One year

Yesterday, I found myself irrationally anxious to let my children go to school. I gave Lori extra hugs and kisses before she got on the bus, smelled her hair, took every part of her appearance in. I attempted to give Hunter huge hugs before I left for work, but a 4 1/2 year old boy wasn't having it. I had a pit in my stomach, scared to go to work. With the anniversary of the Newtown massacre looming, I was worried that this time it could be in my community or my workplace.

Today, I found myself trying to enjoy my kids on a snowy Saturday, but have been breaking into tears. For all of these moments that I have had with my kids over the past 365 days, there are 26 families who have missed out. Birthdays, weddings, holidays, ordinary moments. Moments lost because of a madman. 

My tears quickly turned to anger. Anger that people who make money off of selling weapons have any say over the right of people to be safe in their schools. Anger that while huge attention is directed to this horrible tragedy (rightfully so), children live in urban areas where there are multiple killings on a daily basis, with no voice speaking for them. Anger that multiple educators, school psychologists, and administrators can sit at a table and suggest that a child needs counseling or services, and parents can refuse because they are in denial.

Anger that at a school in Colorado yesterday, a kid who was upset with a teacher decided that the solution was to bring a gun to school. 

Enough is enough. Something needs to change, and it needs to happen soon. 

What happened to the crafts?

When the kids were smaller, I spent lots of time on websites finding things to keep them busy and engaged, especially on the weekends when Scott worked. Now that they entertain themselves so well, and I can actually do my own stuff when they are up and around, I've become such a slacker.

The kind of thing I used to do with them:



Now, I throw some paper, scissors, and glue out and say, "make a collage!"

I used to also be really into doing a million fun things for each holiday. We couldn't just make one turkey for Thanksgiving. We had to make a handprint turkey, turkey cookies, and I would print off a million different Thanksgiving coloring sheets.



Part of me feels like I am depriving my kids, and then I realize that they are occupying themselves fairly well,  (without hours on end of screen time or computer time), so I should probably stop feeling guilty. Now that they are in school every day (Hunter only in the pm), I like that they can have unstructured time. They aren't involved in a million activities, and they enjoy the downtime.

So I'm going to stop feeling guilty about my lack of craftiness, and perhaps start feeling guilty about never finishing H's baby book.

Being on stage again

When I was in kindergarten, our school put on a musicial (Pinnochio). For some reason, we got to watch the auditions, and as I saw the older girls trying out for the role of the Blue Fairy, I knew I could be up there. I walked up to Mrs. Piola, my teacher, and said, "I can do that." So she brought me up, spoke with the teacher in charge, and I was allowed to audition.

I got the part. And the bug took hold.

I was in various productions during school all through elementary, middle school, high school and college, but once I started teaching, I didn't have time to be a performer. All of my energy went towards teaching, music directing productions, grad school, and then parenting. After watching my friend get back up on stage after many years, I knew I wanted to do it, too.

The one problem was, how to find a production that fit into our crazy schedule. I work part-time in the afternoons, and then when I get home, my husband goes to work. In June, I saw an ad for auditions for the Connecticut Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of "Yeoman of the Guard." They rehearse on Sunday nights---the one night of the week Scott never has to work, and some Tuesdays, which we could swing. Problem is, I saw it precisely 3 days before the auditions, which left me little time to prepare. But I scraped a song from my senior recital together, and auditioned. I was thrilled to be cast as the understudy to Phoebe, and in the chorus.

My friend Noelle (understudy for Elsie) and I thought this sign was hiliarious. Especially because we were cracking jokes backstage, not concentrating. 

Although I never got to perform the role of Phoebe for an audience, I had plenty of opportunities to peform it for the cast in rehearsals, and received great feedback from cast, crew, and the director. I was even more excited when the music director offerred me an opportunity to sing one of the arias with the orchestra at one of our dress rehearsals. Best of all, my daughter got to be a part of the townspeople scenes, and I had a great time with a WONDERFUL group of people.

Can't wait until next year (and neither can Lori!)

Me in my "drapes" (I swear the costume fabric were drapes in a former life) and Lori readdy to perform!

I'm just one of those people

The first time Lori slept away from home she was 6 weeks old. I cried almost the entire time, and woke up early to pick her up, but I got through it. Since then, she and Hunter have both slept over my parent's, my in-law's, and other aunts' and cousins' houses.  I love that they are independent enough and comfortable enough that it is never anxiety promoting. In fact, when I drop them off, the reaction I usually get is, "okay, Mom, see you, bye." It is also a great way for them to connect with other family members, and get some special treatment. 

Bonus: I get a lovely break from my mostly fabulous but at times annoying children. I'm just one of those people who needs a break from my kids every once in awhile. 

This weekend was a special treat. Hunter slept at my mom's alone, and Lori stayed with  me. 6 year olds are especially delightful when they don't have a 4 year old around to annoy them. We ran errands, went for a long walk, collected leaves, read books, and she played by herself for hours without needing me to do a single thing. It was blissful. It was easy. It was so great to have a night where she was the sole focus of attention. 

