A Mom Thing

Goofy Little Guy

 

I love this photo of Little Guy.  We were at Milennium Park in Chicago this Summer. 

It's so HIM.

Steamed Eggs!

We all know in my non-mom life I help sell eggs (client). 

But we also know I'm in love with them. I learned a new way to cook them last week -  and I'm hooked!

I was at a meeting with Howard Helmer and Jeffrey Saad.  They both did food demos.  Y-U-M.

Howard steamed his egg.  It's like a poached egg but even simpler.  Basically you put a couple teaspoons of water in the hot skillet and cover with a tight fitting lid. The steam cooks the eggs -- they are beautiful and perfect.  He slipped his in a soup. I put mine on a slice of Canadian Bacon.

H had the great idea to try it on the griddle.  I cracked an egg on there, slipped on a slice of Canadian Bacon...drizzled a bit of water then covered it with a metal mixing bowl.  And went back to e-mail.  A couple minutes later, I unveiled the bowl. VOILA -- a beautiful egg smiling up at me. The bottom edges were slightly crispy, the top -- perfect.    And probably only about 100 calories ... what a kickstart to my day! 

What did Jeffrey make, you ask?  Egg pillows -- a fried egg wrapped into a crepe and filled with yumminess.  MMM MMM MMM. Don't worry, I'll do that one soon.   And next time, I'll try to take a photo before I eat it!

FINALLY, a remote I can control!

I am in love with my dual zone electric blanket. 

Not IN LIKE...not even LIKE-LIKE...this is LOVE.

I think you all know our BFH (Big Fat House) is COLD.  Let me clarify:  we have not yet surpassed a thermostat setting of 58 degrees.  Seriously.  H and I have joked about buying Guest Fleeces and monogramming them "GUEST" ...because if you don't know how to dress when you come to our home, you will FREEZE.  It's part of our charm, I suppose.  

With a big ol brick house and no zoned heating, there are basically two choices:  cold or EXPENSIVE.   We pick cold!  Luckily, H and I BOTH grew up in c(old) houses and we're ok with it.  If actually given a choice, we'd choose cold over hot.  Sick, I know.  Crazy enough, we've trained our kids to love it, too.

ANYWAY, at night our house is COLD.  Good cold but COLD. I usually end up in bed with socks AND sweatsuit (TMI?).  I decided to take a trip back to the 1970s and look for a dual zone electric blanket (H is never cold).  I found one -- of course -- at Target! (I "heart" Target.)

I looooooove it.  I can throw it on setting 4 or 5 for 10-15 minutes and I'm toasty.  Turn it off and I'm good all night long.  Sometimes I will float my hand or foot over to H's side... and it's sooo cold! 

One night I got greedy and bumped it up to setting 8...I was sweating all night long. Learned my lesson! 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Sometimes "old" is new again...

I'm a sucker for love.

I love Love Stories.  I do.  I'm simply a sucker for love.

When you meet H, you'd never think he was (a) romantic.  When you meet us together, you might think, "sweet" but probably not "syrup."  Little do you know. 

I really enjoy hearing how people met.  Whether it was "love at first sight" or "we were 16."  I am captured by both stories.  Reel me in.

I also enjoy hearing engagement stories.  Again, whether it's the "let's do it" version or the carefully planned bo-nan-za -- I love both.

Does that make me an "equal opportunity love-ist"?  Maybe.  But seriously - is there anything better than love to make you spin?  Me thinks not!

"MOM...there is no toilet paper in the bathroom...MOM!!??"

 

Ahh. Music to my ears.  Some might be annoyed by this particular shout-out...I thought it was hi-lar-i-ous.  A true case of "turned tables" (or toilets as the case may be). 

SO FUNNY TO ME.  It's usually me left without TP because they have used the very last shards and left the lonely empty roll there to taunt me.  And you inevitably have to shamefully ask someone to bring you some...or do the AWFUL crouch run to the stash. AW-FUL.  Ultimate crawl of shame.

So.  Middle Guy needed TP.  It was my moment to shine.

Here's the replay:

Middle Guy: MOOOOOOMMMMMM -- there's no toilet paper in the green bathroom.

ME: Nothing.

MG: Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!!!!!!!!!

ME: Pause. Yes, honey?

MG: Moooooooooooooom, I SAID there is NOTOILET PAPER!!!

ME: Oh, imagine that. You need some buddy?

MG: YESSSS!

