« July 2012 | Main | September 2012 »
(click image for source)
It came to my attention earlier this week that we expect a Blue Moon today. To most people that means two full moons in a month. To me, I hear the phrase and I immediately think of a silly song in an equally silly musical in which I performed - in grade six! Once in a Blue Moon is the only song I remember from "Little Mary Sunshine". The ditty runs through my head every blue moon - for the last 37 years. Amazing given I've forgotten far more than I remember!
| | |
|
While at the beach, staying inside to avoid the sweltering heat, I did a lot of things. One of those things was read the collection of cookbooks found on the kitchen counter. Flipping through the pages made me realize we have been so busy lately I've not made a full sit-down meal in a very long time. All of the meals I do make are "from scratch" but I've had to adjust so that meals can be portioned out and eaten on the run as our lives have us going from ball diamond to summer school to productions to visit with friends to everywhere and nowhere all at once. There have been too many sandwiches!
It's time to change all of that, inasmuch as our schedules allow.
A few recent discoveries:
The kids are old enough to enjoy "different" foods. My pickiest eater has always been Cole and I noticed on this past trip that he's been willing to experiment with foods he's avoided in the past: shrimp, lobster, roasted vegetables.
We don't eat nearly enough diverse foods. It's time to add in a few of my favourites: beets, green beans, spinach, squash and cauliflower. Amazingly, the kids enjoy roasted asparagus and garlic or parmesan broccoli, but really dislike carrots and green peppers.
Leave the past where it belongs. Cooking for four picky kids and a critical partner made for a spirit-sucking decade (and longer). It was me vs five opinionated eaters and I just gave up. I miss cooking and it's time for me to head back into the kitchen and enjoy it again - it wasn't lost on me that I lost my enthusiasm about the time most of these books were published in the mid-90s! I don't have to love every meal, but I do have to make a concerted effort to try new things and encourage my kids to do the same.
Meals do not have to be exotic, expensive or complicated to be good. I want to take the lessons of Canyon Ranch and marry them with the lessons of the Barefoot Contessa (and others) and see what I can come up with to fill my home with those things that go with the meal that have nothing to do with the food.
Meals don't have to be loaded with calories or chemicals to be good, either. All of the recipes I want to try will follow a few criteria:
To help keep me on track and motivated, I'm going to make this a creative process. You know, photos + words. I'll share my rediscoveries here on the blog - only those meals deemed fabulous - and then I'll turn those recipes into a cookbook that I can print and share with my kids.
In the meantime, as I plow through and choose recipes that meet my criteria, what are the favourite meals in your home?
| | |
|
claire's last at bat for the season. she went down swinging.
hello free time. what will we do without baseball? oh, yeah.
hello audition. fingers crossed.
hello great book. really don't want it to end!
hello last week of august. i can't believe it's the last week already :O
hello doctor appointments. it's that time of year.
hello math and french head start. new school and new year becoming real.
hello work on house. wow, what a mess! this'll cost a bundle :(
hello ribfest. a favourite event around here!
hello haircuts. getting all tidied up.
hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week.
i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.
what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.
| | |
|
On our way from Cape Cod to Darien Lake we had a gap day. One where we had no plans. A little more than half-way is Cooperstown, New York - home to the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as a lovely lake and picturesque town. As with all great plans, when you have four kids you have to adjust. In this case, it was a combination of kids and weather!
We had a lovely spot to stay. One block to the right was the Baseball Hall of Fame. One block to the left was the lake. Miraculously I got all four of the kids to pose - nicely - in front of our hotel.
We passed beautiful stately homes. Really lovely.
So typical a sight in this part of the world.
With all of the steamy heat this summer, it was good to see something thriving!
We passed along some neat displays. Chloé mentioned "if you don't like baseball, I don't think you'd like this town". She's right, Cooperstown really is ball-centric. It was at this point in our walk that Cole mentioned he wasn't feeling well and asked for a good restaurant at the information kiosk.
We continued along the main street with a plan to stop for dinner then head over to the museum. No photo of the restaurant - The Pit, which, unlike it's name implies had deceptively good food though the décor leaves a lot to be improved!
No photo of the museum either. As we left the restaurant the heavens opened and we were drenched with water! The thunder, the lightening, the water didn't stop for over 12 hours. It continued in to the next day and fortunately gave us a 15 minute window as we packed up the truck in the morning.
