"

"Yes, those are my favorite."

"But I only eat the middle pieces because I feel guilty about hogging so many perimeter pieces."

"I only eat the end pieces to get to the middle pieces."

Seems like we could clarified this point a decade ago, but I have to say, it feels so nice to have that definitively settled and so satisfying to know that our thin crust pizza preferences are complementary.

If I were to craft a homily inspired by this incident and the loaf of bread anecdote, here are the noteworthy lessons and reminders:

Different strokes for different folks. My favorite may not be your favorite. Our own tastes and preferences seem so clear and true that it's easy to forget that others don't share them. I'm glad to be reminded of that.

Guilt? What a waste. I make more choices motivated by guilt than I care to admit. I'm not saying don't regret mistakes or don't try to make things better when you're at fault. I am saying that I am stupid for feeling guilty over things like which pieces of pizza I might possibly be enjoying too many of or how I leave the green jelly beans in the bag for the next sucker.

Communicate. Unlike the couple in the sandwich anecdote, the slice preference thing hasn't been eating away at me for years or causing any resentment. However, such little things can become nagging sources of annoyance and ill will for no good reason. Always wise to speak up if something--the way someone squeezes the toothpaste or loads the dishwasher or leaves one single glass on the most inconvenient spot near the kitchen sink--is getting to you.

Love involves sacrifices, large and small, but it does not have to be defined by them. I sometimes fall into patterns of thinking in which in order to be happy, I think I need to "earn" that happiness by giving something up/away or denying myself something I'd like . . . even as small as an end piece of pizza. Some acts of sacrifices and suffering are meaningful. Some are pointless. Wise to pause and consider the difference.

Again, our pizza epiphany is less powerful than the slice of bread story because, thankfully, it involved no hard feelings. I'm pleased though, that our moment of insight brought back that anecdote from years ago and gave me something to chew on (pun intended) that is relevant to my life today.

Any "little things" that have become big things in your relationships? Any moments of clarity achieved? Are you a perimeter person for thin-crust pizza? Do you squeeze the toothpaste from the middle? Do you like the ends of a loaf of bread? Really?! What do you do with green jelly beans? Please share in the comments.

*Note that there were two perimeter pieces left! That's our Little Bit, looking so serious and reflective.

March Madness

2011-03-17T22:18:00.008-05:00

Last year, I wrote about my March Gladness. This year, it's a bit more March Madness, though this post is not about college basketball (which I happen to really like -- Go Irish! Go Muskies!).

This post is about why I haven't written in almost a month (longest break ever in history of NTB). Loyal readers know that we tried to sell our house last year. We just put it back on the market again last week and the past month or so has involved a massive effort to clean, declutter, and generally spiff up our house. I do most of that kind of work in the evening after the kids go to bed because not much of significance can be done (without being undone) while they are awake. Hubby's work and travel schedule heated up there for awhile, complicating things. My mom came in town to help me make the final push, and I am pleased to say the house is in good shape. It all seems and is petty in light of recent world events, but I have been fairly close to completely unraveling on several occasions the past few weeks and am finally feeling more like myself.

We left behind a clean and finally-ready-to-show house last Thursday morning and drove to the airport in the darkness with a gas tank on "E" and slightly behind schedule. Despite a stop to fill the tank with a few gallons less than a mile from the airport, we made it to Florida to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

We spent the last week watching Bub learn to swim underwater and without his vest, Little Bit test how far he could venture into the ocean without getting yelled at, and Sweet P try her hand at eating sand.

Also, I turned 36.

All in all, life is good. I have at least 36 unwritten posts swimming about in my brain and hope to find and make the time in the coming evenings to share them with you.

For now, I'm getting my blogging feet wet again by passing along two Irish blessings that came my way today and sharing a few of my favorite smiles.

May God grant you always . . .

A sunbeam to warm you,

a moonbeam to charm you,

a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.

Laughter to cheer you.

Faithful friends near you . . .

***

May your troubles be less

And your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness walk through your door.

My wish for this next year of my life is for more laughter, more time spent with faithful friends, and even more happiness walking through my door.

I'd also love it if a buyer for our house walked through my door and welcome any prayers and positive vibes toward that cause.

What have you been doing this March? More glad than mad, I hope. Please share in the comments.

To all my blogging buddies: I've missed making my rounds and checking in on you all. I'll be stopping by soon, I promise!

And there will be a lava pit and invisible ants . . .

2011-02-21T21:15:00.017-06:00

My apologies for those readers who know me and my family well as the content of the first few paragraphs will not be new to you.

The basement of my childhood home was unfinished. One half was taken up with laundry and storage. The other half was wide open, excepting the support poles, and could serve various functions, including roller rink. A good portion of the basement was consistently dedicated to my classroom. I had real textbooks (NTB), old desks from my grade school, a chalk board, and plenty of invisible students. And I was happy. I taught my heart out to empty desks, completing assignments on behalf of my phantom students and then grading them.

I grew up and, to no one's surprise, became a teacher.

My sister LAP set up a store in the room she shared with our younger sister Pita. Before bed each evening (while I was reading in my room), Pita was required to "shop" from the bedroom store before she was allowed to go to sleep. LAP would ring up Pita's "purchases" on one (yes, there were multiple) of her cash registers. LAP also had a binder labeled "Business Work" in which she inventoried things like our household's collection of board games.

Despite a childhood wish to work the checkout at Kroger, LAP grew up and, to no one's surprise, became an accountant.

My point is that sometimes career paths are chosen early on.

Of course, sometimes they're not. There are plenty of wonderful stories about individuals whose life experiences have led them through a variety of jobs and eventually--through some combination of hard work, serendipity, persistence, openness, passion, and experience--to surprising and satisfying careers.

As a mom, I wonder how, if at all, my kids' current passions and preferences will predict their future careers? I'm guessing that Little Bit won't be a Jedi and that Sweet P won't get a job crawling after and chewing on dirty shoes, remotes, cords, and crumbs.

But maybe our Bub will be . . . an architect?

He came home from school last week with a two page drawing he called his "blueprints."

Using some empty cardboard boxes from the Costco run, he began executing his design.

His little brother is allowed to help.

The next day he came home from school with more "blueprints." And more the day after.

Work on the cardboard model has slowed a bit, but conceptually the project is still going strong. Throughout the day, Bub shares new aspects of his design with me and Little Bit.

Here's what I know so far about the structure he's designing: It's going to be big, a mansion. It will have wheels so it can be moved. No grown-ups allowed because they will wreck stuff. It will be big enough for all the kids he knows. There will be a pit of hot lava for robbers. Also, invisible ants to attack those robbers. All the kids will have their own rooms for sleeping and fireproof robots will protect them at night. The shower will shoot out gold coins that are really pieces of chocolate. Big kids will be there to help with homework and to read books to little kids (our next door neighbors in eighth and ninth grades were specifically named as among these "big kids"). There will be a room for babies and a robot to watch them. I forgot to mention that the robots are fireproof and waterproof.

That's all we know so far.

Maybe he'll be an architect. Or a novelist. Or a security guard. Or a designer of robots. Or all of those things. Or none of them.

My job right now? To listen to his ideas, to study his blueprints, to honor his passions and enthusiasms, to teach him to work hard and dream big, and to make sure we all remember to enjoy the journey.

Do the children in your life express career preferences yet? Do you have hopes for or guesses at the future careers of the kids you know? How did your childhood passions and preferences predict your current career? Please share in the comments.

Happy Light Sabers to you!

2011-02-09T21:49:00.008-06:00

In grade school, a friend had free passes for the Return of the Jedi sneak preview and invited me along. I have some vague and not unpleasant memories of Ewoks, Jabba the Hut, popcorn, pop, and Twizzlers. I know for a fact though that I had not seen Star Wars or The Empire Strikes Back before that night and that, after the movie, I was not inspired to fill in the blanks.

Star Wars? Well, I'm not a hater. It's more like I just don't care. I feel kind of bored and tired and bummed out when I think about those movies. An unfair assessment, I know, considering that I've only seen one of the originals in its entirety, but I've just never felt up to really watching all three. My hubby is a huge fan, and I watched one of the "new" ones with him once as an act of love. Hayden Christensen's wooden performance didn't win me over or change my opinions about the franchise.

In short, Star Wars = just not my thing.

But now that Galaxy far, far away has become a galaxy very, very near. Let's take a peek . . .

The boys had been watching Star Wars movies with Daddy on Friday Night "Movie Night" so Santa brought them some action figures.

And some light sabers.

The first of many, many light saber battles was waged before eight in the morning on Christmas Day.

The enthusiasm for Star Wars continued to grow and while Daddy was off work around the holidays, the boys begged for more and more. They like to curl up on either side of him as the movies play, peppering the resident expert with queries. Little Bit in particular cannot stop the stream of questions: "Who dat, Daddy?" "Where his light saber?" "He monster?" "Where Luke? Where Luke?"

Grandma and Grandpa were in town for Bub's fifth birthday and witnessing the Star Wars mania, they told tales of vintage Star Wars figurines--dozens of them--that daddy used to play with.

But where were these action figures? Had Grandma given them to Daddy already and was it possible that mommy had lost them? Were they still at Grandpa and Grandma's? Bub insisted upon a follow-up phone call once Grandma and Grandpa arrived back in Indiana. They had located the action figures!

I was the mean mommy who made them wait to open the box until Daddy arrived home.

Look at the sweet suitcase they arrived in!

