5.31.11

When I started this month's intention, longevity, I did it in honor of my grandmother.


I wanted to set forth in May to live with a full heart, as though nothing were missing; as though I had everything. I wanted to honor my grandmother's zeal for the more splendid things in life--from soap operas to sunshine--and fill myself up with the simplicity that bring happiness.


I wanted to adhere to the underlying themes of things that are durable, and things that are short-lived. 


What I discovered is that I do, in fact, have it all. My "all" is different from your "all," and that's to be expected. 


The only ones who can fill us up, are us. We are single-handedly in charge of the greatness of our lives. The journey sometimes takes us off course, hands us surprises or disappointments, but ultimately, we choose how we handle them. 


Not to mention Oprah again (but she did sort of inspire this whole blog in the first place), but today I started watching her DVR'd final episode from last week. She points out so many fantastic life lessons that resonated with me, and one in particular went something like this: Your one goal in this life is to figure out what your purpose is. And then do it. 


In two days, I will have completed my seventh year of teaching (well, eighth if you count that crazy student teaching year). There's something to be said for the "Seven Year Itch." I found myself in the middle of the year run-down by a few of my students, parents, and colleagues. At times it was hard to get up in the morning...truly, who wants to go to work when you feel like the day is set up to fail? 


But the longevity of my career, the fullness in my life, they aren't marked by those dreadful days. I am filled with the memories of the far more plentiful good days--with students who warm my heart and give me hope. They are my purpose.


Today, a student brought me these.

And then an hour later, a few more students brought me these.

Each bouquet came with a heartfelt letter (and then a whole pile of letters!), expressing their gratitude for a wonderful year. 


I added those letters to my "When I need to smile" file. 

Because on those really bad days, I will add to the longevity of my patience and love of teaching by looking back at all the good stuff. I will remember my purpose.


Today I am full of gratitude--in abundance--for being able to do what I do. I am grateful for the students put in the seats in my classroom, for filling the room...and my heart. 


It's a good life.


Now on to June. The intention is...

5.30.11

Yogis have a word we throw around when we want to remember: smarana. 


Smarana is, in essence, remembering to remember your Divinity, or Deity, in whatever form that comes for you. 


On this Memorial Day, I honor those who have fallen in battle; that although their lives may have been short, they were not lost in vain. I remember that although it may seem unfair to those who have been left behind, it is all part of the greater plan of the Divine. 


Remember to remember. 

5.29.11

I don't know about you, blog reader, but this three-day weekend is completely restoring my sanity. 


Per my declaration in this post, we made a trip to Findlay Market this morning. Needless to say, I think, it will become a weekly family outing.


We picked up some flowers for a birthday bash tonight...

...and some cheese for the fête as well...

...and then indulged in some Belgian waffles--which were beyond my expectations and deliriously delicious. 

Findlay reminded me of my most favorite market in the world (literally), La Boqueria in Barcelona (which I'm so excited to go to again in a few weeks). Of course it was a fraction of the size of La Boqueria, but it still had that same vibe: cool people doing cool things in their cool city. The fresh meats and cheese; the gooey baked goods; the gelato and coffee and locally grown produce; the colorful chalkboards declaring salads and dishes of the day--forget the tastes and smells. The vendors were beautiful to look at!


As we got into the car to come home, Greg looked at me and said, "How did it take us 31 years to come down here?" 


It's no one's fault but our own. The answer: I don't know, but we hope to be back, again and again, for years to come. 

5.28.11

I've never really been into a few activities.


One is swimming. I've always sunk. I'm not good at moving my arms and legs simultaneously, and I'm rather afraid of drowning.


Another is softball--serious fear of being hit by a ball. Definitely not good at catching. Not one to dive in dirt to get to a base. Never looked good in hats or helmets.


Cycling would also be on the list. Bike to the market with a basket on the front and bike back with bread, wine, and fresh veggies? Sigh. Dreamy. Don a helmet (again, not a good look for me) and do it for fitness? No. 


But today I did just that. Today was about endurance (the longevity of our energy and cardiovascular and muscular strength, right?). Greg and I signed up for a triathlon next weekend (canoe-run-bike), and I (we) needed to make sure we could do the whole run and then jump on a bike thing. 


The running 5 miles went by, easy-peasy. Here I am, post-run.