And that was our 18 hours in Cooperstown!
| | |
|
developing better communications with my kids, using the words "appropriate", "respect" and "trust" a lot.
accepting the unfortunate truth that teenage angst happens to all of them - mine are not exempt.
sending a ton of photos and projects off to persnickety prints.
lamenting the sad reality that those in-my-head plans for next year will have to be drastically altered.
returning to stratford. five plays in four days. bliss.
celebrating the wind-down of summer holidays and the wind-up of back to school. always a time of wistfulness, fear and challenge.
planning a whole new way of life starting in a couple of weeks. all four kids in the same school - but claire will be living there!
embracing my fitbit!
enjoying the last few days of cooler weather. it probably won't last, but it has been great relief.
keeping control of myself in the aisles of ikea. oh so hard to do!
remembering my promise to myself and the kids to cut back on commitments this fall and winter. no hockey will make that easy!
hoping all of my kids have a brilliant start to their school year.
dreaming of a day when there is nothing on the calendar. (and everything is done - laundry, meals, cleaning, errands).
waiting for the weight to be gone before any new clothes are purchased.
looking around at my still overstuffed house knowing exactly what it is i have to do.
admiring those who manage it all with style, grace and kindness.
searching for the perfect room rug for my living room. i know exactly what needs to be put in the space, i just have to find it!
editing my hobbies, the crazy amount of supplies have to go (part of the overstuffed). lots of big decisions to make.
taking a breather is definitely in order. sometime soon. i'd better mark it down on the calendar or i'll get none!
thanking my family. their support is uplifting and greatly appreciated.
idea discovered on this blog. where is your current taking you?
| | |
|
caden's last at bat - for the season.
hello school supplies. all done! without going overboard.
hello ikea. off to get some things organized.
hello e-school. time for caden to learn the e-ways of his new school.
hello stratford. anxiously awaiting five shows!
hello jamie oliver. looking forward to brining my boys to see you.
hello head-butting. i suppose it's inevitable, but i'm baffled by the angst.
hello last baseball tournament. bittersweet to see the end of the season.
hello new parent "buddies". the world gets smaller and smaller.
hello new salon. proof that good service does not always cost more.
hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week.
i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.
what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.
| | |
|
This has to be our most favourite place to visit on earth. The kids were giddy with excitement - and happy to get out of the truck after 10 1/2 hours of driving!
Even when the weather is not ideal, it is a lovely visit to the beach house.
We took our first trip on the Lobster Roll. We watch it as it floats by but have never actually had a ride. The kids insisted so we booked our spots. Jury is still out on who loved, who hated and who got the most sea sick! (I'm just happy to have a photo of me with the kids - for once!)
Our annual "to the beach" shot of all four of them.
The heat of the day was intense. If it wasn't sweltering, it was pouring. The best time to head to the beach was around sunset.
The kids went off to Fenway Park with my dad to catch a game - Red Sox vs Texas Rangers. This was followed by a wonderful tasty meal and a quick trip back to the Cape.
My favourite meal is always a lobster roll. I think on this trip I had lobster every day ... at least, I tried! For the first time ever my kids were open to trying it. The boys enjoyed it, the girls are a harder sell. More for me :)
| | |
|
i was ... such a voracious reader of novels, it's time to get back at it!
i am ... and will continue to be, a work in progress. the joy is in the journey.
i think ... if i stick with it, this new plan is going to work.
i wonder ... if i'll ever get my home 100% organized and uncluttered.
i wish ... every day - rain or shine - would be around 24C (75F)
i save ... too many scrapbooking supplies i'll probably never use.
i always ... think, initially, that the views and opinions of others are more valid than mine.
i can't imagine ... my life without my kids in it - every day.
i believe ... we should treat people the way we want to be treated ourselves.
i promise ... by this time next year a book will be written.
i love ... making and executing plans.
i scrap ... because our story is worth telling.
* * * * *
Everywhere I turn there is inspiration here on the www. Becky Higgins is one of those incredible creative women who inspires me with her energy, vision and practicality. I've been a fan of hers for years and think I have a copy of every publication she produced while at Creating Keepsakes. I was recently reminded of the exercise above here and have joined the Project REAL Life class here.
Who inspires you?
| | |
|
A year ago today the kids and I moved from a huge home, huge yard, huge lake view to a smaller home. Smaller as in no: no yard, no view, no size.
We love it.
We didn't have to move, it was a collective decision to close one chapter and start another. I recognized years ago that we were, what I call, a "drop-and-go family". Home from school, drop your books, get your equipment and go to the activity. The big house was nothing but a big burden as it didn't reflect our lifestyle. Ever. At all.
I've lived in many homes in my lifetime - from an 8x8 foot dorm room to a substantial home in a posh neighbourhood and everything in between. This 2,640 square foot, 3-storey, 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom townhouse is perfect for us, right now, for a lot of reasons:
1. Easier to maintain. A smaller home requires less time, energy, and effort to accomplish any given task - from cleaning the kitchen to vacuuming the stairs to dusting the shelves. Way less time is spent cleaning!