The secrets of the Force are being transferred from generation to the next.

Yoda, it is. Nice to meet you, Yoda.

"Dat Pin-cess Leia?"

Bub and the gang.

Pretty sweet how the storage trays flip over and become display stands.

I still haven't taken photos of Bub tucked into the Star Wars sheets Grammy and Pop got him for his birthday, nor photos of Little Bit with the bargain Star Wars toddler bedding I found for him after he kept trying to sleep in Bub's bed.

And I still haven't captured Little Bit's pronunciations on video: Hot Slow-lo, Chew Ba-Ha, R2R2, and Pincess LEE-a. I also need to snap some pics of the action figures loaded up in various toy vehicles, including Sweet P's little pink truck. Footage of Little Bit swaddling Chew Ba-Ha before settling in for an afternoon nap with the hairy guy might also warm your heart and give you a chuckle.

Little Bit's ability to turn any object into a light saber when his own is placed in timeout (for over-"enthusiastic" use, a daily occurrence) is also admirable. A broom can be a light saber or metal rods that go with the pack n' play or a spatula . . . most anything.

NTB, but Bub is so inspired by Star Wars that he has established a new greeting (or new holiday even). He dedicated quite a bit of time last week to crafting a "Happy Light Sabers!" banner.

I can't say for sure if Bub is proclaiming that these light sabers are happy or if upon seeing them and the banner's message, one is supposed to feel happy. Perhaps both? I'd like to point out, NTB, that there are 62 light sabers featured on the banner. Yes, I helped by making rectangles for about 50 of them and did the block lettering (and forgot the "T" first time around), but Bub did all the color work, all the stickering, and the detail work on the light sabers.

Note the Barney sticker. Does Barney know how to use The Force? For good? For evil? Discuss.

Bub says to me, "Mom, did you see I put a finishing touch with that exclamation point!" He's mine for sure!!!

I still haven't been able to sit through the movies in their entirety, but I feel as if I am absorbing them through osmosis. I may not love the movies, but I love seeing the boys and their daddy sharing this experience together.

And now I'm off to get my pitch ready for George Lucas. I think "Happy Light Sabers!" has potential -- animated series featuring talking light sabers? boy band concept? reality show featuring two little Star Wars junkies? What do you think?

Are you a Star Wars fan? What are the children in your life obsessed with these days?

Happy Light Sabers to all and to all a good fight (between good and evil and with light sabers)!

Snow Story

2011-02-02T22:30:00.010-06:00

My snow story is one of gratitude. I am thankful to have my family together in a cozy home with heat, television, internet access, and plenty to eat. I am thankful that hubby is able to work from home in snowpacolypse situations and thankful that everyone under this roof had the option to just stay put. I am thankful that today was our first snow day of the school year.

I'm praying for those who are separated from loved ones due to weather and those without heat, shelter, food, flexible employers, and/or reliable transportation.

In short, I am thankful that my snow story is a boring one.

Tuesday at a little after 2:00 p.m. The blizzard is about to commence. I had grand plans for taking a photo from this spot every hour, but I didn't quite manage it.

I was talking on the phone with a friend in the four o-clock hour when I looked up and saw a cardinal in our backyard. Seeing cardinals never ceases to thrill me. For me, those red birds are a gift and a reminder that all is well in my world. Bub and I were thrilled that this little guy hung out in our tree for about five minutes.
Around 6:30 and still no hubby. Traffic is moving slow, but he's on his way and arrives an hour later. I kept periodically checking the street to make sure there were parking spots available. We are both so thankful that he took Clark Street home instead of Lake Shore Drive.

Good morning! Don't think we'll be dining al fresco today.

Bub made a nest under the dining room table. Drives me nuts when toys, pillows, blankets, and books are strung out everywhere, but he looks so sweet in his little cave . . .
Sweet P was too excited about the snow day to take a morning nap so spent some extra time in the kitchen watching me make a cake. Because, you know, it's always a good idea to have a twelve inch double layer cake around if you're going to be cooped up for a couple of days.

Before the shoveling began.

Here goes the shovel man. I estimate he was out there for two and a half hours . . . enough to justify a large piece of cake, that's for sure.

"Let me in!" Yeah right. This kid was having a blast.

When Little Bit saw that the neighbors were out too, he began whining to get back into his snow clothes (had made it outside for three minutes earlier in the morning).
One of a hilarious series of photos (all taken from inside my warmish house) of our boys and the neighbor kids. I love how each of the five kids is doing his or her own thing -- from burying one's face in the snow to shoveling from a kneeling position.

This cross-country skier was one of many I spotted outside my front window. "Hey, a**hole, this street is one way going South!" Just kidding! It was delightful to see so many people out and about -- shoveling, walking, skiing, and interacting with strangers and neighbors.

Ready to be inside after a successful second outing.

After two hours, Dad lured Bub inside with the promise of hot chocolate and marshmallows.
Late in the afternoon, I got out for a few minutes to take a walk around the block.
I didn't walk far enough to see if Dairy Queen was actually open, but if it was, I doubt there was a line today!

I hope tomorrow brings another "boring" snow day for MEP and Co. I'm thankful to be safe and warm and wish the same for everyone.

Year of Books: 2011 Edition

2011-01-24T21:37:00.043-06:00

As I did in 2010, I will be sharing my 2011 reading list here on NTB. I add books to the list as I finish them. If I've "reviewed" the book on this blog, I'll link to the review.

It seems both reading habits and the publishing industry are being challenged (invigorated or threatened, depending upon whom you ask) by the explosion of ereading. The Kindle and, more powerfully, the Kindle app for the ipod touch have definitely changed my reading habits (for the better, I think). I thought it might be interesting to track not only what I read, but also how I read.

I'd argue there are few people who love books as physical objects as much as I do, but I find that I love the stories themselves even more. I am very thankful that audiobooks, ebooks, and Apple products make it easy for me to read within the confines of a life that offers few opportunities for curling up on the couch and peacefully reading "real books."

Please click on the Booksburgh link on the left sidebar any time you want to revisit this continually updated reading list. (An * indicates a book I am re-reading.)

Please, please, please leave any and all book recommendations in the comments! There is nothing I love more than finding a new book or author to add to my to-read list.

Retired 2010 Reading List

2011 Reading List

Anne of Windy Poplars* by L.M. Montgomery

(paperback – my copy from seventh grade!)

Anne’s House of Dreams* by L.M. Montgomery

(ebook – Kindle app on ipod touch)

I Still Dream of You by Fannie Flagg

(audiobook – download from audible.com)

Them by Nathan McCall

(audiobook – download from audible.com)

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

(ebook -- Kindle app on ipod touch)

Rainbow Valley* by L.M. Montgomery

(ebook -- Kindle app on ipod touch)

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

(audiobook – download from audible.com)

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Gail Skeketee and Randy Frost

(ebook -- Kindle app on ipod touch)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

(ebook -- Kindle app on ipod touch)

Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana* by Haven Kimmel

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield

(paperback)

The Provincial Lady in London by E.M. Delafield

(paperback)

Rilla of Ingleside* by L.M. Montgomery

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

Mrs. Ames by E.F. Benson

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

Skipping A Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

(ebook -- Nook app on iphone)

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

(ebook -- Nook app on iphone)

The Three Weissmans of Westport by Cathleen Schine

(ebook -- Nook app on ipod touch)

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

(hardback)

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

When Tito Loved Clara by Jon Michaud

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

The Old Romantic by Louise Dean

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story by Ree Drummond

(hardback)

My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store by Ben Ryder Howe

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

Love's Shadow by Ada Leverson

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

The Enchanted April* by Elizbeth von Arnim

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

Bossypants by Tina Fey

(hardback)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

Me and a Guy Named Elvis by Jerry Schilling and Chuck Crisafulli

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Summer and the City, A Carrie Diaries Novel by Candace Bushnell

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

(ebook--Kindle app on iphone)

Poser: My Life In Twenty-Three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer

(hardback)

It's All Relative: Two Families, Three Dogs, 34 Holidays, and 50 Boxes of Wine by Wade Rouse

(hardback, Chicago Public Library)

The Provincial Lady in America by E.M. Delafield

(paperback, Chicago Public Library)

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews

(ebook--Kindle app on iphone)

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Persuasion* by Jane Austen

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor

(hardback, Chicago Public Library)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

(ebook--Kindle app on iphone)

The Ninth Wife: A Novel by Amy Stolls

(ebook--Kindle app on iphone)

The First Husband by Laura Dave

(hardback, Chicago Public Library)

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

(hardback, Chicago Public Library)

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter by Mark Seal

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Sense and Sensibility* by Jane Austen

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail by Caitlin Kelly

(hardback, Chicago Public Library)

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

(hardback)

Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

The Two Mrs. Abbotts by D.E. Stevenson

(audiobook--download from audible.com)

Planting Dandelions: Field Notes from a Semi-Domesticated Life by Kyran Pittman

(hardback, EPL)

Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman

(paperback, EPL)

Following Polly: A Novel by Karen Bergreen

(ebook -- Kindle app on iphone)

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
(hardback -- EPL)

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
(hardback -- EPL)

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
(paperback)

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
(audiobook -- download from audible.com)

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
(audiobook -- CDs from EPL)

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
(ebook -- kindle app for iphone)

Practical Jean by Trevor Cole
(paperback -- EPL)

Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me and Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling
(hardback)

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston
(hardback -- EPL)

Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen by Donia Bijan
(hardback)

Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day As If It Were Your Last by Lee Lipsenthal
(hardback)

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks by Kathleen Flinn
(hardback)

Comfort and Joy by India Knight
(audiobook -- audible.com)

The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton
(audiobook -- audible.com)

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
(audiobook -- audible.com)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(audiobook -- audible.com)

Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden
(audiobook -- audible.com)

The Radleys by Matt Haig
(audiobook -- audible.com)

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
(audiobook -- audible.com)

Straight Man* by Richard Russo
(audiobook -- audible.com)

A Year and Six Seconds by Isabel Gillies
(audiobook -- audible.com)

Chariots of Diaper? Parent Olympics (Working Title)

2011-01-16T21:11:00.013-06:00

I just scanned four months of a facebook friend's status updates hoping to find the one that inspired tonight's post. The gist of the update from this busy mom was that she wished there were an Olympic event in doing tasks with a baby on your hip because she would totally medal in that event.