The race has 18 miles of biking, so we did 3 five-mile loops. Loop one was interesting. Halfway through we needed to adjust my seat. And then I was having gear issues (as in, not being good at changing them). And my bike (a Trek Hybrid) kept slowing me down on certain surfaces, which became slightly frustrating. Greg and I would be side-by-side, and we'd hit a different type of blacktop and I'd drop back 10 feet without changing a thing. 


However, what a great test of our endurance, and we definitely made it, with energy to spare. Here I am, post-cycle, ready for lunch. I think I ended up rocking the helmet rather well.

Sooooo looking forward to the adventure next weekend. Like most things, it is much more fun to do with Greg by my side. 

5.27.11

Chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom.


Layer of double stuffed Oreos in the middle.


Brownie batter (with extra hot fudge mixed in) on top. 


I saw the recipe online around 1 p.m. today, had the ingredients in my hand around 3 p.m. 


On a scale of 1-10, I give it an 11, both in taste and the amount of time it will live on my hips. Long lasting hip addition power it has.


Find the recipe (and mouth watering photos) on this blog here. Top with a little extra hot fudge and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you, too, will be in amazeballs goodness heaven. And your hips, too. Maybe your thighs. 

5.26.11

On the first day of school sometime back in August, I told both of my French I classes that although they may be looking around and thinking the kid next to them was weird, they would be best friends by the end of the year.


I don't know what it is about the French I classes. They bond. It's literally like twin speak; the 50 of them or so who are learning the language are immersed in their own little world and share this incredibly cool bond of communicating and not really letting anyone in on their secret conversation.


Of course back in August they all looked at each other nervously, rolled their eyes at the kooky lady telling them that, and blew off my prediction. 


Fast forward to today, four more school days left in the year. 


The French I kids had the last three days during my absence to plan a fashion show, MC it in French, dress up, work it, own it, flaunt it like they got it. 


I didn't even grab a pencil and paper to take notes for grades. I knew before they began that I was going to see something incredibly special. 


These kids--from the band kids to the cheerleaders, the super shy introverts to the class clowns, the video gamers to the love-to-dancers--they put on quite a show. 


I took a video here that made me laugh. So many different backgrounds and social circles coming together. The group that enters from the right asked another group to be their "runway dancers." I laughed at their choreography. Hopefully you get a kick out of it too. 

And then as much as I was laughing, I was instantly brought to tears. Yep, cried in front of 43 kids today. I blamed my exhaustion from the last three days. But really, it was them. Through my tears, I told them this: 


Remember that first day of school, when I told you you'd love the person sitting next to you by June and you didn't even know it? Take a good look at the people around you and think about how much each and every one means to you. You are the reason I am here. You care about one another, you look after one another, you cheer each other on, offer hugs and high fives and hand shakes. I don't care how much French you learned. Seeing the amount of love in this room is the reason I do what I do. I am so honored to have been your teacher this year. Thank you for taking French, thank you for letting me change you as much as you have changed me. 


Except what I said was full of a few more pauses, shaky vocals, and eye wipes. 


A couple group hugs and kleenex and I was put back together. 


To my 8th graders--a year could be so long; this one went so fast. Merci. Beaucoup. 

5.25.11

Exhausted.


The house is buzzing like hornets in a nest. People are rushing past us, asking for light bulbs, looking for screws, sweeping, dusting, drilling, staging.


We are crammed into our playroom. 


Greg is here.

I'm on the futon with what are either accessories that haven't been put into the room yet, or accessories that didn't make the cut. 


The living room, dining room, and laundry room aren't viable options to hang in, as is evidenced here. Notice the lack of people: they are all scrambling in our bedroom. 

So no, we haven't seen the finished space yet. We haven't a clue as to what anything looks like (except the closet as we did a shoot in there today). 


I'm so tired and overwhelmed, I will probably be that girl who cries. Cue music, cue hug, cue covering my face and rendering myself speechless.


And with that, I'm getting the motion that it's time. 


This experience is nearly finished. The unbelievably pleasant memory of it will last. The kindness of the crew and hosts and contractors will stay with us; the sure beauty of our space will remind us of that.


(Due to contracts we signed with the network, I will not be able to post any photos of the space until after our episode airs, sometime in September.)

5.24.11

When our show airs in July, you will see me posing awkwardly quite a bit, kind of like this:

My self-conciousness about my outfit, stomach, hips, thighs--everything I know the camera will add ten pounds to--tends to make my hands fidget around my mid-section. 


