Date Night In with a preschooler

THIS! 

I stumbled upon this author via a podcast I was listening to in which she and her husband were interviewed. They seemed like amazing people and I checked out their food blog. It’s a work of art. Roy and I decided to buy the cookbook and work our way through the date nights together. We can plan them, cook together, and enjoy the gloriously articulate writing along the way. Oh, and we'll probably blog about our adventures too. Not sure if it will be here or on his, but stories to come!

I want to meet Ashley Rodriguez. She is a young mom of three who understands the value of preserving and valuing a marriage. And she does it with food, which is exactly what I've been doing. As my hours are shifting more and more to tending little boys I find that time in the kitchen is my justified creative outlet. 

So this beautiful book arrived, and I’ve been feasting on the pictures and honest words and unimaginable taste combinations. James peeked over my shoulder this morning and said, “Oh. We need to make THOSE.”

Those being these:

So, we did. My first Date Night In consisted of melted chocolate and parchment paper and an eager 3 year old. He did a great job decorating if I do say so myself!

Here you have it—Ritz Cracker Mendiants via Ashley from notwithoutsalt.com.

Today's 1%: Put the lid on top of your big pot when you're trying to get water to boil faster. It's ridiculous that it takes 8 years of marriage for me to start remembering that, but it sure does help. Especially during corn season when you cannot wait a second longer to dive into a buttery, salted ear!

It's kind of still one of those days

Yesterday’s blog post was brought to you by somebody who obviously hadn’t taken her vitamins and had zero coffee in her veins. Today’s blog post is brought to you by the same somebody, now vitamined and caffeinated. Which is a good thing, because there is still water dripping through my kitchen light fixture from the toilet upstairs. This happened shortly after I posted my complaints yesterday. (Clearly I was smited for my miserable attitude.) Roy is slaving over that dumb toilet, drilling into our new tile floor, running to Lowes (or Blue Home Depot, as James calls it) way more times than one should in 24 hours, and determined to lick the leak. (Not literally, of course. Gross.) Wax ring #1 didn’t seal. Super jumbo wax ring on its way. It’s either that or pay somebody to come and do it, and initial quotes were rather unfriendly.

Super jumbo wax ring has arrived. Fingers crossed folks.

Today’s 1%: When your son’s little red wagon is falling apart and dangerous for little boys to sit in anymore, take the sides off, give them a little cleaning, a few braces, and turn them into bookshelves for his room. So cute!

One of those days

It’s one of those days…

When your 9 month old refuses to do anything except be carried by you, and you alone.

When your 9 month old is clearly hungry but won’t eat purees (So. Much.Wasted.Oatmeal. And yogurt.) and isn’t allowed to have bananas or toast in the morning because he’s chronically constipated. And you don’t want to feed him only sugary fruits. And all of the breakfast baby bars online are basically BANANAS with a few oats mixed in.

When your husband gives up on the three day project of installing a baby gate which has led to more banged shins and hips than anything else in the house ever. And all it does is make the grownups not want to go up and down the stairs. The kids keep trying anyway.

When your 3 year old inexplicably dumps all of his toys in the entryway between the living room and dining room, effectively blocking the front and back of the downstairs. Hundreds of blocks.

When all you want to do is unload the dishwasher, but all you are actually doing is creating mountains of dirty dishes (mostly in vain attempts to feed previously mentioned 9 month old).

When you know you need to work out more for your sanity than any other day this week but you absolutely positively do NOT want to pull on your shorts and shoes to go for a run. Besides, it’s cold. And the 9 month old is still clinging to you.

When you’re depressed because it’s cold. And you’re depressed because you think that 65 outside equals cold.

When you pull out a frozen Rubbermaid of old cookie dough. You think you’ll throw it out, but then it tastes OK when you sample it. So you decide to just throw the whole blob in the oven. And it’s all dry and gross after you already grease your pan and preheat your oven.

When you are mulling six different date/time/location options to be able to see your best friend in October. But flights seem to go up in price every time you’re ready to purchase. Also you’re not sure if your currently-nursing infant will still need you six times a day in two months. And you don’t want to fly out of the airport that’s an hour and twenty minutes away when there’s one fifteen minutes away. But you could save $50 on a ticket. And is it cheaper to use one of the all-inclusive price sites or go through the direct airline? And then your 9 month old starts pounding on the keyboard.

When you try to scramble an egg on the stove for your infant and all you can see is his big head blocking your way. #blindchef #donotburnthebaby #oryourself

When your husband and 3 year old, working hard to get baby gate fixed and shelving finished, leave the two doors to the garage and basement wide open every 2.3 minutes. You must close them every 2.3 minutes lest your 9 month old fall down the basement steps. We had a close call the other day and it was terrifying.

When your second baby gate doesn’t fit in the doorway to block the entryway to the basement steps.

When baby gates are just STUPID.

When your mind is willing to work and think and problem-solve, but your physical being is stuck in a cycle of cleaning up and closing doors.

Ever have one of those days?

Today’s 1%: This homemade Pad Thai sauce is delicious and not nearly as sugary/salty/fatty/preserved/pricey as the $3.99 baby jar of it at Wegmans. Win at ALL levels.

Pad Thai sauce: put all together and give a quickie shake in a jar. Credit, once again, goes to pinchofyum.com.

·         3 tablespoons fish sauce or vegan fish sauce substitute

·         3 tablespoons brown sugar (or sub another sweetener)

·         3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth

·         2 tablespoons white vinegar

·         1 tablespoon soy sauce

·         1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek)

Ribbons of happiness

So my newest toy is this bad boy:

I didn't take that picture, but the noodles are honest-to-goodness that handsome.