As I regularly do household tasks with a baby on my hip, I could totally relate. And, ever since, I've been thinking about Olympic events for parents, specifically parents of small children.

Before I find the right venue for this competition, take the idea to corporate sponsors, and pick out my outfit for the Oprah show, I'm going to need your help.

First, we're going to need a name for the Parent Olympics because Parent Olympics is just not going to cut it. We need something a little edgier and also a little funnier. I liked the idea of the Iron Mom, as in, "Carb loading? Well, yes, I'm training for an Iron Mom," but then I think that Iron Mom might be a real thing or name for moms who train for those intense athletic endurance events. Then, I kept thinking of the novel, The Hunger Games (though my competition will be far less bloody) and have been testing names in my head . . . The Diaper Games, The Stroller Games -- urgh, I don't know, I'm stuck on this point, one of the reasons I haven't posted in ten days.

Let's move on to the events for these Parent Olympics (working title). I'm still not sure if the events will be individual events or if there will be a sort of obstacle course set up where the contenders move from one task to the next.

Here's what I have so far:

* Dishwasher Challenge: Contender approaches the top rack of a dishwasher filled with various components of sippy cups (multiple brands), bottles, and breast pump accessories. Challenge is to assemble and put away in an already-crowded cabinet as quickly and accurately as possible.

* Blowout with a Twist: Contender needs to change diaper blowout in public. The twist? There are only two wipes left in the diaper bag/purse/backpack. Oops! Speed matters as does overall cleanliness of child, child's outfit, parent's outfit, and physical surroundings.

* Screw you Previews: Contender inserts DVD (could be separate competitions for at-home systems versus vehicle systems) and deftly moves past previews and multiple menus to get the child's program of choice started as quickly as possible.

* DVR Star: Contender locates a specific episode of a children's program on DVR as quickly as possible, requiring him/her to decode cryptic, household-specific clues such as "Caillou magic" or "The Tom and Jerry with Tuffy" or "Tubby custard."

* Pack and Players: Assemble and sheet a pack n' play and then disassemble and pack into carrier bag. Timed trial.

* Winter Schminter: Find boots, hats, coats, and mittens for multiple children and get them into this gear in the same small area where said gear is shed upon coming in from the cold. Points lost if wet, dirty boots step off of the mat and onto the new carpet that you need to keep nice so you can sell your damn house . . . or something like that.

* Straw Maul: Contender approaches a table with a box of Capri Suns and must remove the juices from box and insert the attached straw (if you lose a straw, you are disqualified) without puncturing the juice pouch. Timed trial.

* The Chef Is In: Prepare your child's favorite meal as quickly as possible. Scores based upon speed but also overall healthfulness of the plate. (I can prepare nuggets with two dipping sauces, blackberries, and yogurt in my sleep, NTB, but I doubt the meal itself is medal-worthy).

* Sock it to Me: Contender given a laundry basket full of children's socks of multiple sizes and varieties. Socks must be matched and sorted by size. Extra points given for best effort to pair strays (i.e., slightly dirty 0-6 white sock partnered with dingy 12-24 one).

* Snap! Snap and Go Go Go: Remove infant seat from base and click securely into Snap N' Go. Then, remove infant seat, click back into the car, fold up Snap N' Go and toss into back of van.

* Stroller Roller: Fold and unfold a series of strollers of all makes and models as quickly as possible. The elite contenders in this division will also attach rain covers.

The above list is just an initial offering of the events at the Parent Olympics (working title). Keep in mind that for some events, contenders can choose to compete in various divisions: the solo division, the co-parent division, the one parent with baby on hip division, or the one parent with toddler attached to leg division, and possibly (admittedly for publicity and the sponsors) the celebrity parent with nanny division.

Of course, there are many more details to be worked out, like whether it should be a USA-only event, at least to start, or an international one (and, if so, how does that change the events). How or whether to customize events for parents of multiples or multiple children. Thoughts on events geared toward parents of older children . . . The list goes on.

Here's what I need from you for now: more event ideas. Go ahead and be selfish. What events could you medal in in the Parent Olympics (working title)? Don't worry, I'll give credit where credit is due when this event becomes a nationwide craze.

And, of course, we still need a name. Please share all your suggestions in the comments and remember to keep carb-loading because every day is a training day.

Edge of your seat? Yep, it's the Retail Beat

2011-01-06T21:52:00.015-06:00

I don't know how long it's been, but an old feature here at NTB has been revived. That's right, folks, the Retail Beat is back!

So, here goes, a random list of products you might like to know about . . .

Famoas

You know how fake Uggs are called "Fuggs"? The name for fake Girl Scout Samoas is "Famoas." Because I said so. Famoas are sold in stores as Keebler Fudge Shoppe Coconut Dreams. I've mentioned before that I am a Samoa lover so I am pleased that the quite tasty Famoas are available in grocery store aisles year round. I still plan to support the Girls Scouts with my cookie purchases though because buying and eating Girl Scout Cookies is practically patriotic-- "Am I bingeing on cookies that have seventy calories each? Nope, I am promoting self esteem, leadership, and team work in our nation's young women." With Famoas, it's just bingeing, but they are as TASTY as Samoas (aka Caramel De-lites) as far as I can tell.

Cracker Barrel Sweet Pepper and Apple Relish

One holiday miracle for our family this past season was my hubby's voluntarily stopping at Cracker Barrel on our way to St. Louis to celebrate Christmas with his family. I almost wept with joy as he pulled into the lot. We had a delightful meal and though I was allotted less than a minute to browse in the country store (which hubby calls "the crap store"), I grabbed this Sweet Pepper and Apple relish. Pour it on top of some cream cheese to spread on crackers for an easy appetizer or use it to add tangy flavor to your green beans or pork (have tried both recently). Very pleased with this impulsive purchase.

Totes Digital Cup-Holder Change Bank (unofficial but hopefully descriptive enough name)

I spotted these little banks at Staples and Kohls this holiday season and gave a few as gifts, including one gift from me to me. The bank fits into your vehicle's cup holder and counts your change as you insert it. There are little buttons on top to subtract what you take out. If you fancy drive-thru fountain drinks or live somewhere where parking meters still require change, this item is ideal. No more having to wonder if you have enough change to cover your Diet Coke and a small fry. Just check the top of your cup-holder change bank.

McDonalds Fruit & Maple Oatmeal

Speaking of drive-thrus . . . I recently sampled McDonalds new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. I found it quite satisfying, so much so that I tried it again today. Here's what you need to know -- order it with the brown sugar. The first time they asked my preference and I was all, "Yes. Of course. Sugar please." This morning, I ordered oatmeal with sugar, but there was some static, and I think they heard "without sugar." Anyway, without sugar, it's kind of crap, but with sugar, it's a home run (fitting metaphor as my McDonalds is across from Wrigley Field).

Busytown Mysteries: The Biggest Mysteries Ever!

If you take family road trips, this DVD could be your new favorite thing. I got ours for $5 at Target and just saw that it's the same price on Amazon. These little mysteries stories are really cute and watching them could just help promote important skills like paying attention to details and making inferences. Plus, there's a totally kicking theme song that plays at the beginning of each story. So good that hubby was singing along and doing jazz hands. Yep. One more thing -- did I mention that the DVD is over four hours long? Four hours for five dollars plus jazz hands. You can't lose.

What's on your Retail Beat these days?

TO BE CLEAR: No one is paying or otherwise sponsoring me to write about any of the above products. I bought them with my own money because I wanted them and am writing about them because I thought you might care.

Stretch

2011-01-01T22:43:00.009-06:00

New Year's Resolutions. I love to make them and never care too much if I break them. Each year my resolutions are about the same (see resolution posts from 2008 2009 2010). I'm a work in progress, and I'm okay with that.

Inspired by Gretchen Rubin's blog post about choosing one word as a theme for the coming year, I decided to, drum roll please, choose one word as a theme for the coming year.

My word: stretch.

The perpetual English major in me is tempted to filter all my favorite resolutions through this new theme.

Relax more. You know, stretch out on the couch in the evening instead of multi-tasking (television with laundry folding and blog commenting).

Exercise. Try something new and stretch my muscles (do I have any?) with Yoga or Pilates or something else I've never tried.

Spend less. Stretch my resources and my imagination.

Be a better mom and wife. Stretch my patience.

Make an effort to be more fashion forward (i.e. stop wearing sweatpants multiple days each week). Stretch the new skinny jeans I received for Christmas over those hips of mine and walk tall (personal guideline for the skinny jeans/legging trend: Walk tall and wear ye a big sweater.)