But that isn't the point of this blog, nor is it the point of that photo (although consider it fair warning). 


This photo was taken on one of our "reveal" field trips today. We go to a store and they tell us what rug, night stand, lamp, etc., was selected by America to go in our room. 


The store this photo was taken in is called John Williams Home, and when we heard it was in Over the Rhine (OTR), Greg and I both freaked a little.


We've been suburb dwellers for awhile now--suburb dwellers who don't get out much in the city. The last time I was in OTR, it was a quick drive through with the doors locked and eyes low. 


Imagine our jaw-dropping awe when we pulled up to a bustling revitalized Vine Street, full of funky young people strolling freely in the late spring sunshine, enjoying an after work beer at an open air bar, surrounded by trendy shops located in Cincinnati's oldest and coolest buildings that have been renovated and now truly shine--sparkle, even.


If this month's intention is longevity, then I think there is something to be said about the longevity and sustainability of one of Cincinnati's oldest neighborhoods.


For a long time, OTR was the ugly stepchild of the city. It had a terrible reputation for homicides, drugs, and all other bad things that could possibly happen in an episode of Law & Order. 


But a group of people believed in the neighborhood (and when I say "group of people" I mean several revitalization groups and when I say "believed" I mean spent years and years and years convincing Cincinnatians that the neighborhood was worth saving and investing in)--these people saw the potential in the area as a hub for people who are open and progressive and creative. 


In fact, The New York Times just profiled the turnaround in OTR in it's Travel section this past Sunday. You can view the photos and read the article here.


So this afternoon, Greg and I learned our bedside table lamps and bedside tables. We left the film crew at John Williams and walked back to our car, past the open air bars, art galleries, and restaurants, and we vowed to support the longevity of the neighborhood. We look forward to dinner here next weekend. 

5.23.11

Tonight's post is from my phone as we have no power. I'm not sure how that is boding for our contractors (drywall guys are scheduled for 11 p.m. and tile guys at 4 a.m.). We have retreated to the quiet (but darkness) of my sister-in-law's house.

Today was phenomenal. In the situation and circumstances these people could be grumpy meanies but they truly couldn't be any nicer. Even the supermodel. Especially the supermodel.

Of the 10 surprises, we only learned of one, and although I'm totally stoked for tomorrow, the process is so much fun I'm okay with it lasting a bit longer...

5.22.11

And they are here.


Three camera people are currently taking "before" shots in all parts of my bedroom. These people will be best friends by Wednesday--how can they not be? They are in my bedroom.


The longevity of my current bathroom and bedroom is short. Its days are numbered, and by numbered I mean tomorrow at 8 a.m., it will not exist in its current state anymore. 


We weren't able to completely fix the front yard. The pipe we need to install to improve the drainage wasn't available on an ASAP-yesterday-would-have-been-better basis. So Greg redistributed the mud, we gussied her up with some flowers, and she didn't turn out half bad. 

And I can honestly say, I am beyond excited. Seriously. Bring the house of 30 contractors and camera people and supermodels. I can't wait to see what it will all look like, and that part is only three days away! Teaching my patience to have some longevity...!

5.21.11

I received an email from a friend yesterday afternoon.


As she transfers her family from Ohio to Arkansas, she was struggling with the best way to house hunt with her almost two-year-old boy. 


She chose an option that kept her home one more night with her little guy, with plans to leave first thing in the morning.


As fate would have it, in the middle of this "one more night," her son's tonsils had swollen to a point at which his airway was blocked and he had a seizure. 


She wrote: 


For me, it is a terrifying and beautiful testimony that God puts you where he can take care of you. I think the yogis say 'you're exactly where you need to be.'

My son is okay, will be okay, with no long term damage from this seizure, but it could have gone so differently if I had stubbornly kept to my plan like I typically do. So the take away after this long story? Sometimes its the people we surround ourselves with, sometimes it's the lifestyle we choose, sometimes it's a job we love. But sometimes it just isn't in our control, and longevity is a blessing or a gift from God so precious that we can't help but be in total awe. 


Yes, sometimes longevity is a blessing, and my sweet friend has truly been blessed. 

5.20.11

This week has been a test of the longevity of my sanity.


For the record, I only cried three times.


