Changes

The other night I went Christmas shopping. Like a good and frugal Dutch wife, I had received a coupon to JCPenny, and who am I to not use a coupon??? Especially when you only had to spend ten dollars in order to get ten dollars off! I don't ignore those types of deals. Anyway, so I meandered over to the toddler department only to find that I no longer was in the right department. Jules no longer fits 3T clothes, so I had to find out where the next size up was located. After some searching, I found it. It actually made me a little sad... It was time to admit that my baby really wasn't a baby anymore and there was no more shopping in the infant section. Life keeps on moving whether I like it or not!

Central Park

I'm catching up on blog posts, in case you haven't noticed. I received a scolding from my sister, and who am I to ignore a scolding? So, lest I forget some of the fun things Mike and I have done this past fall and winter, here goes. Our small family made our annual trip to Central Park this past November (or was it October???). Anyway, it was a beautiful fall day. The sun was shining, the trees were showing off their fall colors, and Mike was making fun of me for wearing my coat - yes, I was the only one wearing a winter coat in the entire park. Some things never change. We went to our Green Cafe, ordered sandwiches, and found our old picnic spot under an evergreen tree somewhere in the vast park. Our lunch was delicious (isn't it always better when someone else makes it?), and then it was exploring time. Mike and Jules wandered around wisely climbing rocks out of my eyesight. I've come to conclude that I'm a real chicken with pretty much anything slightly dangerous. I used to get heart palpitations whenever I took Jules to the park - I'd imagine terrible things happening - constantly. In my mind I'd see her falling off the slide and I would constantly be following the poor child around and telling her to "Be careful!" As I was saying, Mike is wise enough to do things where I can't see. After some rock climbing, it was time to go for a walk. We checked out the statues of great literary figures (can't believe I've never seen them before) on the promenade (I think that's what it's called), and then we watched all sorts of people doing all sorts of antics in order to make a buck. There was the bubble man who made ENORMOUS bubbles. A hit for Jules! Then we listened to a variety of classical and not-so-classical music. Then off to the ice cream stand to make Niccy happy. We checked out some...interesting modern statues, and tried to determine what the artist was aiming at. Some determinations are better left unsaid. Anyway, what's a trip to the city without getting crapped on by a pigeon? Thankfully, it wasn't me who got hit. Yours truely, Jules, seems to be taking after her mom in that department. Thankfully, it was more of a slight splatter than a full birds eye strike. Sigh. Next year we might make it to the zoo... We'll see. There's just so much to see and do when it's a gorgeous day in the city...

Me and My Crock pot

My crock pot and I have this love/hate relationship. Let's start on the positive side, though. Is there anything better than walking in the door after work and finding that dinner has been a'simmering in that pot all afternoon? The idea that I don't need to rustle up a dinner is sheer BLISS! When Mike calls on the phone and asks "What's for dinner?" I can answer (with triumph in my voice), "I've been cooking all afternoon!" (never mind the exaggeration). Okay, lest we get carried away, let's be realistic here. Have you ever noticed that a lot of crock pot recipes end up all tasting the...same? Seriously, if you place veggies with your roast in there, or if you put veggies with your chicken, it all ends up tasting the same. Your carrot no longer tastes like a carrot but like roast and that goes for about all your other veggies... So, that's where the love/hate thing comes in. Convenience? Check. Taste? So-so. I would like to say this excludes a good pork roast. Put some barbecue sauce in, or use a McCormick Pulled Pork spice packet, or (heaven-forbid), you actually follow a recipe, and you will have a effortless, delicious dinner! (That's what is on the menu tonight - hence the enthusiasm).

'Tis the Season to be Jolly...

It was one of those days, yesterday. The one that ends in tears and makes you think life is just too hard. Now I'm much more cheerful having had a good night's sleep and simply possessing a cheerfuler disposition in general. I was wondering what set me off the other day and while I was laying in bed last night IT came to me. Christmas! As much as I love Christmas, it just is a busy time of year. All of a sudden, being a wife, mom, teacher at school, and Sunday school teacher just becomes a bit too much. Lists run through my head all day long, and by the time dinner is done and I'm working on the dishes, you have your typical mamma who collapses in a fit of tears and thinks she's an UTTER FAILURE at EVERYTHING! Today I did some of the errands that have been rattling around in this brain of mine and boy, do I feel much better! So, here's to a better attitude, less mental stress, and a happy, healthy Christmas! Cheerio!

Pita Pizzas

The weekend hasn't been kind to me, diet wise. On our way home from Canada, I added up the amount of cake I had eaten and was horrified to find that I had 6 pieces in 2 days. Yikes! No wonder why my belly felt funny all Monday morning. I suppose being at a wedding ought to be some sort of excuse. Anyway, I forgot where I was going with this. Oh yes, what we had for dinner tonight. So, if you are looking for a basic meal, I've got one for you. (Still not sure how this ties into the cake, but oh well).
You need some pita bread. You slather some pizza sauce on it. Dig in the fridge for some cheese. Top with some interesting toppings (I had left over bacon in the fridge). And put whatever you want on it. I used some sliced jalopenos, olives and a few spices. Put the pita in the oven at 425 degrees for I minute, then take out and slather with toppings. Put back in the oven for eight minutes, and TA DAA! Dinner is served. Change it up for the picky eaters in your family!

My Girl

There are things about having a little girl that just make me smile. A couple of Sundays ago I produced a navy dress with white polkadots for Juliet to wear. It had a little pink belt that went with it and in my opinion, it was adorable. Jules wasn't quite so taken with it. "Mom," she declared, "it needs some butterflies and pink in it!"

Today she was looking through her dresses and finding a purple sundress with some glittering jewels on it, stated, "This is my favorite dress. Do you want to know why? It makes me look like a princess!"

And as far as a three year old's reasoning goes:
"Mom, you are my mom and I'm your little girl, you know?"
"Yes, Jules, I know."
"Well, Bluebell needs a mommy bird. We need to go out and buy a mommy bird so Bluebell has a mom, too!"
How do you argue such reasoning?

Bike riding

Lately after dinner Jules and I go for a bike ride. It's become one of my favorite things to do at night. Well, to be more precise, Jules goes for a bike ride and I walk behind her (she bikes so slowly it works out quite well). If I happen to walk in front of her she starts to hoot and holler because then I "am winning." It's all about winning these days and even if we aren't having a race, little Jules believes she ought to be first. Honestly, how I manage to have any patience with the child is beyond me. Last night we were following our neighbor and his dog when his dog saw a tree and decided to take a leak. Jules was intrigued. In a loud voice: "What's he doing, Mom? Why is his leg up like that?" "He's peeing, Jules." Silence. "You mean out of his tail?" "No, not out of his tail, Jules! Out of his, you know... Oh, look, Jules, a nice path for you to bike on. Let's go over there!" And off we go, whizzing down the path...