I want to stretch in other ways that will require even more courage than donning skinny jeans.

My day-to-day life is a bit lonely and has been for several years now. Throughout my life I have been blessed with good friends, and I have many people I can email or call or travel to visit. What I need more of are people in my bunker day-to-day: people I can laugh, talk, and eat with in person and in/very near my home without my feeling like I need to apologize for whatever my kids are or are not doing. I would like to nurture my relationships so that some of my acquaintances become friends and my friends become really good friends. I'll have to stretch though. Reach out. Initiate plans. Be a little vulnerable. Ask for help.

There also some people in my life who need a lift. Stretch out a helping hand, MEP, a listening ear, some positive vibes. I'm going to try to stretch to be as generous and kind as I can.

I'm not teaching right now and feel okay about it. This moment in my life is not my "career moment" and I'm mostly at peace with that. I feel good that I continue to nurture my passion for reading and writing, but I also want to continue to stretch my conceptions of who I am and what I can offer, dream a little bigger perhaps. Will I start the new website I've been thinking about? Will I think about calling myself a writer? Will I consider a future career that isn't in teaching? I don't know, and right now, I don't need to know. You stretch before a big game or race, right? I want to frame this moment in my life as one of enjoying my children while stretching in preparation for whatever is next. Arm circles and toe touches for my mind and soul, if you will.

When I'm faced with challenges in 2011, I hope I can stretch in ways that make me stronger and happier -- take some risks, speak my truth even when it's tough, trust that my good intentions are clear, be less hard on myself and others.

It's no stretch at all to proclaim that the highlight of 2010 was welcoming our sweet and beautiful daughter into the world. There is nothing like a bright-eyed, smiling, squealing baby to remind you that life is meant to be enjoyed, that you can approach the world with open arms. And there's nothing like a nursing or sleeping or snuggling baby to remind you that life is meant to be peaceful and that we need to rest, trust, and be vulnerable enough to depend upon others.

My life is good. As ever, I seek to better appreciate just how good it is and to enjoy it more. I'm ready to stretch and look forward to seeing what shape I'm in when 2011 draws to a close.

Any New Year's Resolutions? What one word would you choose for yourself for 2011? Have you chosen a yearly theme word before?

C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough For Me

2010-12-21T22:37:00.011-06:00

The Great Cookie Caper 2010

[Transcripts from interview conducted in my messy home earlier this evening.]

What's the Great Cookie Caper 2010?

MEP: You haven't heard of it? Probably because I named it just now. Four fabulous bloggy friends decided to make cookies and post about the experience on the same day.

Did they all make the same cookies?

MEP: No.

Did they all make Christmas cookies?

MEP: No.

Let's move on. How can I read about all the cookies?

MEP: Visit E. . . of Small World, Heather of This Is the Day, and Carabee of Land of Bean.

But let's focus on you, MEP. Is baking a specialty of yours?

MEP: I have had some recent successes, specifically my successful execution of the greatest chocolate chip cookie ever, but I don't really think of myself as a super awesome baker. I'm willing to attempt almost anything though, and my boys really like to help in the kitchen.

This interview is getting boring. What were your baking goals for this holiday season?

MEP: Oh, you know, come up with a signature baked good to knock the holiday socks off everyone at the various holiday parties I attend. Sure, I can make a good snow-covered turd and my chocolate-covered pretzels aren't bad either, but I wanted a go-to cookie or candy.

Let's get back to that mention of holiday parties. I thought I heard that you weren't actually invited to any holiday parties that did not involve family or your husband's colleagues.

MEP: I think party-givers heard about the snow-covered turds and were intimidated. Doesn't really matter though as I am still seeking that signature baked good.

Well, let's get to it. What did you make for the Great Cookie Caper 2010?

MEP: I've been slowly building a collection of cookie cutters and had planned to do my research and find the ultimate recipe for cut-out cookies and that icing that you sort of dip them in. Unfortunately, I was soon bogged down by the stress of the season. Playing Santa, trying to get some cards in the mail, packing and traveling, moving that Elf on the Shelf around. I'll share some photos of what the boys and I did instead of making tasty homemade cookies in recognizable shapes.

Go for it.

MEP: First you buy a tube of sugar cookie dough from the grocery store and sit it on the counter because it might feel awfully cold and hard (editor's note: Michael Scott?).

Let your Bub wear his awesome brand-new apron (Team MEP has matching aprons now, thanks to Aunt Shell -- more on those adorable aprons in a future post) while he puts on his gloves (plastic baggies -- Grammy taught him that) and rolls the dough.

You can roll out the dough on a sil-pat if you are afraid that your island is unsanitary (realtor's note: one way to torture any person who might ever live in your home is to install a butcher block counter.)

Choose a few cookie cutters and cut out some festive shapes. Bub chose a tree, a gingerbread man, and a cardinal. Since you let the dough sit out to soften it, it will be challenging to cut out any cookies at all without them breaking. You will remember something in the back of your mind about working with chilled dough. You'll have to make them extra-thick so you can transfer them to the cookie sheet.

If you push them all too close together, some of them will bake together. Note that the cardinal did not quite hold its shape.

Let me interrupt, MEP, things don't seem to be going well.

MEP: Actually, things are not as bleak as they look. Bub really enjoyed cutting out the cookies, and I made the wise decision that the cookies would be iced to order.

Sounds like a good way to continue making a mess in your kitchen.

MEP: Yes, I like to start the morning by stepping in a pile of sprinkles. Anyway, after dinner, I iced the cookies with store-bought frosting then let the boys sprinkle away. They had fun, which is all that matters.

Indeed. I hate to point out the obvious, MEP, but there's not really a recipe here.

MEP: Well, maybe just a recipe for having fun with a few inexpensive store bought ingredients.

Ha ha ha, MEP, you are clever. Still though, I feel cheated. Perhaps you are holding out on us.

MEP: Okay, okay. Feeling a bit embarrassed about the cut-out cookies, I remembered an old favorite that I like to call the Dreamsicle Cookie. Key ingredients are butter, orange zest, and vanilla chips.

Vanilla chips? I've never heard of those.

MEP: Me neither, and I can't find them in any store. I've always substituted white chocolate chips. Anyway, the cookie is easy to make, and when I made them a few years back, my hubby liked them.

Can we have the recipe?

MEP: I'm too tired to type it up right now and don't know what the rules are about posting recipes that belong to others. This one comes from the cookbook of a famous bakery in New York. NTB. If you want it, email me at mep at nottobrag dot net. NTB, but Dreamsicle is my own name for the cookie, not to be confused with the ice cream novelty.

Yes, when I think Christmas, I think about Dreamsicles. Wait, no I don't. How is the Dreamsicle cookie appropriate for this season?

MEP: You know how in the Little House books, Laura and the Ingalls kids are so thrilled to receive a stick of peppermint and an orange for Christmas? This cookie honors that holiday orange. You can call them Half-Pint's Orange Delights if you wish.

I don't wish.

MEP: Your prerogative. I do want to issue a warning that the recipe calls for a tablespoon of orange zest. I didn't have enough zest (pun intended) to come up with that much orange zest, but I still think my cookies turned out beautifully. And, added bonus, these cookies make the whole kitchen smell amazing.

Speaking of your kitchen and of being amazing, we haven't seen an awesome kitchen tip from you in a while, MEP. Not since the great butter wrapper revelation. Have you been holding out on us?

MEP: Well, NTB, but I did come up with a little something that makes baking more convenient. You know how it's so annoying to keep having to go find the flour and then the sugar and then the baking soda and whatnot?

You mean you don't have those staples in beautiful, yet useful, vessels on your counter?

MEP: Those of us who do not live on Food Network sets can make baking easier with an unattractive but practical vessel purchased at their local CVS. I bought this file box with handle. Inside, I store my flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Then, when it's time to bake, I pull the whole caddy out of the pantry.

Pretty clever!

MEP: NTB. CVS is quite convenient for most readers if you're looking for a last minute gift. "Here, mom, it's a baking caddy!"

MEP, this post is too long and too boring.

MEP: I know. I'm sorry. I'm tired and slightly overwhelmed by the pressures of being Santa. Also, I feel a little sick to my stomach from eating too many cookies.

Merry Christmas then.

MEP: Merry Christmas to you. God Bless you, every one.

Wait, I think there's time for one last question. What was your daughter thinking during cookie time?

MEP: She's thinking, "Lady, enough with the Puffs. Puffs Schmuffs. I want cookies!"

She's definitely yours.

Have yourself the sweetest Christmas ever.

Da Ordaments

2010-12-07T21:54:00.030-06:00

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Bub fell in love with an cute little Christmas tree at Target. Three feet tall. Pre-lit. On sale.

I warmed to the idea of the lil tree as we finished our Targeting. "You and Little Bit can put it in your room," I told Bub. And then, "We'll make all our own ornaments for it!"

My Bub, lover of crafts, lit up. We spent some time that afternoon searching for kid-friendly ornament projects online. Actually, we only spent about ten minutes as I was quickly overwhelmed by thoughts of glue guns, glitter, spray paint, and other ordament fixings.

Yes, I know it's "ornament," but my kids prefer to say ordament so ordament it is.

Bub was distracted from the ordament crafting plan by an urgent desire to visit "his website."

After Thanksgiving, we decorated our big tree and set up the little one in the boys' room. Every time I thought about making ordaments for it, I just felt kind of tired. "Yep," I'd tell Bub, "we're going to make some ordaments soon."