I haven't made a to-do list in two years. I haven't felt as stressed out as I did in two years. If I go back two years, I go back to my coaching days. Those were some crazy times that this week taught me I don't care to ever revisit.


My to-do list I made Monday was 23 items long. Today I crossed off number 21. The other two will be completed (hopefully) during the "down time" of the filming of the show.


As an update, our yard is on hold. We are going to "gussy it up" as much as we can tomorrow, but the pipe we need to install to help with drainage isn't available (ie; we should have planned much further ahead). 


Many thank yous to my glue, Greg, for helping me maintain my sanity. An extra shout out to my lungs for reminding me that deep breaths are the most wonderful way to calm down. Honorable mention to Tap Room red ale, and Homemade Cookies n' Cream, for just being there. Just in case. 


I'll be breathing deeply tomorrow at my 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. classes if you care to join me and...breathe. :o)

5.19.11

Inspiration comes in many forms.


No one knows how long this life will be; all we can do is make the best of the time we are here. 


Tonight was our last meeting before this year's trip to Europe. The countdown is on: 25 days!


I've truly had all kinds of people join me on this trip...grandparents who have poor taste in shoes (actually, I was home pregnant for that trip, but my good friend dealt with her in my place, sightseeing stop at the ER and all), people who enjoy fanny packs, students who buy too many souvenirs, people who whine, people who buy me wine, and all kinds of folks in between.


This year I have a mom who is shaving her head next week before she has her first chemo treatment for the breast cancer she had surgery on two weeks ago. She will be packing and swim suit shopping and wig shopping. 


When she was diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago, she had a choice: stop life, stop living, and focus on getting better. Or she could let life go on, keep living, and focus on getting better. 


Her prognosis is good; her attitude is even better, and I can't wait to show this courageous woman a place like Paris. 

5.18.11

I've posted a lot about why I love my career. 


As opportunities have come and gone over the years, the phrase that is always present to me is "Ninety-nine percent of loving your job is the people you work with."


Today we celebrated our sole retiree this year. During her reminiscing at our faculty meeting, she said that she's tired of worrying about test scores, tired of grading papers, tired of the kids and their, well, BS, and tired of the routine.


But what she will miss the most is the friendships. As she put it, she started teaching with a lot of the women she is close to--"best friends forever" close to--who aren't too far behind her in retirement. These are the women with whom she raised her kids, married off her kids, got divorced, buried her parents, and welcomed her grandchildren. They were the ones you knew would be there every morning to make you laugh, give you a tissue, get you drunk, offer words, make whatever "it" was, better. 


I teared up not only because she was a blubbering mess and I'm a sympathy cryer, but because those friendships ring true for me. I could not imagine my job without the people I work with. I couldn't imagine doing what I do without the built in support system of people who make you casseroles and cheesecakes when you have babies or birthdays, who cover your class on their only plan bell because your sitter called and your kid is sick, who help you plan your wedding, who stand with you in the morning drinking coffee and sharing stories and giving advice...who have evolved from "co-worker" to "best friend forever." (Complete with the little half-heart necklaces you can get at Claire's for $5).


They are the heart and soul of my day. They are why teachers last 35 years and longer. 


I hope that you, dear blog reader, work with people you love as much as teachers seem to love one another. 

5.17.11

I just came home, covered in pizza sauce and goldfish cracker crumbs, after spending an evening with some of my oldest coworkers and a woman who is by far the world's greatest boss (only she's not my boss anymore, but she's still the greatest). Will was there, too. He was responsible for the pizza sauce. I'll blame the goldfish crumbs on the boss lady. :o)


I can gloat on this perfect boss another day. 


Tonight I need to gloat on a coworker, so I think I'll do an open letter. I'll keep it short.


Dear friend,
I am amazed at your reaction to the actions taken in the last 7 days. I wasn't sure I would see a day when you were upbeat and positive about the changes being made--I for sure didn't think I'd see it this soon. 


You are now proof that attitude makes all the difference in the world. Again--it's not what happens to you; it's your reaction to what happens to you. You've chosen to go with it, to accept that change is inevitable, and often times, it's good. Maybe even great. 


Carry this experience with you throughout your career--throughout your life. File it away, reference it when you need to, and offer it up to those you see struggling. You will shine; you are shining. 