Bonus: Scott and I got through dinner and a breakfast out with friends without having our conversation interrupted with, "Mommy.Mommy.Mommy.Mommy." 

I really love my boy, but man was it nice to have the break from his incessant chatter. 

I know, I'm horrible for saying that. But I know I will enjoy him much more tomorrow after having some time apart. 

Making myself "useless"

I wrote a grant last year with a colleague to purchase several ipads for my students to use--we had 2 already, and saw great potential for how students could use them in small group settings. I was very excited to win the grant, and have been working on implementing them in different ways.

What I found so far is that many of the "mundane" parts of my lessons could be done in a much more engaging way using the iPads. For example, when presenting and practicing rhythms, I often use flashcards with the entire class. As you can imagine, it is necessary, but gets boring. Here is what I tried:

• Downloaded the Bitsboard app and then created flashcards by taking pictures of them, and creating "sets" of the various rhythms I use
• When you import the picture, you also have the option to record audio to go with it. I chanted the rhythm for each pattern, and then adjusted the settings so that students can only hear the audio when they tap the screen, not when they swipe the card
• Put the kids into groups of 4 using the Teamshake app--you can assign kids "levels" and many other factors, so that when you "shake" to create the groups, it mixes them up so that multiple ability levels are in each group. Amazingly, they never complain about the groups because the iPad picks them, not me!
• I structured this in a few different ways. Sometimes I split the class in 1/2--1/2 worked on Bitsboard while 1/2 were with me working on something else and then they switched. I liked having a small group to work with--I never get that opportunity in my general music classes. The kids working the iPads were really engaged. Other times, I have them all practicing on the iPads.

What I have noticed so far is that when I have them working like this, I am "useless." I structure the task, but because of the audio embedded in the app, the questions are automatically answered for them. They can also choose whether to try and clap/say the pattern first before they listen, or if they are stuck, they listen first. It has really empowered them, and they are definitely way more engaged. Because they are in cooperative groups, they assess each other and correct each other when needed. 

It was really liberating for me not to be "on" the entire time I was teaching. The only thing I haven't figured out is that by having them work this way, it makes it more difficult for me to informally assess how they are doing. I did notice that student performances of their rhythm compositions were better than usual. That could just be the group of kids, so I'm anxious to see how it works for my other 2 batches of students this year. 

The L-word

As a mom, I have dealt with many disgusting things in the past 6 years. But never in the world did I envision encountering what I just dealt with in my house.

LICE.

Just typing it there skeeves me out. When one of Lori's classmates had it during the school year, and we got the letter home from the nurse, I went into emergency response mode. I promptly washed her jacket and hoodies, washed her hair with tea tree oil (which is supposed to be a deterrent), checked her hair daily, and happily never found anything.

We had been happily enjoying our summer, and then, I noticed that Lori was itching her head. (Relax--this was MANY weeks ago)I figured it was dry scalp--lots of time in the pool, being out in the sun, etc. The blood-sucking disgusting bugs were not ANYWHERE on my radar. How in the world would she get lice in the middle of the summer? I checked her head, and noticed some sand from the sandbox but that was about it. 

Then one day, I saw something crawling in her hair. And red marks on the nape of her neck. My husband took out a flashlight and a fine tooth comb, and we saw the nits. (Again, many weeks ago, but just writing now.)

Immediately, all the different ways any of the family members could have caught it were popping into my head--she had been climbing in bed to snuggle with me in the mornings; she and Hunter regularly make forts with the living room pillows and blankets; the comb the kids share; the dress up clothes.... the list goes on. 

24 hours of washing anything her head may have touched and 2 Nix treatments later (which is a GIANT pain in the ass when you have a girl with a full head of hair, by the way), and it was contained to just Lori.

But in the meantime, I will be scratching my head and making my husband check me every 5 minutes.

This was weeks ago--those creepy crawlies are over and done with, so no one around is in danger of getting it anymore. And we still don't know how she got it.

CSA update!

I'm now 1/2 way through the season of my CSA, and I love it! I still kept my garden, because I wasn't really sure what I would be getting and if I would like it, and I think that next year I will definitely plant way less veggies, and add some more things that won't take up freezer space, like garlic. I would also like to plant more blueberry bushes and strawberry plants, because I can never have too much of either of those!

I have been freezing things like crazy--Scott and I chopped up and blanched kale for caldo verde (kale soup) and zucchini in the past week. I also shredded a TON of zucchini to use in the fall for baking. Last week, I made these yummy sugar snap peas:



You know a recipe is great when your 6 year old gobbles it up!

I also made this over the weekend using zucchini, tomatoes, and corn:



AH-MA-ZING!!!!! So yummy as as side dish, a topping for fajita steaks, and I used it as
filling for veggie tacos with some guacamole on top. Delish.