And here's what we did without a glue gun, glitter, paint, clothes pins, or small pieces of felt. You can do it too. If you want.

First we chose a few of our favorite Christmas books . . . like this one.

Then I got out my beloved full sheet labels (awesome for all kinds of crafty and useful purposes, but paper and glue can work for this project too).

We tried to choose a page in each book that featured as many cute and appropriately-sized characters and scenes as possible. Then we used our all-in-one printer/copier/scanner to copy the pages we chose.

Then, we cut out characters and scenes from the full-sheet labels. I say "we," but I did it because I didn't trust anyone else to do this delicate work. Then we pulled the backing off the cut-outs and stuck them on the glossy side of a piece of a piece of poster board. (Again, you could glue your pretty pictures to the poster board).

Then the boys took turns picking pictures so that they each had their "own ordaments."

Then we cut the poster board around the pictures. I let Bub cut out his all by himself because I am breezy and laid back like that.

Next came the part of the project where one's creativity can "run wild" as the boys decorate the back of the ornaments with crayons in carefully selected holiday colors. Note Little Bit's concentration on the task at hand. Pretty remarkable for him, I have to say.

No photos of the next steps, but they are as follows: Make slight crease in top of each picture and cut small slit. Slide cheap silver ornament hanger through slit. Use wire-edged ribbons saved from last year's packages and have mommy tie it around the ornament hanger. Write names of boys and the year on each ornament.

Make sure you have a quality-control supervisor.

Rush upstairs and start hanging the ornaments on your cute little tree.

Like this one of Little Critter (yes, I know, I need a new camera. Please tell Santa.)

Reverse side of the Little Critter ornament. (Remember what I said about telling Santa I need a new camera. Thanks!)

Don't feel like hanging ornaments? Live up to your sweatshirt by jumping on a toddler bed while holding a toy stroller.

Wow, look what my brothers made!

Bub for sure has the ordament-making bug now. I have to say I'm happy to oblige. Maybe we'll print some favorite photos on the labels and turn them into tree flair. He's already mentioned that he wants a Tom and Jerry ornament. The boys could also draw their own pictures or color in some clip-art or coloring page images. If nothing else, we'll have a record of what the kids were interested in in 2010. And, so as not to leave Sweet P out, maybe we can take photos of her and of some of her favorite toys and habits (exersaucing, for example). Perhaps a photo of JJ, our elf on the shelf. Maybe we'll do it again next year and the year after and have a cute little tradition on our hands. We shall see.

The point is we're having fun and these ordaments are easy and relatively low mess, as projects go.

Speaking of projects, did you read the Arthur (featured above) book when you were little . . . the one where Arthur accidentally uses salt instead of sugar in his cut-out cookies. The cookies are way too hard to eat (and probably would taste like crap), but the day is saved when they realize the cookies can be used as ornaments. The book, which we don't have, includes a recipe for salt-dough ornaments. Anybody tried making those? I'm thinking that's one I should wait on for a few years . . .

Any holiday crafting in your corner of the world?

"I want my two hours!" (sans the riding over the cliff)

2010-11-30T20:59:00.008-06:00

30 posts in 30 days. I gave it the old college try, but I didn't quite make it. That's okay. Y'all like me more now that you know I'm not perfect, right? Wait, you knew I wasn't perfect before this point?! Fine then.

I also fell short on my Turkey Day Tread and Toss. I stopped treading and tossing about ten days in. Suspect you knew that already. Just weren't enough hours in the day, even for ten minutes of exercise and five minutes of tossing.

There is so much that I want to do every evening: grasp for sanity by attempting to stem the chaos with some tidying and cleaning, exercise, lie on the couch and read novels in the glow of the Christmas tree, sit on the couch next to hubby and catch up on the hours of DVR we have backlogged since he's been working so much, respond to emails, write blog posts, visit and comment on all the blogs I love, start online holiday shopping, figure out what I am shopping for, fold laundry while watching Bridget Jones's Diary, and on and on an on.

I feel like that paperboy in Better Off Dead with his "I want my two dollars!" My refrain, and forgive me if I've mentioned this to you before, is "I want my two HOURS!" The two hours when MEP answers only to MEP

"Yes, MEP, I do want to sit on the couch."

"Yes, MEP, this is the moment to finally walk to the alley trash bin with the broken toy stroller the boys keep fighting over."

"Yes, MEP, I would not mind a dish of ice cream. Just a small one."

"Yes, MEP, cleaning the bathroom while listening to an audiobook doesn't sound too bad, all things considered."

Did you hear me in the back? "I want my two HOURS!"

The boys go to bed slightly later than they used to and Sweet P is fond of waking up an hour or two after she has seemingly settled for the night. End result is that those precious two evening hours are constantly threatened. Indeed, the only way to preserve them is to stay up later than I should. The later I stay up, the less energy I have for the next day. The less energy I have, the messier and more chaotic things get and the more I have to do the next evening. I'm constantly playing catch up.

I know, I know, people have it a lot tougher than old MEP. Believe me, I know that. But still, I want my two hours. Is that so much to ask? Maybe don't answer that.

Tell me instead: how do you spend your "two hours"?

We're off to the "Lizard"

2010-11-29T22:57:00.013-06:00

“Live theatre” and “my children” are not phrases that I usually think of in tandem. The possibility that my kids would be roaming the aisles, charging the stage, begging for snacks, or otherwise disturbing others was enough to make me put going to the theatre in the “let’s wait a few years” category.

I was wrong. We don’t need to wait. And neither do you and your rugrats.

A week ago Sunday, Bub and I went on a delightful “double date” with Bub's buddy and his mommy to see Emerald City Theatre’s production of The Wizard of Oz at the Apollo Theatre in Lincoln Park. I could not have been happier with our theatre experience.

After the thrill of riding together in the same car, Bub and his buddy got to make a special craft when we arrived --snowflake wands that the kids in the audience were asked to wave at a special point in the show. It was so cute to see Bub with his wand at the ready throughout.

The show itself was a winner -- exciting and accessible to two four year-olds who had never even seen the movie The Wizard of Oz and thoroughly, wittily entertaining for adults as well. The adaption was true to the story and spirit of The Wizard of Oz, honoring the music of the familiar film but also pumping it up and having some fun translating it for 2010. The performers’ had great voices and, just as important, great energy.

My favorite was the Scarecrow!

The total length was about an hour, and the fast-paced movement down the yellow brick road was ideal for keeping the young audience members engaged. Case in point: Bub did not ask for a snack or whine about hunger. He did not ask to go to the bathroom. Nor did he ask for a drink (even though you are allowed to bring beverages to your seats--bonus).

Bub did spend the first ten minutes of the show asking me why Dorothy did not have blond hair (not sure where he got the idea that she was going to or supposed to have blond hair). Mostly he just sat, wide-eyed, taking it all in and eager for The Wicked Witch of the West (played in drag, by the way) to reappear. Bub’s buddy was focused on how the Wicked Witch melted and what happened to "his clothes."

I’ve seen the first three quarters of the film The Wizard of Oz many times. However, I found the ending scary as a little girl and seldom watched the last thirty minutes. For me, it was a treat to see the story to its conclusion and from an adult perspective. Yes, there’s no place like home. And, yes, teamwork is important when you’re facing challenges. But the golden brick of wisdom that I took away from this production of The Wizard of Oz is that you already have everything you need, that what you seek is within you . . . especially if you let the strangers and friends you meet along the road help you find it.

Entertainment. Insight. Reasonably-priced parking. Can’t ask for much more on a Sunday afternoon.

Verdict: Live Theatre at Emerald City Theatre = very successful outing, even though Bub was still pronouncing “wizard” as “lizard” when it was over. I’m excited to take Bub to the theatre again and, after this test-run, I think I’m going to go ahead and bring Little Bit next time as well. We’re not expecting any young visitors this holiday season, but if we were, I would be all over taking them to this neighborhood theatre instead of traipsing along the Mag Mile in the cold or maneuvering through a crowded museum in an attempt to give out-of-towners a “genuine” Chicago experience. The Wizard of Oz runs until January 2^nd and Pinkalicious runs until December 31^st.

Is there a children’s theatre company in your corner of the world? What experiences have you had taking your kids to the theatre?

Disclosure: I was given tickets to The Wizard of Oz by Emerald City Theatre after their marketing director read my blog post about wanting to take the boys to see Pinkalicious. You gotta problem with that?! Also, I can only take credit for the photo of Bub.

What Raffi Said . . .

2010-11-25T06:39:00.013-06:00

I am so very thankful for that guy in the back.

Yep, the one with all those kids.

And I'm so "super-duper" thankful for that guy.

And incrediby thankful for that guy.

And delightfully thankful for that girl.

And I am awesomely thankful for this life that I am living and especially for the family and friends with whom I share it. My heart is full.

Watch out, because I am going to quote a Raffi song now:

All I really need is a song in my heart

Food in my belly

And love in my family

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

P.S. -- If you are wondering why I missed posting two days in a row, just know that I am also thankful that the bug going around only lasts 24 hours and thankful that two year-olds eventually fall asleep, even in a strange bed. And, yes, "awesomely thankful" is awkward. Gobble Gobble.

Daily Grind

2010-11-22T22:12:00.011-06:00

I'm getting a little weary of blogging every day. I'm not short on ideas so much as I am short on the time and energy to do them justice. For whatever reason though, I don't feel right allowing myself to "skip" since I committed to NaBloPoMo.

Today's cop-out post is a collection of quotations I found in My Notebook.