P.S. Congratulations to Suzi, Grant, and Marci on winning this month's giveaways! Stay tuned for more prizes in June!

5.16.11

Someone posted on facebook today the question, "Do you LOVE your job? Why? Do you see yourself there forever?"


I responded that yes, I LOVE my job. And I can see myself teaching forever, because every day is different, and every day is play. 


Yes, the politics can bog you down, but when it boils down to it, if I'm living as a yogi in the present moment, then I do in fact LOVE my job, and my ability to keep the love long-lasting is due to seriously hilarious students like this, who just can't get enough of verb relays. (He's the one in red who gets really excited at the end; this was our last verb relay game for the year, and I had to catch it on tape--his enthusiasm is awesome, and being able to laugh and play on a daily basis at my job--in the classroom--is always a good thing.)

Last chance for the blog giveaway! I'll pick three winners tomorrow at noon! Click here for info!

5.15.11

When discussing things that are long-lasting, it is necessary to mention patience.


Today we received even better news about our lawn conundrum, and the elephant (or swamp mud pit) that had been sitting on our chests lifted a bit. 


Your comments and advice have been encouraging. I hope to post photos of the "after" by next Saturday night. Won't be anything short of a miracle. 


In the meantime, don't forget about the giveaway! You have til Tuesday, 5.17, at noon to enter. Your posts (and the deleted ones through the blogger mishap) have been inspiring and chock full of new ideas! 

5.14.11

I don't think two intelligent people could ever make a dumber decision together.


I also think that we should have applied to be on Renovation Realities. People would have gotten a good laugh at our "time frame" for this project.


Let's see, dig up your front yard, make an enormous mess, on a day with a 60% chance of rain, followed by 5 more days of rain, with a TV crew coming to take over the inside and outside of your house in 8 days. 


White flag waving. We have surrendered.


The longevity part of this post comes in here:


An hour ago, we had a quote of $2500 for someone to come fix this mess for us before next Monday. 


Five minutes ago, we got word there was an "easy" and waaaaaaaay cheaper solution. So, the longevity part is that one must be patient. Nor should one panic because time will bring another solution. How about that for words of wisdom.


We won't be able to do this "easy" solution until next weekend. 


Alas...we need manpower. We have a few people in mind we are going to force ask to do this for us, but the more the merrier. We are offering breakfast, lunch, and a parting gift of a six-pack of your favorite beer. 


If you have time next Saturday, we have a mud pit that needs to be fixed before HGTV comes and freaks at our, well, stupidity. 


Bright side...there always needs to be a bright side...the government didn't give the OK to sacrifice our house and lives to save Louisiana. 


I'm hoping that fact lets us sleep a bit easier tonight. 


Here's our mess. Don't laugh. Ok laugh. We will, too. Eventually.

Words of encouragement accepted.

5.13.11

In order to preserve the longevity of my home--particularly the basement--it was necessary to come home to these in my driveway.

Tomorrow, it will be necessary to remove 20 yards of dirt from the side of our house. We're also going to take out a 600 square foot random patch of ivy in the front yard. You can see the side of the house and the ivy in the photo below. 

I know, I know. Some of you who know me well are thinking, "Really? You are going to take on that?" (And HGTV is coming in a week!)


We (ahem, Greg) has experience...we completely excavated our backyard with the same equipment prior to our wedding (and if you were at our wedding, hopefully you enjoyed our handy work!). Actually, I'll post a before and after backyard photo here for you...

So we're good. I hope.


Rain or shine, tomorrow we move earth. 


P.S. Don't forget about the blog giveaway! Click here for information!

5.12.11

Due to blogger malfunction for I think the last 24 hours, this is last night's post. I did a version of it on FB, just because I couldn't imagine breaking my perfect attendance record!


Tonight, Will ate an apple for the first time...as though it were an apple, and he were a 40-year-old man on his lunch break. 


I took pictures of him, and he kept looking at me and saying "cheeeeeeeese." Apparently we have taught him well. 


I decided to capture this moment on video. And he did this.

I've watched it at least 50 times now, and I still laugh every. Single. Time.


But truly, I just wanted to capture him in his element of 21 months and...7 days. I wanted to keep him like this forever, to make him stay pint-sized and adorable and sweet and carefree. 


So I settled for this. 

And the memory, which will be forever in my heart.

5.11.11

Hip hip hooray, another blog giveaway! 


