Momathlon

The Devil's Dictionary

Last night Emily turned to Dan and asked, "Daddy, what does STUPID mean?"

Dan looked at her and said, "Emily, you ask me that 10 times a day, every day."

Danny looked up and said, "Maybe that's because she's, uh, *whispering* not very intelligent."

Expect the Unexpected

I took this photo years ago but pulled it out recently for a contest.  The contest focus was "green" so I had to edit the photo to highlight the green in the dragonfly and that made the photograph too dark.

Still, I like it.  It's fun and surprising and it's one of my favorites.  I had to hang out the window to take it which just goes to show you that sometimes you have to go the extra mile to get the shot! 

No Tank You!

The picture below is Doug re-enacting Doug's famous "No Tank You Momma" pose whereby he POLITELY declines my offer of broccolli, carrots, peas, corn or anything else remotely resembling a vegetable, meat or basically anything that isn't WHITE, BREAD, PASTA or PURE SUGAR.

We've faced this pose night after night after night after night until I've completely given up and just give him stuff that I know he likes.

And then, just to F*CK with me I think, last night he walks into the kitchen and says, "I'll try some feta cheese."

And while I'm laughing and watching INCREDULOUSLY he pops a nugget of feta cheese into his mouth, chews it and says, "That's good.  Can I have some with my dinner?" and walks out of the room leaving me looking like a gaping idiot.

I put a teaspoon of feta on his plate and he ate it without a backwards glance.

Tonight he threw a TANTRUM of EPIC PROPORTIONS because he refused to try turkey.  

I think he's trying to kill me.
 

Chicken Adobo

I don't have a picture of this one - which is really for the best because it's not much to look at - but trust me when I tell you it is AMAZING!

I got this recipe from Sarah a hundred years ago when I was young and single and had the energy to 1) read and 2) drive 50 miles EACH WAY to book club.

You MUST try it.  And if you're not convinced let me tell you that it is the only meal I make (except pasta) that my ENTIRE FAMILY eats. (Okay, except Doug. "No Tank You Momma!")  I always serve it with mashed potatoes and carrots and it's a definite favorite.  Especially cold for leftovers!

CHICKEN ADOBO

~4lbs Chicken Thighs (bone-in, skin on.)
1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
9 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2T crushed peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Place chicken skin side down on the bottom of a large pot.  Layer if necessary.  Add other ingredients.  Bring heat to high until liquid simmers and reduce heat to medium high.  Cover.  Turn chicken every 20 minutes for 2 hours.  Liquid level will rise then fall.  This is okay.  Eventual liquid level will be very low.  Try not to burn the chicken.

I like this recipe because it's okay if you start with frozen chicken thighs so you don't have to plan too far ahead.  It DOES cook for 2 hours so it takes SOME planning but you don't have to do too much to it while it's cooking so it's not high maintenance.

TRY IT.

Triathlete

As you can see, Michaela is my sporty one.  

Last summer when I would go for a run she would make me come back to the house before my final lap to get her and we would run the last .8mi loop together.

After the boys quit swimming lessons she insisted to be able to continue even though the teachers were complete WITCHES and I was horrified that I'd ever put my children in their care.

And on Sunday she begged me to take her out to learn to ride the new 'big girl bike' that our neighbor has passed on to her - the one without the training wheels.

The running is going well.  The swimming lessons are going well.  The bike lesson appeared to be an abject failure with both of us ending up screaming and crying - but I've talked to some friends and apparently it was more successful than a lot of other bike lessons.

It was much better than Danny's (7) and Doug's (6) lessons apparently because they still can't ride their bikes!

Anyway, when Michaela wanted to quit trying to learn I told her that if she quit she wouldn't be able to compete in the triathlon that the YMCA puts on.  So she kept going.

I don't know who is more of a role model for whom.
 

Overlooked

I live by the beach but don't take anywhere near enough pictures of it.  Last week I had to go make sure my house was still standing.  (There was some question after the recent Nor'Easters we'd had.)

Luckily the house was there and luckily when I left I realized that I had a few extra minutes to enjoy the view.  I pulled over to the side of the road and took a few photos.  Unfortunately this is the closest shot I could take (I'm hungering for a zoom lens!) but it did a good job capturing the peacefulness of the harbor.

I need to take advantage of the fact that I live her and take more photos! 

Adventure Snacks

One of the things my children like best about the nice weather is ADVENTURE SNACKS.

Adventure snacks is my attempt to carpe the nice weather and make my kids stay outside as long as possible (and avoid having them track dirt into the house.)

I take a plastic container, fill it with a juicebox (I don't mind giving my kids juice in the summer because they need to stay hydrated and they burn the sugar off so quickly.) and some of the following:

Graham Crackers
Raisins
Chocolate Chips
Cereal (Oatmeal Squares, Cracklin' Oat Bran, Cheerios, Life, etc.)
Cheese Sticks
Peanut Butter Crackers
etc.

They each get their own container and they usually congregate outside somewhere under a shady tree and open them and just talk.  Then someone collects the empty juiceboxes, straw wrappers, REUSABLE plastic containers and brings them back into the house.

They really do feel like adventurers carrying their food on their back and eating it in the wild and it's great for me because they spend the time together, outside and I dont have to worry about them spilling the crumbs on the floor or bringing mud into the house 15 times during the day.

Pay it Forward (And Giveaway!)

The expression "Pay It Forward" is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead.

A couple of weeks ago I posted this recipe for SHOE FLY PIE - basically a chicken pot pie recipe I created for the purpose of bringing a meal to someone who could use it.  I used to think that things like this were a lot of work - too much work.  And I used to think that doing something like this would make the recipient feel uncomfortable.  (I come from a long line of people bad at asking for help.)

It turns out that it is neither.  It's incredibly rewarding to help people in need and from what I've seen it is much appreciated.

Another thing that I've found means a lot to people is 1) sending them a birthday card and 2) buying them a birthday cake.  People hate to ask people to fuss over them but love to have people fuss over them (caution: unless they don't, know your audience.)

So this week's question is: What is your favorite way to Pay it Forward?  What types of things do you do to brighten people's days without asking for reciprocation? 

Please leave your answer in the comments.

The winner gets 2 icecream cones.  1 to eat and 1 to share!
 

Sisters

 2006

 2007

2008

2009

 
 2010
  

Dr. Oz has stolen my Mother's brain

Tonight at 8 my phone rang.  I looked at the caller id.  It was my mother. "Hi." I said, answering.

"Mmph" she said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Im jusht sitting here wif egg on my faish." she said.  My mother is not always the most tactful person.

I rolled my eyes.  "What did you say?" I asked her, expecting some story about how she told my vegetarian sister that all of her cares and woes could be solved with a cheeseburger.

"Nofing" she said. "Dr Oz shays dat nofing has more collgen dan egg whites and if you wanna get rid of wrinkles you should put eggwhite on your faish.  So I did, but den it set and now I can't move my faish.  It's like having botox all over."

"You're nuts." I told her, repeating the same thing I told her when she told me that Dr. Oz recommended drinking a tablespoon of cider vinegar every day.  It's the same thing I tell her every time she starts a sentence with "Dr. Oz says," and ends it with something insane.  But she's a die hard follower and if Dr. Oz says it, it must be true no matter how ridiculous it is.

You know, if someone debunks him as a fraud, then my mother will really have egg on her face.  (Sorry I had to get that in there.)