I also made a kale pizza that was basically my own recipe--spread a little oil on the pizza dough (store-bought), spread my homemade garlic scape/basil pesto on it, threw kale and some tomato on top, and then sprinkled parm and mozzarella cheese on top. So tasty--my 4 year old kale lover devoured it.

We have been getting lots of scallions from the farm, so I have just been chopping them up finely, and putting them right in the freezer. I won't need to buy frozen onions all fall with the amount we've been getting. I used them in rice the other day, and I like the mild flavor of them. I would bet that they would be great in fresh salsa when I get some more tomatoes!

I just looked at the newsletter for what we are getting next week, and excited for our 2nd week of yummy, just picked corn, our first batch of cukes and carrots, and peaches and nectarines, among other things. I'm so happy with the variety of things that they have been offering.

The things kids say...

My kids have just been cracking me up this week with the things they are saying.

H- "Mom, I'm going to put you in your room. You are annoying me." I'm not sure where he got that from-<sarcasm>

In addition, we now have the, "You're so annoying." "No, you are!" arguments that are inevitable with siblings so close in age.

L-"Mom, did you know that God can see everything? I wonder if he can see inside my body."

This one is said quite often by H- "Aw, I forgot to tell him/her/them something before they left!" Usually when I ask him what he needed to tell the person/people, he has something silly, unimportant, or can't remember.

L-"Mom, God must have really big eyes if he can see everything. Do you think they are magic, like Santa? I think he chooses the weather, too."

H misspeak: a lawnmower is a "mow lawn"

L misspeak- Monster's University is "Monster's Anniversary"

What I am really enjoying most right now is hearing how expressive Hunter is with his thoughts and train of thought these days. The conversations we have just crack me up, partially because what he talks about, but also because of his "delivery." He is quite dramatic and animated (like Scott) when he tells a story, and usually had to demonstrate it by physically acting it out, which is hysterical. He and Lori are really great playmates most of the time, so it is really funny to watch their dueling imaginations.

Can't wait to see the funny things they do this week!

Back in the saddle

Although I haven't performed in a musical/light opera since college, I have performed a lot since college. I sang in a church choir and was a featured soloist both in OH and in CT, I sing at my church occassionally, I've sung for weddings, etc. With all of the performing I've done for many years, I was amazing at how vulnerable I felt at my first real blocking rehearsal for leads--and I'm just an understudy.

While I'm confident about my singing skills, I've never been a fabulous actress, so I felt very insecure as we were blocking scenes. I felt very vulnerable delivering my lines to a group of strangers, some of who I know are judgemental, based on conversations I overheard. Also, having worked with  my partner in crime at school in blocking and choreographing songs, where we run repeatedly in small chunks until the kids are accurate, the director I'm working with has a laid-back style. He basically listened to us read/sing and then gave us some very vague direction. Because I'm an understudy, I got to run through it once after watching a few times, but still was unsure of what exactly I'm supposed to do. So unnerving for me. First, I'm a perfectionist, and I like to know very specifically what I'm supposed to be doing. Second, I'm used to being the one who is telling everyone else what to do, so it is strange to be on the other side.

I'm definitely learning a lot, and even though I will probably never perform the role, I am learning so much. It is really giving me a great perspective on how my students must feel, and I think that I will definitely be a much different music director because of it. It also makes me really appreciate the amount of time my students put into working on their parts, in addition to their other activities and schoolwork.

The summer of 4 and 6

With our late school year blurring right into a week of camp, I feel like our summer only really started this week. That being said, I am absolutely loving the ages of 4 and 6 this summer. Why?

1. We are not in diapers at night this year. I did not have to pack an extra bag filled with diapers and accessories for camp, and when we stay out late, we don't need to deal with bringing a diaper bag a long. 

2. They can swim on their own. And do for HOURS. This is the first summer that both kids actually enjoy swimming, and have the endurance to do so continously. They swam from 11-4 today with a lunch and snack break. Swimming used to mean they mostly played in the yard while I enjoyed the pool, but today I could sit on the deck for a bit while they swam independently (with flotation devices, but I don't have to carry anyone or hold their hand). 

3. We are losing naps. Part of this actually stinks, because I love the quiet time or time to get things done, but is really nice not to be restricted by the all-powerful nap. Plus, bedtime can be earlier, which isn't all that bad.

4. They are occupying each other really well (mostly). I have to say, I know I'm really lucky, but my kids really play well together. Even though I have one boy and one girl, they enjoy playing together. Lori happily plays with trucks and trains, and Hunter likes playing house or princess with Lori. Scott and I can get quite a bit done before the minions become demanding.

5. They are great helpers, and actually do a good job of helping. My weekly dusting took no time at all--Lori dusted her room, Hunter's room, and the baseboards while I did the family room and our bedroom. Both kids helped take peas out of the pod with me to prep dinner, and they can get their own drinks and snacks without me doing much. It saves me so much time, and they feel capable and independent.