"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love and something to hope for." Alexander Chalmers (I don't know who Chalmers is. Do you? I've been meaning to investigate)

"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." (seen on cover of a lovely journal at Paper Source)

And here are two quotations that I perhaps need to heed right now (both discovered from following @googlebooks on Twitter):

"Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." Abe Lincoln

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought." Dorothy L. Sayers, Lord Peter Wimsey in Gaudy Night

I'm accepting words of wisdom and encouragement.

None Pets These Days

2010-11-21T22:54:00.008-06:00

Bub met his buddy's cat today and told his buddy's mom, "We have none pets." He then added a caveat, ". . . except a pet ladybug."

Years ago before Bub entered the picture, we did have a pet for a couple of months. Misty Lou, my hubby's family cat, stayed with us while his parents were in Florida. Those of you who know me well know that it is/was a big deal for me to share my life and space with an animal.

But things worked out nicely for me and Misty back in 2004. Turns out we both like Filet O' Fish sandwiches from McDonalds and also resting.

A few years later, Bub got to meet Misty and make his own memories. On Bub's end (and mine), those memories are fond.

Sadly, Misty is no longer with us (she passed away a couple of years ago).

Happily, that couch is no longer with us either.

Cheap Labor

2010-11-20T22:02:00.010-06:00

When I need Bub to help clean up his toys or the couch cushions or the contents of the junk drawer or a quantity of something edible opened without permission, I ask him with varying degrees of niceness and volume.

Bub is often overwhelmed by such requests, protesting, "But that's going to take forever."

"If it's going to take that long, you better start now."

"Aren't you going to help me, mommy?"

And on and on. If you have kids, you know the drill.

Imagine my surprise when I came down from settling Sweet P for an afternoon nap to find Bub cleaning up the toys in the back room with a palpable sense of hustle and, dare I say, excitement. He clued me in right away: "Mommy, daddy says he will give me three pieces of money if I clean up the toys."

"Wow, three pieces! You better keep going and finish up."

And he did. And he was so, so proud.

Hubby gave him three pieces of money that totaled 12 cents.

Bub beamed with pride.

Hubby then threw in a quarter tip for a job well done.

Bub's grin got broader, "Now I've got four pieces of money!"

The larger issue, of course, is that we are meant to be teaching Bub that cleaning up is part of his job as a citizen of this family and that he should do it to be helpful and kind and responsible. Not for candy. Not for money. Yes, I know that.

I also know that 37 cents or less can buy some pretty good cleaning and, right now, I'm going to focus on short-term gains.

Bedtime Crimes

2010-11-19T21:17:00.008-06:00

Match the crime to the culprit(s).

* Going to bed easily at 7:20 and then waking up an hour later screaming one's head off.

* Running around in circles for 25 minutes straight and then flopping into bed and proceeding to repeatedly scratch the drywall with one's fingernails.

* Lying in bed and alternately saying, "I'm already dreaming, mommy" and, to the runner, "Don't jump up on my bed." As if that booger needed any ideas for what to do next.

* Looking angelic in jammies.

It's almost 9:30 on Friday night. Three kids finally asleep. House a mess. Still haven't eaten dinner. Going to squeeze as much quality MEP-time in as I can before I fall asleep myself.

TGIF

T G I (almost) F F

2010-11-18T21:07:00.014-06:00

Thank Goodness It's (almost) FRITO Friday!

What's Frito Friday? The designated day when my bloggy friend Heather in Lebanon and I are posting about our experiences with this Sweet, Salty Frito Candy recipe from Cookie Madness.

Background 411 is that sweet and salty is my very favorite pairing for snacks. Typical sweet and salty snacks for me are chocolate-covered pretzels or a mix of peanuts, raisins, and chocolate chunks (avoid store-bought trail mix with its pesky nutritional and calorie information on the packaging--if you make it at home, you can think to yourself, "Nuts and raisins and dark chocolate. A healthy snack, indeed"). Point is that I am a sucker for sweet and salty and thus could not help but be tempted by a recipe for Sweet, Salty Frito Candy (henceforth known as SSFC).

So you're going to check out the SSFC recipe. Then, check out what I have to say about it below. Then, check out my friend Heather's take on it.

I made the SSFC with Bub, one of my two regular sous chefs (the other was napping). I have to say that the first part of the recipe offers many ideal tasks for little helpers: unwrapping miniature Reese's cups, measuring out a cup of Fritos and two cups of pretzels, using a mallet to crush those Fritos and pretzels (opted to skip the recipe instructions about using a food processor for this step), and spreading the mixture into the pan. I should have also given Bub a butter knife and let him cut the Reese's cups into smaller chunks, but control freak mama did it herself.

From there, the recipe--adding brown sugar to melted butter and boiling, pouring that buttery/sugary goodness on top of the salty stuff, and melting/spreading chocolate chips on top--is a little less friendly for sous chefs under age five.

My sous chef did not seem to feel left out.

"Look, mom, it's my own recipe."

Kind of cute how the pretzels look like faces now, right? Too bad the "eyes" tend to fall out when you lift them.

Back to the SSFC though. I followed the instructions and waited patiently for the chocolate to harden (suspect I should have a more culinary word than "harden," especially after watching Top Chef: Just Desserts). Eventually, I broke the candy into pieces and dug in.

Initially, I was all, "Hmm, this is okay, but I wish it were a little saltier." Because, you know, there is not enough sodium in pretzels and Fritos. I felt like I was tasting too much chocolate and was bummed that a few of my pieces were kind of crumbly. However, the pieces where there was plenty of the buttery/brown sugary goodness holding the pretzels, Fritos, and peanut butter cups together . . . those pieces were quite exquisite.

Fast forward to yesterday evening when I realize that there is only one piece left and I still haven't gotten hubby's take on it. Mind you, no one but me ate the SSFC throughout the week (I guess no one knew to look in the Gladware container in the back of the middle shelf of the fridge). It takes all I have to hand hubby that last piece. I don't have a quote for you because he was focusing on a spreadsheet or something, but when I followed up later, he said he liked it but didn't love it since he is not as into "the sweet/salty thing" as I am. Fair enough.

As for me, I will make the SSFC again. I will try to distribute my butter/brown sugar mixture a little more evenly. I may use fewer chocolate chips (I used a teense more than what was called for) and might see how white chocolate chips or a combination of white and chocolate turn out. I also think I might sprinkle some sea salt over the salty layer before adding the chocolate.

For sure, I will only make SSFC again when I am planning to share it with others because even if something is good, you don't feel good about yourself when you eat it all.

But enough about me, what did Heather in Lebanon's crew think? She'll be posting her account on Friday (I published a little early on the Frito Friday's Eve to get "credit" for my 30 posts in 30 days).

Happy Frito Friday, everybody! May your day be the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

Across the Pond

2010-11-17T21:19:00.008-06:00

Prince William, son of the late Princess Diana, is engaged to Kate Middleton.

The Beatles entire collection is now available on itunes.

There's a new movie about that one kid with the glasses . . . Harry Potter is his name, I think.

Just in case those bits of news had not made it to your corner of the USA, I thought I'd pass them along. You're welcome.

You can show your gratitude by suggesting Beatles songs for me to purchase with the itunes gift card that's been burning a hole in my pocket. Thank you.

Playing Favorites

2010-11-16T21:05:00.011-06:00

Things might get a little quiet around your Thanksgiving table this year. You want people to connect and converse, but you also want to keep things harmonious and stay away from potentially divisive conversation topics like politics and Coke vs. Pepsi. At some point in the day, you might look around and start feeling disheartened by the football being watched when everyone is meant to be rejoicing in gratitude for those around them.

Let's see, you could shake things up with a game of charades, but those who forgot to wear sweatpants may be feeling too bloated to really get in the spirit. You could get out Trivial Pursuit or Taboo or a deck of cards, but if there are a bunch of children running around (whose kids are those, anyway?), good luck with that.

How about a game where participation requires very little energy-output, there are no "rules" and so no one needs to raise their voice and feel like a bossy butt (who me?), and everyone wins?

That's right, everyone wins. Everyone wins when we learn more about our family members and friends!

Intrigued (and perhaps also repelled by my cheese factor)? If things get dull for you over Thanksgiving, why not play a few rounds of The Favorite Game. It's an oldie, but a goody.

Pick a category and each person names their favorite for that category. Easy as that.

I'll give you some examples:

Color? Green

Color to wear? Brown

Christmas song? "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Cracker? Triscuit

Cookie? Iced Molasses

Board game? Trivial Pursuit

Kids' show? Phineas and Ferb

Plotline on this season of The Office? The Andy/Darryl friendship

Toilet Paper? Scott

Variety of M&M? Peanut Butter

Sport to watch? Basketball

Sport to play? Tennis

Form of exercise? Walking fast

Pro or former pro on Dancing with the Stars? Julianne

Food Network chef? Ina Garten

Small kitchen gadget? Pizza Cutter

Convenience store snack? Fountain Diet Coke and white chocolate Flipz

Flavor of Jolly Rancher? Cherry

Beer? Miller Lite

Herb? Basil

Sugar Cereal? Golden Grahams

Donut? The kind with icing (not pudding) inside

Part of the newspaper? Book reviews (and the ads)

Hot beverage? Chai Latte

Sure, there might be some controversy. I know my hubby, for example, would claim Cottonelle as his favorite t.p., and I can see a debate ensuing with me arguing for the cost efficiency and plumbing friendliness of Scott while he promotes the comfort of Cottonelle.