Inspired by the run I took this afternoon--in extreme humidity and 86 degrees, which I wouldn't have any other way (it's my favorite temperature to run in!)--and the fact that I had this random revelation that Demi Moore may have had a good thought in getting a "knee lift" (that skin right above the knees is starting to crinkle at the right--or wrong--angle), the blog giveaway has to do with health.


So I made it about food! 


We do, after all, eat to live. And we want long, healthy lives!


I'll be giving away THREE items: 


1. A year's subscription (10 issues) of my favorite magazine, Vegetarian Times. I realize that all of my dear blog readers aren't vegetarians--but even if you converted a meal or two a week to all vegetables, you'd be doing amazing good for your body--and our planet! Check out their website here.

2. A copy of the cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. It's this amazing--again all vegetarian--cookbook that is chock full of delicious pizzas, lasagnas, pastas, and even more than one way to make tofu taste good! Seriously!! The restaurant is actually in Ithaca, New York, but they were really kind of the trailblazer for making vegetarian cooking appealing to the general American population. They set the standard, and it's delicious. (I remember my dad had a Moosewood cookbook back in the early 90s. Their lasagna is famous!) You can check out their website here, and the cookbook here.

3. A $25 gift card to Whole Foods so you can jumpstart (or continue) your path to delicious living. Visit their website here. 

So how do you enter? Make sure you are a follower (just click that icon to the right), and then leave a comment on this post only about ways you think you could clean up your eating--for you, your kids, the planet, etc. I use a randomizing website to select the winners, so your responses are never judged. I just like hearing all of your ideas! Please don't submit regimented diets--this is just about making what we put into our bodies less processed (think fresh tomatoes and mozzarella instead of leftover Pizza Hut). 


You have until 12:00 noon on Sunday, May 15th, to submit your responses!


Happy, healthy eating!

5.10.11

Tonight I needed a calculator.


The only one within reach was this one.

Purchased in 1995 for 10th grade geometry with Mrs. Graff, there's even a pink dinosaur sticker on it...from 1995...from a quiz about zebra-striped and polka-dot triangles that I did exceptionally well on.


Nope, math has never been my forte, which is why Mrs. Graff was so appealing to me. Zebra stripes and polka dots? Count me in! I'll find the area of a triangle any day!


Sweet lady that she was, there were always rumors that the funny mark on her arm was a removed tattoo from when she was in a concentration camp as a young girl. 


If that were, in fact, true (and there are always rumors about teachers), I'd say her resiliency, her longevity, is inspiring.


True or not, I'd say Mrs. Graff outlasted the odds. 


Kind of like my calculator. 

5.9.11

When I first started this blog, I was inspired by an episode of Oprah and her guest, Ali McGraw's simple outlook on life. 


The purity of Ms. McGraw's happiness drew me to wanting to make changes in my 30th year--real changes to benefit my own happiness that started in my thoughts and trickled out to whomever wanted...inspiration.


I am now adding Betty White to my list of inspiration.


Katie Couric asked Betty White on this Sunday's CBS Sunday Morning if she was afraid of dying.


Betty said no. She said her mother always told her it was a secret, what happens to you when you die. And after someone passed away in her life, her mother always said, "How exciting for them--they know the secret!" 


Katie segued that to, "Betty, I know we are all very glad that you don't know that particular secret yet, but there are a lot of people out there that want to know your secret. What is your secret to such a good, long life of success and happiness?" 


My blogger radar was going into overdrive. Seriously? Katie had to have known my intention for the month!


Betty replied, "Having kindness and compassion. Caring about someone other than yourself."


And that, blog friends, is longevity according to Betty White.


What kindness can you do tomorrow? Random and small, anonymous or grand...tomorrow, can you put your own needs aside and...be kind. 

5.8.11

Dear William,


I get to be honored on this day because of you. Your dad made the most amazing French toast and eggs and facon because of you. I got the most beautiful sun flowers, and a new yoga mat (a student swiped mine--I hope unknowingly--Monday night last week. Losing that mat is like losing a part of me...my energies and "stuff" went right with it!)--because of you! 


You, who woke up so sick yesterday and today, all you wanted was me, as though I held the magic cure in my cuddles to make you feel better. 


You, who is starting to put together sentences, and each one gives me goose bumps. "Thank you, mama." "Mama, you color. Hand mama. You color." "Ok, mama, I try."