6. We are developing a bigger network of friends with both kids in school. It is so great to be able to knock on our neighbor's door and ask them over, or call a friend from around the corner for an impromptu playdate (read: time to talk to another adult while our kids occupy each other). 

I know that I will have plenty of things to add to this list as the summer goes on, and I can't wait!

Taking a chance

My friend from camp, Cait D., has a great blog about doing things she has never done before. It is so fun to watch her try different things, especially because they are often very comical, like this particular video where I make a little cameo. Watching her ability and willingness to try new things has really been inspiring. I've also been inspired by  my colleague and fellow blogger Marcy at (Don't Be) Too Timid and Squeamish, who is writing about her journey trying new things as well.

I have been DYING to be on stage in a production again. My friend Sloane did a show this past fall/winter, and I was inspired to take a chance! After music directing for 14 years, it is time. Plus it is on my bucket list! I've been looking at different things, but the time commitment with a husband that works nights and my kids just didn't work. I opened up the "Cromwell Chronicle" one afternoon (our local yocal paper), and saw that the local Gilbert and Sillivan society was casting a show that would rehearse Sunday nights (when Scott is home), and only some Tuesdays (totally doable). The audition was in 3 days, but the opportunity was dropped in my lap and I had to take it. I pulled a song from my senior recital (which was in 1999!!) and threw it together for my audition.

As I sat in an audition for the show for the first time since I was in college MANY years ago, I was not freaked out or nervous, and didn't really care about what part I got. I just wanted to be in a show again. I had nothing to lose--just a great opportunity to gain, regardless of what part I got. I started thinking a lot about why my attitude was so different now than it would have been back in high school or college, and read a post where Marcy talked about being more confident as she has grown into herself. That is it--being in my late 30s is why my attitude is different. I am the understudy to someone who is very young (but an amazing singer). As the director introduced us to each other, she was extremely snarky and irritated that she had an understudy--"I'm not getting sick, so no worries." I'm sure that would have been me at her age. 


Life is so much more complicated now than it was in my twenties, but the beauty of being this age is realizing what once was "life-ending" is now not a big deal. I'm so glad that I took this chance and am excited about the people I will meet and learning a great role, even if I never get to perform it. 

Shameless plug--come see my show. Hopefully, I'll be singing away in the chorus. 


Tickets available here!

Farm Share, week 2

Update: 

Used the spinach from last week to make yummy spinach soup--my picky son who hates veggies will always down a bowl of this very easy to make soup.

Stilll working on lettuce, and we've been eating it every day! 

Here is the list of what I'm supposed to be getting tomorrow--hoping they picked this morning before the rain!

Bok choy (leaving it at swap--hopefully Scott can pick up some beets or more kohlrabi)
Strawberries
Kohlrabi (I had to look up what this was)--they look like this:


And apparently taste kind of like broccoli stalks.

Beets (not sure how I feel about beets, but I found a grilling recipe, and one that used them to bake with)

Lettuce (still working on our lettuce from last week--might give some of it up to a friend or neighbor.)
Tai Basil (yum)--will be able to make a mean pesto with that and the basil I have in a pot on my deck.

Kohlrabi and beets are new to me, so I'm looking forward to trying to cook with them.

Farm share!

I have been dying to be part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for a few years, and last Dec., finally had the means to do so somewhere local, convenient, and affordable. I went with a farm in Rocky Hill, CT, Fair Weather Acres. A few of the reasons we went with them:

1. Easy to get to- the farm stand is a 5 minute drive from my house. Pointless to go to a farm where I'd have to drive a significant distance--defeats the whole purpose!
2. Affordable-they have 1/2 shares, and because I paid last Dec, I got a significant discount on our 1/2 share.
3. Variety- Not only do they offer up their vegetables, but they also partner with a local orchard to include fruit in their shares, which was very appealing.
4. A pro I found out after the fact--they box up everything for you, so I literally walked out of my car, they gave me the box and I was on my way. So easy!

The Friday before pickup, they send a facebook post about what they will have in your box the following week. I love that I could figure out recipes (and what else I'd need to grocery shop for) BEFORE I pick up the box. I created a Pinterest board to post recipe ideas so that I'd have easy access to them.

This was the first week of pick-up--I was looking forward to this for MONTHs, and it was finally here.
My box included:

• a gigantic head of red leaf lettuce (the size of 2 head!)-yum!Nothing like fresh lettuce!
• collard greens (never had them, but tried them-decent)
• kale (one of my favorites to make caldo verde, but made kale chips this week)
• spinach (love spinach, but haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet)
• bok choy (I'd be happy to never have this in my box again!)
• was supposed to get radishes, but they weren't ready, so they gave me an annual plant

They also have a swap table--if you don't like something you take it out and leave it, and you can pick up something else that you might like more of. 