Sure, there might be some difficulty. People will want to give multiple answers or might overthink things as if their favorites are being recorded for posterity on a gold tablet. You can decide if you want to be breezy and allow for double answers. You can decide if you need to tell your cousin to pick a favorite kids' show in fifteen seconds or else you'll show him the door.

But there might also be some beautiful moments of connection. When you and your husband's cousin's daughter realize you both heart Barefoot Contessa and single-ply toilet paper . . . beautiful moment right there.

You'll have to customize the categories for your group. Make sure to give everyone a chance to come up with a category. Have fun and stay breezy!

If people seem to be in a Grinch kind of mood, you could try The Least Favorite Game:

Herb? Cilantro

Sport to watch? Golf

Flavor of Jolly Rancher? Watermelon

Kids' show? Fresh Beat Band

Games played at family gatherings? The Favorite Game (just kidding)

You get the picture.

Please share any of your favorites or least favorites in the comments. Any traditions to promote bonding and fun at your Thanksgiving celebration?

What?! A German Potato Salad Lesson?! For Me??? Get out of town!

2010-11-15T22:06:00.015-06:00

You remember when you were a little kid and you noticed that mommies and daddies and grandparents didn't get as many gifts at Christmas as kids did and it seemed so perplexing that the grown ups still seemed happy and festive as they opened their slippers and boxes of chocolate and small appliances . . . Maybe your mom even told you that all she wanted for Christmas was to have her family all together.

Now, I don't want those with my name on their Christmas lists to get the idea that I won't accept presents because I certainly will, but I am starting to feel like a real adult -- the kind who could just be happy with some new slippers and a good spread of food. Yes, I like stuff as much and probably more than the next gal. I do like presents and happen to be an especially enthusiastic opener/receiver of gifts, NTB. But it's liberating to realize that there's nothing I really need and that the gifts are only the icing on an already-tasty holiday cake. Increasingly, the holidays are more and more about spending time with family, eating, and sharing in the joy, wonder, and excitement of my children.

I'm starting to field requests for lists for me and the family and to put feelers out to discover what those on my list would like.

I was thinking this afternoon though that there are quite a few gifts that would cost little or no money that I would be happy to receive.

Since I started this blog post a little too close to bedtime, I'll just share a few items on MEP's Free/Almost Free Gift List.

MEP's Free/Almost Free Gift List

* Recipe Collection -- I love looking through cookbooks, magazines, and food blogs/websites. A free/almost-free gift I would love would be a collection of favorite recipes from someone else's kitchen. The collection would not have to be fancy or scrapbooked or bound or painstakingly copied onto pretty cards -- any old mish-mash of photocopies of cookbook pages or recipe cards, online printouts, pages out of magazines, and/or word documents would be great. A line or two like "the boys love this" or "my favorite app to bring to a cookouts" or "don't use cheap wine" would be a bonus, but just the recipes (and an invitation to call or email with questions) would be a really delightful, welcome gift.

* Cooking Lesson -- Another free/almost free gift I'd love would be a specialty cooking lesson in a home kitchen given by a friend/family member. I want to know, for example, how to make my Grandma's German Potato Salad. I don't think she can teach me at this point, but I'd love it if my mom and I carved out some time for me to learn this specialty from my mom. Similarly, I've never roasted a chicken or a turkey on my own. I know, I know, "It's so easy, MEP," many of you are thinking. Probably it is, but if someone I knew was an experienced poultry roaster, I'd love for them to walk me through the process. If someone has a culinary specialty they are willing to teach, I am willing to learn. The gift would be the knowledge and the time spent together.

Even though my November posts tell a different story, I promise that there is more to my life and on my mind than food.

There are lots more free/almost free gift ideas that I plan to share in future posts so please stay tuned. You've heard of re-gifting, but how about FREE-gifting!?

Please leave a comment sharing any free/almost free food-related gift ideas. What cooking lesson could you offer and to whom? What are some of the recipes you might include in a collection?

Start brainstorming more free-gifting ideas. I'll post again on this topic a week from today.

Gobbled

2010-11-14T22:21:00.004-06:00

2010 Turkey Tread and Toss Update

It's not too late to join me in the Turkey Tread and Toss leading up to Thanksgiving

* tread--10 minutes of daily exercise

* toss--trash, recycle, or donate 5 items per day

I skipped my arduous ten minutes of tread yesterday, but I've managed to tread and toss the rest of the days.

What am I "tossing"? My clothes, kids clothes, toys, expired spices, and children's books are the main toss categories so far. I'm battling against a pack rat in my Bub though. He regularly picks through the trash and recovers "treasures." Just this morning he was shocked to find a Weekly Reader that I had the nerve to file in the garbage. The trick is keeping the donation pile hidden and taking the garbage out before going to bed at night.

What are your strategies for making time to exercise? Do you have some "toss" category ideas for me?

Toad-ally Photogenic

2010-11-13T20:58:00.012-06:00

I'm making some plans to upgrade my camera. We've had our current camera since Bub was a baby. It's still doing its job and is the perfect size for tossing in a purse or carrying around in one's pocket. However, I'd like to start taking higher-quality photographs. Thanks to a Facebook query, I've received helpful feedback on what kind of camera to choose and am looking forward to learning more about photography and capturing more moments.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the best photos I've ever taken with my current camera.

I had planned to share these pics as part of a post with a general theme of "Can you believe my child loves bugs and critters and stuff? I can't believe it, but it really makes me kind of happy and proud that he has not inherited my disinterest/aversion to critters. Isn't it so cool to see what surprising interests each child develops and to be reminded that they are seldom parental mini-me's?"

Without further summary of a post I'll never write, here's Bub with the toads he caught in Grandma and Grandpa's yard this summer.

No toads were harmed in the taking of these photographs. The "habitats" (NTB, but Bub used that fancy word for the jars) were ventilated on top and the toads were returned to the yard each evening.

Any camera recommendations for me? Do the children in your life have interests and passions that surprise/delight you?

Talk about big-hearted . . .

2010-11-12T20:00:00.002-06:00

Bub brought home The Kindness Tree that he worked on at school. One of his teachers recorded his philanthropy: "I was kind when I gave my brother my old, little coat."

You hear that? He gave his little brother his old, little coat. What a kid.

He's also concerned for your health. Don't forget: Always Cover a Sneeze!

Sweet Spot

2010-11-11T21:27:00.010-06:00

In the lovely and satisfying book Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray, the main character takes a stress reduction seminar at a YMCA where she is asked to visualize a safe, peaceful place.

"Everyone had closed their eyes and gone to their childhood bedroom or a beach in Jamaica or wherever life was simpler. I had no idea where I was supposed to go. I felt embarrassed sitting in my folding chair, as if the people around me would know that I was still in a conference hall while they were all walking down a white sand beach with the sun glinting off their hair. . . . But when I finally closed my eyes and tried, what I wanted came to me with complete clarity. The place that I went, the place that I still go, was the warm, hollowed-out center of a Bundt cake."

--Eat Cake (2003, pages 1-2)

I am ever charmed by this novel and by this idea of the inside of a cake as one's place of peace and comfort.

My new happy place is not exactly the inside of one of the amazing whole wheat chocolate chip cookies that I recently blogged (and bragged) about, but I can say with certainty that I would be even happier any place with one (or ten) of these cookies beside me. After I posted about the cookies, several people asked about the recipe. Thanks to a tip from my dear friend E. . ., I now know that Molly, the renowned food blogger from Orangette, also thinks these cookies from pastry chef Kim Boyce are something special. I feel strangely validated by this fact. So, if you're interested in the recipe, you can find it right here.*

A happy place of mine is pictured below.

Can you imagine anything better than sitting here on one of these bonus, warm November days and enjoying a novel and some cookies? Feeling the breeze, smelling the fall air, enjoying the greenery. Heavenly, right? Right now, this spot seems just as enticing as a beach, perhaps even more. I like to imagine an escape that is still cocooned by my everyday life and world.

I just have to imagine there's nothing better as I don't have many (or any) moments to relax and read on a chaise during my weekday life. My sweet spot vision does not involve an exersaucer parked next to my chaise or the sounds of static on baby monitors.

Also, this sweet outdoor spot does not belong to me or to anyone I know. It's just a place I drive past several times a week on my way to the McDonald's drive-thru for a Diet Coke.

Also, it is right on the alley.

But still, it seems like an awfully sweet spot. I'm going to continue picturing myself there all alone, except for my novel and my cookie for company.

What about you? Where do you escape, if only in your own mind? Do you have a tried and trusted chocolate chip cookie recipe?

*I had trouble linking to the specific post, but if you visit the site, it's the 11/5/2010 post.

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes + BONUS

2010-11-10T21:06:00.011-06:00

Thirty posts in thirty days. They can't all be well-crafted and witty.

I have four things to share about cupcakes.

1. Pinkalicious -- Any fans of the children's book Pinkalicious out there? Bub and Little Bit both enjoy this tale of a little girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink and then red. She can only return to normal by eating green foods. Little Bit asks for the book by its unofficial title, Licious, and likes to point to each pink food item on the page illustrating the doctor's visit and say, "No, no, no, no . . ." Really cute. I always worry that he and his big brother will attempt to replicate the precarious stack of chairs and household items leading to the top of the refrigerator. There's a Pinkalicious musical playing in Lincoln Park right now, and I keep meaning to buy tickets and take the boys or at least take Bub (not sure if Little Bit has the attention span for live theater). For the record, I think Purplicious is okay but find Goldalicious pretty disappointing.