2. Less chore burdens. My kids still do chores, but their entire weekend is not dedicated to maintaining lawns, cleaning decks, or the endless arguments over why some things did not get done. I have found that the fun of the big yard is always sabotaged by the burden of maintaining one.
3. Less expensive. This home was less expensive to purchase, less expensive to keep (insurance, taxes, heating/cooling, etc.), less expensive to decorate with limited floor and wall space. Though there have been some expenses moving into a 10-year old townhouse (new air conditioner, new appliances, exterior work) it would have been the same moving into any 10-year old structure. Another benefit would be the reduced debt/risk. At this age and stage, why maximize my debt:risk ratio? After dealing with huge risk, this is comfortable and just what I need right now.
4. Encourages family bonding. Many of my friends and family buy bigger homes to encourage more opportunities for entertainment and interaction with each other. I did the same, many times. I've found that this, a smaller open-concept home has resulted in more social interaction among us and less distraction with toys and games - real or virtual. Certainly there is more talk and inclusion in an increasingly more silent and private (computer and iPhone) world. This, I have to say, is the primary benefit of this new home.
5. Embrace minimalism. Moving into a smaller home has forced us all to intentionally pare down our belongings and only surround ourselves with the things we love. It also forces us to accumulate less. If there's no room to put it there's little opportunity to give in to temptation. It has been a slow purge, but I can say that those things the kids and I have kept we love.
6. Increased mindfulness. Not only of our neighbours - only a wall away, but of each other. Noise is kept to a minimum and tidy is kept to a maximum with everyone is more considerate of clearing the way of shoes and belongings. My kids now have a more finely tuned sense of community with all of us sharing space with each other. With the closer quarters, I love how my kids interact with the elder members of our community as well as the baby next door.
7. Less environmental impact. A smaller home requires fewer resources to build and less resources to maintain. And that benefits all of us.
8. Less social competition. We live in a very competitive, upwardly-mobile community where the old addage "bigger is better" is a way of life. "Everyone" drives around in flashy SUVs, wearing designer duds on their way to and from the trendiest of restaurants or stores. This move has eliminated that niggling urge to engage with Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Though I do have the big SUV, it was a pragmatic purchase, not a flashy one.
9. Fewer arguments. Though we now live in a far more central central area we live in a "no party house". Perfect. The kids meet their friends at Harvey's or Starbucks or Town Square and though I love it when the house is full of my kids and their friends, they have deemed it not party worthy.
Less is less. As in less to worry about! Fewer possessions and fewer worries.
Now, I know a 5 bedroom home is HUGE by most standards, but compared to what we were moving from, this is less than half the size size and it is double the joy.
Regrets? None. Though, I do, on occasion, miss my view of the lake. On those days, I tie up my sneakers and walk the 1Km to the lakeshore. See? Another benefit - I move more! We live in walking distance to almost everything - school, park, library, pool, downtown, grocery store, rink ... extra bonus, I save on the wear and tear on my truck and the cost of gas!
| | |
|
i enjoy contrast. ivy + brick = a favourite.
hello volunteer hours. the kids should get them all in this week.
hello cooler weather. yay.
hello recipes. desperately seeking foodie inspiration.
hello i90. something has to be done between syracuse and buffalo. grind!
hello great kids. thought the hours went by quickly. dvd in truck - best invention ever.
hello baseball. plenty of lessons learned this year. for mum and players.
hello ymca. time to use my 9-month old membership!
hello new season previews. hmm.
hello personal history. funny surprising my kids with things new - to them.
hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week.
i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.
what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.
| | |
|
a long trip to chatham and back. returned victorious over hamilton!
hello egg salad. forgot how yummy it is.
hello fit bit. finally, a pedometer (and more) that works!
hello fall football. registered - now in the right league :S
hello moleskine journals. finally found gridded books.
hello desktop. getting organized. whoot!
hello old friends. great catching up.
hello cleaning service. so good.
hello crabgrass. ugh. how to get rid of you?
hello plans. creativity is returning. yay!
hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week.
i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.
what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.
| | |
|
My 4 Simple Goals, August 2012 Back To School edition:
REWARD*: A couple of big and fun throw pillows for the living room.
*I recognize that meeting the goals is reward in itself. This is a reward beyond that - a small tangible token.
What about you? Do you have a few activity oriented goals you'd like to meet? If so and you participate, let me know! I'd love to see what you have planned.
| | |
|