If I get more bok choy next week, it is definitely getting left on the table.... hopefully someone won't want their kale!

I'm excited to see what the summer brings. We have a garden in our backyard, so I'll be interested to see if I will still want to plant vegetables after a summer of the CSA--I might be able to get some yard back, and just do strawberries, blueberries, and garlic next year. 

Crunchy

My husband has accused me of becoming more "crunchy" lately... meaning that I'm spending more time finding natural alternatives to things that we would normally buy a mix of chemicals to do.

It started last summer, when a friend posted something on Facebook about making her own dishwasher detergent. Not only was it environmentally friendly, but it was so much cheaper than buying those tabs. I wrote about this before. I also make my own laundry detergent and cleaning products out of things like baking soda, vinegar, etc. When someone is really sick and I want to disinfect, I do break out the bleach wipes, but I've noticed that the smell bothers me so much now that I'm used to clean smelling like nothing. Glad I made the switch because clearly there is some kind of negative effect, and my wallet like the cheaper alternative as well.

I read an interesting article on a local woman who makes her own bug spray and sunscreen using natural ingredients, and I think that this might be my next task. Having a history of sun cancer, I have to wear sunscreen every day, and it does make you wonder what all of those chemicals do to your body--am I actually causing more damage? If those chemicals hurt me, imagine what it could do to my kids. I did a Pinterest search to find out different recipes, and have a few that I'm going to look at making. Being cheap and lazy (and also wanting something that will work well) limits the choices of things I will try.

One choice involves about a bazillion essential oils, which  means I have to find them somewhere. I hate running from store to store figuring out where to find weird things, and I'd rather shop from my couch. Which means I will end up paying lots on amazon for all of those. Thinking that isn't the winner.

Choice #2 seems like there are less oils and more things that are easy to find at a store--like coconut oil, cocoa butter, and aloe vera gel. Might be a winner, and will probably be good for the pocket as well.

This is the winner for my homemade bug spray. Our yard gets pretty buggy at night, and we have a week at camp at the end of June coming up. I actually used the Off botanicals lotion last summer, and it worked well, so I'm hoping that this concoction will do a good job keeping my little girl from having a back full of bug bites at the end of camp week.

What "crunchy" things are you using in your home or with your kids?

Gratitude

I constantly work at making sure that I have gratitude. Sometimes it is external--being sure I thank people I work with, thanking my kids for doing little things, thanking my husband when he makes dinner. Sometimes it is more of an internal or spiritual thing. On the rare occasion that I can walk alone, I always take a minute to appreciate the amazing view around the first corner of my walk. Taking a minute to appreciate the beautiful view, the buds on the trees that mean great weather will be coming soon, being thankful that I get a few minute of quiet in my busy life.

As a teacher and a parent, there is nothing better than seeing a child have gratitude. I have always said that I teach kids, I just do it through music. I want my students to show gratitude and be appreciative, especially because they are very lucky to live in the town they do, where they have so many opportunities. I take the time to make sure that I thank the accompanists, clinicians, and give props to other teachers, kids, administrators, etc, when I appreciate what they do. It is my hope that some of that rubs off on them.

I do the same thing at home, and it has been wonderful to see my kids show their gratitude. I have to still remind them to say "please" and "thank you" constantly, but they have these little glimmers of honest, pure gratitude that blow me away. Those moments remind me of my most important job of shaping these little ones into becoming great humans. My son, age 4, out of the blue thanked me for  his birthday party yesterday. He didn't see all of the planning and thoughts that went into it, but he realized even at his young age that it took work to do it, and took a moment to make sure that I knew he appreciated it. Moments like those make me feel like I'm the best mom in the world.

My favorite kid.

You aren't supposed to have favorite kids. But I do. Here is the thing, it changes all the time.

Lori was my favorite for quite a long time. Especially when Hunter was in the miserable, daily tantrum throwing, impulsive terrible 2 stage. Then Hunter became my favorite. As his language skills developed more, he really started to show his sweet side. He is super caring. Lori started being bratty and overdramatic and was going back to ridiculous tantrums. So he was the favorite.

As quickly as it happened, Hunter began getting moody and overemotional, and Lori was back to being the favorite. I've been sick all weekend, and Lori has been really sweet and helpful. Hunter has been pushing buttons.

Then at dinner today, Hunter looked at me and said, "Mommy, if you're sick, I'll take care of you." Back to being the favorite. Hope he remembers that before he puts me in "the home" someday.

Crash week--or when my kids LOSE their minds.

We have a pretty good routine going at our house--my husband works mostly in the evenings and weekends, and I work part-time teaching music. It means that I am always in charge of dinner and bedtimes, and we tag team the morning stuff. The kids have only known life this way. It works really well, except for when it is crash week for my show at school.