2. Earlier this fall, the boys and I finally tested out the Big Top Cupcake Pan that I "won" as part of the As Seen on TV prize package at Bub's school auction. The boys' decorating job is rather appalling, but I've learned to just let go and let the sprinkles fly, especially for baked goods only meant for family consumption. Note that the pan is also an accessory!

3. After months of "reminders," hubby has finally made it so that my "new" (received in March) laptop could communicate with our printer. Just this afternoon, I finally printed out two groupons previously purchased: one worth $50 at GAP and another worth $20 at The Meatloaf Bakery. I'm expecting to see cupcake-shaped meatloafs there and can't wait to check them out, perhaps while wearing a new t-shirt from GAP!

4. I haven't tried every cupcake spot in Chicago, but that doesn't stop me from answering if anyone asks about it. I'm a fan of Sweet Mandy B's on Webster. I love, love, love the frosting and think they manage to keep the cupcakes from drying out, which is key. I found out this summer that they offer cupcake decorating sessions for kids. Sounds fun and tasty.

5. BONUS! I just thought of a fifth cupcake talking point. Last year for Bub's birthday party, my mom made a bunch of cupcakes and frosted them with white icing. When the kiddies arrived, I had them decorate little boxes from the Container Store big enough to hold a couple cupcakes. Towards the end of the party, we brought out plates of candy and let the kids decorate their cupcakes. Then, the cupcakes went in the little boxes as a favor (except that I also made treat bags because I'm never sure when enough is enough). Assuming your guests are cool with their kids eating sugar, I recommend this party activity. I would not recommend letting young party guests ice and sprinkle the cupcakes themselves (see above).

Off to eat the last oreo cheesecake cupcake. How fitting.

What's your cupcake story?

Nightstand Companions

2010-11-09T21:40:00.009-06:00

I’m never satisfied with my book posts here at NTB. I feel I simultaneously oversell and undersell the books I really like. Plus, I tend to ramble. I’m going to try to be more concise.

Here are a few titles from my 2010 reading list that I’d like you to consider.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson -- Set in England (I give bonus points to novels that continually mention cups of tea). Generational conflicts. Cultural differences. You can teach an old dog (or an old major) new tricks.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer – New York City, post 9/11. This novel is one of the one-city-many-stories variety that I adore. I haven’t been consciously seeking a 9/11 novel, but I’ve found one that captures the best of what we might take away from that horrible moment in history. The innocence of the book’s young protagonist will break your heart and build it back up again.

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell – Carrie Bradshaw during high school. Hard not to inform one’s reading of this novel with visions of SJP as Carrie Bradshaw, but Bushnell’s novel rings true for me as a portrait of the Carrie we all think we know. Final page of the novel is completely awesome.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – I wouldn’t describe myself as someone particularly interested in surgery, complicated gynecological issues, inner-city residency programs, or the political history of Ethiopia. I am interested in nuns and twins. This novel blew me away in the best possible way. Knowing that Verghese is a novelist and a doctor likewise blows me away--amazing to ponder the capacity of the human mind.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls – This memoir was really popular a few years ago, and I avoided it for no good reason. Since I read Walls’ Half-Broke Horses (a novelized account of Walls’ grandmother’s life) earlier this year, I thought I’d give The Glass Castle a try. This memoir would be a fabulous book club selection--so much to discuss about the resilience of children, the role of parents, and the complicated, imperfect nature of love. READ IT.

I still have more great books to tell you about, but I've bored you enough for now. As always, I ask: what are you reading?

Ore-oh no you didn't

2010-11-08T22:07:00.012-06:00

With the holidays approaching and winter hibernation upon us, my penchant for food porn kicks into high gear. I satiate my need for food porn by obsessively flipping through magazines and cookbooks, by surfing the net for recipes and then reading their reviews to add to the excitement and anticipation, by grocery shopping almost daily, by stockpiling bricks of cream cheese, and by dreaming of dips.

Last year, the focus of my food porn was the Crockpot 365 website, which I still never tire of checking. I've made a handful of recipes from the site, all pretty successful but none more so than a little something I call hot vomit on a chip. I just like visiting. Plus, Stephanie, the Crock Pot Lady, admittedly eats savory leftovers for breakfast on many days. Girl after my own heart.

I happened upon a new food porn site a few weeks ago, Cookie Madness. Pretty much all my teeth are sweet so I love cruising all the recipes on this food blog.

I made some miniature oreo cheesecakes a few days ago from Cookie Madness. I think I overbaked them a bit, but they were still tasty. Tough to go too wrong when oreos, cream cheese, and sugar are involved.

The cutest thing ever is that you bake the cheesecakes in cupcake tins and use an open-face oreo (double stuff side up) as the crust.

Check out the recipe right here. I opted not to use the orange-filled Halloween oreos and also skipped the decorative chocolate glaze on top.

In the true spirit of food porn, I am intrigued by this Cookie Madness recipe for Sweet, Salty Frito Candy. I don't even like Fritos, but I am already mentally committed to trying this stuff out.

Where do you go to get your "food porn" fix? Please share in the comments. I think I should I be afraid of what search terms might lead people to this post.

Turkey Day Tread and Toss Update: I've already tossed my items for today (expired spices and other junk cluttering up one of my skinny cabinets). Now I'm off to get my ten minutes of tread finished.

Turkey Day Tread (and Toss)

2010-11-07T21:45:00.008-06:00

Readers of this blog know that I don't workout. I'd like to. I just never make the time.

You've heard of Jillian Michaels and the 30-Day Shred? This ain't it.

I'd like to try the Shred, but I don't think I'm ready.

I'm warming up with the Turkey Day Tread (and Toss).

Here's how it goes.

I commit to exercising 10 minutes a day every day until Thanksgiving.

Only 10 minutes a day? Yep. Since I exercise zero minutes a day now, this "tread" is all about just getting in the habit of making time to move a bit. I plan to take a walk outside if I can get away or walk in place in front of the television if I can't.

If I want to keep going after 10 minutes, great. If not, then not. No biggie.

But you called it a Turkey Day Treat (and Toss), MEP?

That's right I did.

I will also be tossing five things a day. By tossing, I mean either throwing away, recycling, or collecting in a donation pile. (Similar to my efforts for the now-defunct Just Use It or Lose It blog).

You in? Maybe your daily goal is five minutes or five hundred sit-ups. Maybe you already run marathons and just want to join in the Toss portion.

I'd love your company!

Note: The Turkey Day Tread (and Toss) is inspired by my facebook friend Lisa who has become stronger and more powerful doing the actual 30-Day Shred over the past year. Check out her facebook group if you're interested. Once I get back in the exercise groove, I plan to try the actual 30-Day Shred.

Gravy Train

2010-11-06T21:57:00.009-05:00

Dinner tonight -- salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, turkey breast. Pretty good spread for a meal Casa MEP. There was also gravy from a jar and cranberries from a can. I got out my Johnson Brothers Friendly Village dishes to add to the festive spirit.

The boys ate turkey dipped in ketchup. My in-laws were kind and appreciative and said nice things.

Let me try to capture hubby's review.

Hubby: I liked the gravy.

MEP: I did not make the gravy.

Hubby: Oh.

And you are welcome.

That's what our little girl is made of --

2010-11-05T20:33:00.005-05:00

Cereal of rice,

EVERYTHING nice . . .

Sweet P at Seven Months

My Decent Melody

2010-11-04T22:59:00.008-05:00

Hubby and I had a rare evening out tonight, made all the sweeter since his parents are visiting and were able to babysit for us. I left the mini van at home for them (you know, in case they wanted to take the baby out for ice cream and needed car seats) and so was driving hubby's car and enjoying his music selection. One of the CDs in the rotation is U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind, an album that I listened to repeatedly during a stressful period of my life back in 2004. I was studying for my comprehensive exams in graduate school (an endeavor which, by the way, does not sound at all stressful to me right now, compared to motherhood) and thinking that my life was so hard and that I was probably going to fail and that maybe I should quit. Blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, the song "Stuck in a Moment" was a favorite of mine then and the line that always got to me was, "You are such a fool/To worry like you do." I've been a fool like that almost my whole life, but I do think I'm learning to worry less.

I listened to the song tonight on my way downtown and different lyrics resonated with me. One was the line about trying to find "a decent melody/A song that I can sing/In my own company." Sometimes I lose my own melody and song. I start compare myself to others, especially other moms, and decide I am just not enough. But it's up to me to find a song, so to speak, that works for me. The melody that makes me happy. I may sound pitchy and off key, but if I can have fun singing it, then it's all good. (It's late and I've had two whole glasses of wine so please forgive the musical analogy, especially since I don't know much about music.)

There are times when I do feel stuck in my moment -- the moment when I lose patience with the kids, feel hopeless about the messes surrounding me, wish I had more close friends who lived close by, and, you know, blah, blah, blah. But Bono knows, "It's just a moment/This time will pass." I don't want time to pass too quickly, don't want my children to grow up too fast, don't want to look back and regret that I didn't enjoy it all more. No sir. But I do want to remember that I'm never really "stuck" and that I don't need to judge myself by my worst, most frustrating, toughest moments. Sometimes I let a "bad" morning become a frustrating afternoon and then the longest day ever. But, if "it's just a moment," the moment is over, and I can start over, find my melody and sing my song as best I can.