You, who provides me with endless entertainment in your silly dancing, silly faces; in the silly way you wiggle your tongue when you're concentrating on building blocks.


You, my little life-changer (although that goes without question); who makes me a more patient person; who is teaching me that perfection is overrated; who makes saying "no" to extra work, overwhelming projects, and added responsibilities so easy; who makes crawling around on the floor pushing dump trucks so fun; who says "love you" and makes my heart swell until I truly think I am going to burst, filled to the brim with what can only be described as the knowledge deep within my soul that I am supposed to be your mom. 


Blessed. Lucky. Loved. Fulfilled. At peace. I will continue to live this life knowing that you have been the best addition to it. 


Love you.
Mom

Happy Mother's Day to my sweet blog readers who are lucky enough to bear that title...and to all the future bearers. To my own mom...and her mom...to the "moms" that take on the title in every aspect without the bloodline connection...the world is lucky to have all of you. 


As an addendum, to my mom in particular: this weekend has been trying. All Will wants is "mama"! It takes me back to days of warm Jell-o and Triaminic and the best cure of all--cuddling with you. I'll eat up every one of those cuddles, as I'm sure you did with me. I keep blinking and he keeps growing, and those cuddles will become fewer and far between.

5.7.11

Although I'm not entirely sure where this day ran off to so quickly, I do know where it ended.


Dining room table. Peanut butter and jelly and an apple for Will; experimental pizza for us.


I say "experimental" because, well, I kind of made it up. 


Using some of our co-op veggies, and Greg's whole wheat pizza crust, here's what we came up with...

Roast a container of cherry tomatoes and 8 cloves of peeled garlic tossed in olive oil and kosher salt for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Place roasted tomatoes and garlic in a bowl and use a hand masher to break the two down into more of a sauce. Spread onto prepared crust. 


On top of sauce, I put caramelized red onions, with--the kicker experimental ingredient--slices of cucumber sauteed with the onions for about 5 minutes. No, it didn't taste like pickles. It just tasted...good! Ever had broccoli on pizza? That's what I would liken it to.


I sliced some herb-crusted goat cheese for the top, and the pie baked at 500 for 10 minutes. 


With a Tap Room ale, it was a dinner that will certainly live a long life on our go-to pizza list.

5.6.11

What is a life of longevity if you don't surround yourself with friendship?

"We need old friends to help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young."

- Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Tonight was about reconnecting old friends...

...and making new ones.

 

5.5.11

I was totally excited to get our first Green B.E.A.N. delivery today!

And so was Will!

I was even more impressed with the "Happy Mother's Day" card and 3 tulips they included in the delivery. 


Totally falling for the gimmick! :o) 


Using our new locally grown organic produce, tonight's dinner was a boston bibb lettuce salad with grape fruit, avocado, smoked bleu cheese, toasted walnuts and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.

And yes, it was DElicious. 


On a side note about eating...I've been inspired recently by a few friends who are all about "clean" eating: essentially avoiding as many highly processed, sugary, greasy, fake foods as they possibly can. 


I really started on this a few months ago when I was vitamin deficient--my meals throughout the day now include lots of raw fruits and vegetables, and supplements, to make sure I avoid the zombie look and feel I was experiencing prior to that. 


My journey into The Omnivore's Dilemma has also prompted a lot of this. I talk about the book a lot on here. Really, you should read it. 


From everything I've gleaned, my current trend includes...


Things I still allow myself to eat: all sweets in general. And cheese. Oh la la le fromage!


Things I am now finding make me feel like crap after I eat them: greasy, fatty, salty foods. (Those fries from last friday night did not sit well. At all.)


I'm thinking there is something to be said--of epic proportions--about what we put into our bodies. (Did you know that we are primarily made out of corn? Ninety-something percent of what we put into our bodies is full of corn in some form! Again--The Omnivore's Dilemma.)


If I'm going for the good, long life this month, I'd say I've struck a nice balance. "Long" in my "clean eating" habits, and "good" in the sweets I will keep eating, pretty much on a daily basis...until my pancreas freaks out and says its insulin can't help me process all the damn sugar. 


Finally tonight, a jumbo margarita toast to my grandmother. It certainly doesn't seem like three years have already passed. Despite the lack of your physical presence, we feel your spirit every day. Love. Cheers.