If you have never been part of a musical production, here is the way that crash week goes--HOURS of extra time spent running the show through, plus time getting makeup, costumes, mics, etc. For me, it means that on Monday, I got home at 6pm. Yesterday and tomorrow, I stay through until 8pm--which means I only see my kids for a brief time in the morning. They get to sleep over my mom's on Friday (which they love, but means ugliness when I get them back), and then I have 2 more shows on Saturday and will only see them for a little bit that day.

The routine is off. And the natives are unhappy.

This week has been filled with tantrum after tantrum, which is unusual for my kids at this stage of the game--almost 6, and 4. Lori threw a 15 minute tantrum before school yesterday because I wouldn't help her practice violin after she spent 10 minutes fooling around and not playing. Hunter had a 15 minute tantrum today because he wanted milk and not water (and we didn't have any milk left).

I get that they miss me and their structure.  I  miss our routine and structure. But I hate when the short time that I get to see them is filled with crying and whining. I want to give them extra hugs and kisses and snuggle because I won't get to at bedtime.

There is always next week, I suppose.

Sustainability

Remember when sustainability meant no paper bags? They kill trees! Use plastic, they said.

Have we come a long way since then!

I try to think about sustainability when I can in my house. We recycle. I'm actually a little bit psycho when it comes to recycling, and I love that my kids know what is supposed to go in the recycle bin versus the garbage. I don't feel as bad getting rid of 99% of the work that Lori brings home because I'm recycling it.

I love reusable bags. I also love that they "pay" you to use them. Hey, 5 cents is 5 cents, and it adds up after many Stop and Shop and Target trips.  I still put my meat in plastic bags, though. We reuse them in our garbage bags--I know, that isn't great, but I haven't figured out another solution.

We compost in the spring/summer/fall. Our compost bin is in the back of our yard, so we don't do it during the winter months. My kids are great about sorting their food. I worked at an arts/earth studies camp at Cuyahoga National park one summer, and the kids had to work every day to have only compostable waste at the end of their meals. It was a fun goal to work toward, and really made me think about the amount of waste we generate. It is cool to see how much less garbage we have by recycling and composting. Our recycling bin is almost always fuller than our garbage can.

I am a little nutty when it comes to packing lunches as well. I don't remember the last time I bought plastic snack bags. We use washable snack bags and plastic sandwich and snack containers. I also got a set of cheapo silverware to pack. If it gets mistakenly thrown out, it is no big deal.

I went to electronic Christmas cards except for relatives who don't have internet access a few years ago. Not only is it sustainable, it is cost-saving and time-saving. I don't send out birthday invites/thank you notes in the mail for the same reason--I'm sure I've saved at least $150 on postage this year alone between Christmas and birthdays.

These are little things our family is trying to do--I really believe that it makes a difference, even if it is a small one. Maybe one of these ideas will inspire you!

Homemade snacks

I love making homemade snacks--partially because I love baking. I also love that I can give my family food that is healthy, and I see exactly what is in it. I do buy prepared stuff, too (I don't have THAT much time on my hands), but when I can, I have a few things that I try and do myself.

1. Popcorn. We've all heard about the crazy chemicals and health issues associated with microwave popcorn. I found a great way (via a Facebook friend) to make it. Take 1/2 cup of regular popcorn kernels, put it in a brown paper bag and fold the top over. Microwave for 2-3 mins (depending on your  microwave), and then you can add whatever toppings you want when it is done. My 2 favorites--butter and brown sugar, and butter and Parmesan cheese. Yum! And thrifty, too--way cheaper, and less packaging to throw away.

2. Homemade granola bars. This is my go to recipe.

What I LOVE about these is the ingredients, oats, wheat germ, honey, brown sugar, and I use whole wheat flour. This recipe is very forgiving when you add ingredients or modify. I often add pumpkin and use applesauce to replace the oil. I also love adding chocolate chips. I put in flax seeds sometimes, too--for some reason Lori gets very excited when she sees me pull out the flax seeds. These never last long around my house, and I make them at least once a week.

3. Muffins. Which variety depends on what is available and what everyone is eating. Lately, this recipe for Pumpkin What Honey muffins is the favorite, especially for Lori. I take out the raisins and put in chocolate chips, and usually don't include nuts. Lori has a nut free classroom, so if I want to send this in for snack, I can't include nuts. I used many of the recipes for muffins in the Jessica Seinfeld "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook, too, but haven't used them lately now that I'm not making baby food very much.

4. Kale Chips. These are my favorite snack for me. I haven't made them since last summer, when I had a huge abundance of them from picking a friend's CSA food for the week. LOVE these. So easy to make and delicious. I basically eat them over the pan after I make them and finish all of them. My kids don't like them--I'm okay with that.


5. Homemade popsicles. My cousin got the kids little freezer pop molds, and I found some more to make these in. I have 3 varieties that I make. The first kind is just plain old freezing fruit juice. Sometimes I put little chunks of fruit that is just about done in it (like chunks of strawberries). The second kind is basically a smoothie that I put into the pop molds. Our favorite during the summer, and I can sneak in some veggies--usually butternut squash--into them. The third (and not as healthy kind) are these:





Yes, homemade pudding pops! My favorite are vanilla. 