ME:  Really. Well, isn't that funny.  You are going to the bathroom and there's no toilet paper. Wow, that really is a  bummer.  Let me see what your dad thinks.  .  . Honey, MG is in the bathroom and there is no toilet paper!?!

H:  Wow. Really?  WHAT A BUMMER.

MG: Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom. It's not funny!

ME: Yeah, it is.  What's it worth to ya?  Can I take a picture of you?

MG: YES MOM. Anything. Just get me some toilet paper.

HAHAHAHAHA.  DOes that make me evil mom?  Maybe.....Maybe next time he uses the shards, he'll replace the roll. If not, at least I got a good chuckle from it.

 

French Onion Soup!

 

Yumbo-frick-a-li-cious.

A few weeks ago, I took the family on a trip down memory lane. 

I did my junior year of college in Paris.  ONE WHOLE YEAR.  I studied at the Sorbonne (American Literature classes in French? Go figure.).  I lived in an apartment (generous term) with two other gals.  We ate our meals across the hall "Chez Madame's" with a bunch of other international students.  I remember Jorge from Columbia, Nicole from Sweden.  I so remember them. Countless others whose names I don't remember.

It was a memorable year. Best of times/worst of times.  Incredibly satisfying from a growth perspective. Incredibly lonely sometimes. I kept a scrapbook/photo-album of it all. And journals. I always had my journal.

One thing we ate a LOT of was French Onion Soup.  It was cheap and tasty.  We made it in our tiny tiny kitchen. 

So -- I decided a few weeks ago that we were going to make French Onion Soup as a family and look through my scrapbook. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. 

My posse played along. 

We used the Tyler Florence recipe from Food Network.  It was rated as "EASY" ... less than an hour ... and I think Tyler Florence is cute. BINGO...formula for success, right?

The Soup was TRES BIEN.  Seriously good. The kids loved it. We will definitely make it again.  CHEAP, TOO. 

The trip down memory lane was priceless. I was seriously shocked by how I don't look all that different? I was always an old soul, I guess.  The kids loved seeing some of my friends who are STILL friends.  They've changed (physically) more than I have (for the better!).  They loved seeing my apartment. And the TUB-room and the TOILET-room. And the tiny kitchen.  Little Guy loved seeing the Teddy Bear on my bed that he sleeps with sometimes now.

Ahhhhhhh. Memories. Priceless.

Happy Halloween!

 

   

    

 
 
 
 

"Black and Orange" day at school

 

Today is Black and Orange day at school.   They love it.  Tonite we have a party to go to and tomorrow is the big T/T.  

We will be having one BANANA, one anikon skywalker and one OOMPA LOOMPA.  Any guesses...?

H and I still are not sure on outfits. Stay tuned for pics!  Enjoy your day...
 

The Magic Chef.

 

THIS is our "secret weapon" in the battle of the pizza.  As you know, we make pizza about once a week.  We usually use the pizza oven, but leftovers are often done on the grill or in the oven (especially if we need the heat in the hosue...hello, thermostat still set at 58 degrees in here!).

We discovered this bread maker over 12 years ago in a little shop near Boston called Building 19.  It's like their local version of Marshall's maybe?  Or Woolworths...anyone remember Woolworths? It was $19.99 or something crazy like that.

It makes OK bread but it makes AMAZING dough.  A few ingredients (water, olive oil, salt, sugar, flour and yeast) and and hour and a half later you have BEAUTIFUL DOUGH.  So easy and delicious.

What's your secret weapon/favorite toy in the kitchen?

Managing by triplicate?

Seems to me the easiest way to exist in this crazy, muti-tasking world is to manage by triplicate.  Three of everything.

Yes, I've stooped to that.  It's not (totally) laziness or disorganization. It's just - my life.   Duplicate does not seem to do it. One always seems to be lost or dirty or "disappeared."

Take this morning, for example. . .and this morning is by NO means out of the ordinary. Gym day for two kids.  Everyone gets dressed in an orderly manner.  Everyone has a sweatshirt, t-shirt and pants (miraculous).  Socks and shoes TBD.) THen Middle Guy looks down (at the new pair of sweats) and notices holes in the crotch. Tiny starts of holes that he proceeds to poke at ... making them bigger.

So - time for the million dollar question - Do you send a kid to school KNOWING he has holes in his pants... or do you dig for another pair?  We make him eat breakfast in his boxers then I hunt down another pair.

But take three kids... and triplicate ... and you're suddenly looking at cubed roots or advanced math.  Algebra, anyone?