I’ve never been into kitchen gadgetry, but I was seeing so many amazing recipes that called for spiralized veggies I became intrigued. The colors! The versatility! Owen refuses purees but will eat tons of textured veggies. James is an odd three year old who won’t touch pasta but consumes most vegetables like they’re going out of style. Squash are in season and we are always looking for healthy new recipes to try. And, most importantly, it looked like FUN. So I thought…hmmmmm. Roy surprised me with a really nice one. Thanks Amazon Prime for your almighty Wishlist—enabling a spouse to order exactly what the other wants with free shipping.

James has decided that the spiralizer is the best toy ever. He is my noodle-making-helper and taste-tester. I hooked him on it with lightly sautéed sweet potatoes noodles with cinnamon and brown sugar. At 9 in the morning. BOOM.

Last night I had planned a nice dinner for Roy and I after the kids were in bed. But I wanted to make sure the boys had some veggies with their dinner too. Out came a yellow squash. Out came the Paderno. Five minutes later it was on their plate and tray. And they devoured it. Voile--the fun of noodles without the taste of pasta (weird children…)!

 

He's happy, I promise.

And then, a few hours later, we ate this:

Thanks pinchofyum.com for the yummy recipe!

It was a happy anniversary.

Today’s 1%: A curved shower rod in your tiny bathroom completely changes your bathing experience. Even though the actual tub is zero percent bigger it absolutely convinces you of its spacious cavern of relaxation. Here’s to helping the cold of winter go down a little easier. 

8 years!

Happy anniversary to my better half. Last night during Amish date night (don’t ask…) we spent a sweet hour remembering and savoring each moment of how we came to know each other. We also marveled at how there could ever have been a time when we didn’t know each other. There is no one I can relax around faster, no one who makes me laugh harder, no one more creative in how he loves than my husband. He is the FUNNEST dad and it’s a privilege to see familiar flashes of him in his sons May they grow up to be every bit as wise, fun-loving, and selfless as their daddy.

Today’s 1%: Spent some really concentrated Mommy-James time together for the first time in a while last night and this morning. Sometimes I think he would rather do his own thing, but he quickly warmed up and delighted in doing a new puzzle together (the 50 states!) and hearing about each state’s unique contributions.

1% infinity

It’s been almost two years since I’ve publicly posted on this blog. I’ve thought about it from time to time, but life happens, you know? Also, my husband got super into his own blog, which kind of minimized my desire to try to keep up. He was sharing a lot of the same family stories and anecdotes I would have, and doing it far more eloquently, so inspiration waned.

We’re about to start a new school year—he’ll be off performing with the orchestras and our family and friends are returning to schools and normal routines again. I don’t exactly feel as if I’m joining them—the first day of school, complain as I did about it, was one of the best days of the year. New notebooks and pencils, a fresh plan book, new textbooks to crack open and explore, and the promise of “normalcy.” For somebody who loves knowing what’s coming down the pike, there are few things better than the hearkening of a new school year.

But now I have no school to attend. My little ones (yes, there are two now) are too small to attend, and too small for me to have many other ventures besides caring for their basic needs. It’s a season, of course, and a most precious one at that, but I’m fighting a little bit of cabinfeverphobia (#hashtaginthemaking). It’s August 24 but I’m already fearing the onset of the cold and being stuck inside and few grownups to connect with about things other than our preschoolers.

I’m also realizing that I need to find new things to explore and with which to create. I can’t practice piano and flute the same way I used to. I don’t have time and it’s usually too loud for sleeping babies. I still play when I can, and am an active musician, but I don’t have the luxury of really enjoying practicing anymore. It used to be a way to commit my physical, emotional, and spiritual being into one very focused activity, and it was immensely satisfying. So what now?

The past year has found me experimenting in the kitchen more and more. I’m loving trying new things, and am growing increasingly dissatisfied with eating the same old tastes. (Except pizza. I’m always down for pizza.) And the challenge and science of baking is fascinating to me. So I’m reading food blogs while I nurse Owen, I’m dreaming up excuses to try a new recipe, and I’m on the lookout for new ingredients I’ve never used before.

I’m trying very hard to become a runner, like my esteemed husband. He is blessed with some kind of Idon’tgetit ability to just drop everything and run 4 miles. And ENJOY it. I have to have a literal carrot Frisbee dangling in front of me to run without being keenly aware of it. But I know that I’m a different animal after I exercise. I’m a nicer person. I’m nicer to others and I’m nicer to myself. And what’s cheaper than running? So I’m trying again. And my ankles hurt. And my hips hurt. But I can run between 2-3 miles without dying, which is cool I guess. I’m experimenting with different strategies to not think about how awful it can be. Podcasts and going with the boys in a jogging stroller help. And when I’m done I feel awesome.

I fear failure and I fear not being able to succeed at something immediately. (Which I equate with failure…) So, my adopted principal for the rest of the calendar year is that of “one percent infinity.” I might not be able to make Beef Wellington tonight at the drop of a hat, or run a 10K, or practice an instrument for more than twenty minutes at a time, but I can improve something, each day, by 1%. And those 1%s add up to a lot of %s.

So, here’s my secret return to blogging world. I have no idea if this will be a single post or the start of something new, but I’m not going to sweat it. (She said to herself with a laugh.)

*Today’s 1%: I made pancakes this morning and had more success doing a quick, controlled flip of each pancake. This is a technique that I’m embarrassingly bad at. Thankfully they taste OK, but it’d be nice if they were pretty pancakes too. The secret for today’s improvement was to commit and do it fast.