Looking forward to having more time in the summer to discover some more homemade snacks that are easy to make and healthy.

Carving out time for fun

The  month of March is my least favorite month of the year. CMTs (our state test) at school make for really short classes and hectic days, I have at least 3 events I have to return to school at night for (all crammed into 6 days), most of my Saturday mornings are spent at musical rehearsals, and with our musical coming up the first week of April, I will be spending many afternoons late at school.

Trying to carve out time with my kids gets a little crazy this month, but I want to do extra fun stuff with them because they are missing out on their typical time with me. Here are some things we've done already, and other things I am planning on.

-Maple syrup demo: On Saturday, I raced back home after my rehearsal, and after getting some things done and before dinner plans with friends, we went to Lamothe's  Sugar House in Burlington, CT. What a great little place! Their store is open year around, and they sell their syrup at Highland Park Market and some other IGA stores. They did an interesting demo where they showed us how they used to tap trees, and showed how the different machines worked. They also told us that now instead of buckets on the trees, they run lines from the trees down to their collection tanks. While he was chatting about this information, he gave the kids maple candy lollipops to eat. We also got to test different colors of syrups (Scott and I liked the dark the best), and they had samples of cider, maple coffee, and their homemade jam out.

-Bubble bath--not just a regular bubble bath, but I gave the kiddos little bubbles from my cousin Gabriella's party and let them blow bubbles in the tub. Simple, yes, but I won major cool mom points for letting the kids blow bubbles in the house.

-St. Patty's Day parade--for once I don't have rehearsal the day of the parade, so I'm contemplating bringing the kids to the Hartford parade... waiting to see how cold it is.

-Bowling--Hunter turns 4 at the end of the month, so we thought that it might be fun (and relatively inexpensive) to do a bowling outing for his birthday treat. Neither of the kids have been yet, so it should be fun, and I haven't been bowling since Lori was a baby, so I'm looking forward to it. Trying to find a time when they have a special to save some cash.

-St. Patty's Day fun--it falls on a Sunday this year, so it will make it easier to do things like turn the toilet green (just pouring mouthwash in it) and cook green eggs and ham and see how many things I can make look like shamrocks or turn green.

Any other simple ideas to carve out fun during a busy time??

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Fabulous 4 (well, almost)

Hunter will be 4 in about a month, and I forgot how much I love this age.

He is eager to be a helper--which means that when I ask for something to get done (like get something from the fridge), he will try and TACKLE Lori to get to it first. I also love that I can get him to do many things that he might not be crazy about, just by telling him he can do it himself.

His attention span is amazing, especially when Lori is at school. He can sit and play with his cars or Legos for at least 30 minutes at a time, and I love watching his imagination at work. It is also so much fun to see how his fine motor skills have developed. Just the other day he was twisting something open, which he couldn't do a few months ago. He is so attentive when he colors, too.

He is talking non-stop, especially when we are in the car alone. When I start to get annoyed by it, I remind myself that 2 short years ago, we contacted Birth to 3 because we were worried that he wasn't putting words together. Be careful what you wish for, right?

His memory is remarkable. While he says "yesterday" for any point in time before this minute, he clearly describes things that happened a long time ago in great detail.

My favorite thing is watching how absolutely sweet and loving he is. He usually insists on hugging and kissing every single person when he leaves preschool, Sunday school, and most family functions, especially his favorite people. As rambunctious and active as he is, he is incredibly sweet and gentle when it comes to little ones, like his baby cousins.

That being said, there are just as many things that frustrate me about this age, but this post isn't about those things--adore it most of the time.

Have I told you how much I hate winter??

Things cancelled/not attended due to someone being ill in my house since January:

3 church services
1 concert
3 visits to my mom
2 visits to my grandmother
3 playdates
2 days of work
5 days of school
1 dinner out with friends
2 violin lessons

And that doesn't count all of the things we've missed because of the darn weather.

I'm not bitter much. 

Bring on spring!

Rising to the occasion

On Friday, I came down with the dreaded stomach bug. I was at my brother in sister-in-law's house, and all was fine until dinner time, and I just did not feel like digging in to the pizza that we had ordered. It became  apparent quickly that I was most definitely sick.

Since Scott was at work, I had drive the 20 minutes home with the kids by myself, crossing my fingers that I wouldn't need to pull over on the highway. Once I got home, I made a beeline to the couch, and my lovely 5 year old rose to the occasion. Lori loves to play the mommy role, so she jumped right in.

This precious child made sure that she and Hunter got PJs on, teeth brushed, and tucked into bed. She even sang Hunter his bedtime song and then sang her bedtime song to herself.

Seems like not a big deal, but when you aren't feeling well and the only adult in the house at the moment, it is nice to know that your kid can step up and take charge in a situation that isn't ideal. 

Cooked once, served several ways.

I didn't want to stock up my freezer just in case we lost power, so I decided that on Friday I'd use some ground beef that I had in the freezer. My kids LOVE taco meat, and we had leftover guacamole,so we grabbed some taco seasoning at the store, and I tried to think about what I wanted to make.

We have some kind of burritos at least once every other week--it is one of those meals that I know both kids will eat, I will eat, and I can make it healthy with lots of veggie toppings. Plus, yum. But I wasn't in the mood for burritos.... what to make??

I cooked up the meat, and I decided that I was in the mood for nachos--thus nacho bar for dinner was born! Big hit with EVERYONE  in the family, even my picky boy.

We had leftover meat, and I decided tonight that we'd eat the leftovers--kids had burritos (only 2 burrito shells left). The girl eats hers with stuff IN the burrito, and picky boy wants everything on his plate and eats the burrito wrapper on the side. Hubby was home for dinner (VERY rare occurrence during the week), and he and I had taco salad. We got to finish up the guacamole, ate lots of healthy veggies, and used up my leftover meat.

I also love using leftover meat to make quesadillas-it makes me happy to maximize every ingredient so that we aren't throwing out food at the end of the week. Another popular favorite in our house is taco casserole--basically, you layer the cooked taco meat with black beans, veggies, and cheese on top.
 And I can't forget about the taco skillet with rice.



Maybe I can find some more ways to serve up taco meat!!

Snowed in-Saturday

1. Son crawls into bed at 5:30am. Snuggle with him until he gets hungry and wonderful hubby gets up to get him breakfast. Fall back asleep until 8 because hubby feeds kids and puts a show on so he can start shoveling.

2. Wake up and go "OMG this snow is INSANE!!" Look out all the windows to survey the craziness.

3. Eat breakfast and hang out with kids. Decide that this snow is too much for hubby--get yourself and kids dressed for snow and head out to help.

4. Get totally overwhelmed by the amount of snow that needs to be cleaned. Help hubby shovel while kids play in snow. Watch hubby ski down the hill because we aren't plowed yet. Laugh at him with the neighbors as he hikes back up the hill.

5. Send kids inside to watch TV and continue to shovel.

6. Come in to warm up and make lunch. (Lunch included edible playdough for kids and soup for me and hubby)

7. Head back out to shovel while hubby takes a break and gets kids to nap.

8. Remain overwhelmed at the amount of snow. Trudge to back of the house to clear slider door of snow. Walk through waist high drifts of snow to come back to the front. Decide that you are done with snow for the day.

9. Entertain kiddos with various activities--Valentine making, sensory play, coloring, more math with the older child.

10. Make dinner while kids play in the snow with wonderful neighbor child for an entire hour.

11. Make snowcones for the kids.

12. Bedtime for kiddos=drinks for us again.

13. Chill and contemplate that we have to clean off the deck tomorrow. Look at weather report and wonder if we'll be in school on Monday.

Snowed in--Friday

Friday

1. Run to Dunkin Donuts as the snow starts because you might be able to get out for a day or 2--ironically, my hubby didn't even get coffee despite being the sole coffee drinker in the  house. Also, wanted to get the kids out of the house to kill some time since we knew we'd be housebound for a bit. (If only we knew how long we might have stayed out longer!).

2. Run to KMart to get batteries just in case of a power outage. Realize that buying batteries means that power will most likely not go out. While at KMart, also realize that you should get some milk there, because when it snows in New England, everyone buys some (we already had eggs and bread at home)--you might have a French Toast emergency during the storm.

3. Drive home.

4. Realize once you get home that you are missing some ingredients to make nachos and chili (dinner for last night and tonight). Send hubby back out into snow to get that.

5. Make homemade mac and cheese for lunch. Bake cupcakes to decorate later with the kids.

 

6. Call neighbor to bring kids over to play because kids are already irritating you--chit chat with her while 5 kids under the age of 6 run amok throughout the house.

7. Put kids down for a nap. Try to get cleaning and work done.

8. Get annoyed at kids because they won't nap, meaning you won't get your work stuff and cleaning done.

9. Do lots of laundry in case power goes out.

10. Do 8 million math pages with oldest child because she asked. Play trucks with youngest child because he is all about stuff with wheels.

11. Send children outside with husband to play in the snow while he shovels.

12. Make nachos for dinner. Decorate cupcakes and eat for dessert. Marvel at the fact that your children are old enough to not trash the entire kitchen when doing this activity. Decide that we must make cupcakes more often.

13. Bedtime for kids=drinks for us.

14. Study while hubby cleans snow again.

15. Listen to wind whip snow and ice into your window.

16. Look at the driveway your hubby cleared 2 hours ago, and say "HOLY COW!!" because there are already 6-8 inches covering everything again.

17. Go to sleep wondering what everything will look like in the am.